CLEVELAND — With 3:49 remaining in the game and the Cleveland Browns trailing the Buffalo Bills 16-12, a miscommunication between Baker Mayfield and Kareem Hunt resulted in Jerry Hughes returning a fumble for a 30-yard touchdown, seemingly putting the game out of reach.
With a loss, Cleveland would have dropped to 2-7 on the season, which would have essentially ended any hopes the Browns had of ending their 16-season postseason drought.
Upon further review, however, the play was overturned, as it was ruled Mayfield's botched handoff was actually an incomplete pass. And in the time since, the Browns -- who went on to score the game-winning touchdown on a 7-yard pass from Mayfield to Rashard Higgins -- have won three straight games to improve their record to 5-6 and now find themselves on the cusp of hitting the .500 mark for the first time since their Week 4 win over the Baltimore Ravens put them at 2-2.
As a result, Cleveland finds itself back in the thick of the AFC playoff race heading into this weekend's rematch with the Pittsburgh Steelers. What do the Browns need to do and how much help do they need with five games left to solidify its playoff push? Let's take a look:
AFC North
While the Ravens still need to play their Week 12 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night, they remain in the driver's seat of the AFC North until further notice. At 8-2 on the year, Baltimore will either enter the final five weeks of the regular season laying claim to a three or four-game advantage over Cleveland and a two or three-game advantage over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Assuming the Ravens (who are a 3.5-point favorite vs. Los Angeles) win on Monday night, the Browns would need one of the following scenarios to take place over the final five weeks in order to win their first division title since 1989:
- Browns go 5-0, Ravens go 1-4 (or worse)
- Browns go 4-1, Ravens go 0-5
Should Baltimore lose on Monday night, the following scenarios could lead to Cleveland clinching the AFC North:
- Browns go 5-0, Ravens go 2-3 (or worse)
- Browns go 4-1, Ravens go 1-4 (or worse)
- Browns go 3-2, Ravens go 0-5
As for the Steelers -- who at 6-5 remain ahead of the Browns -- their fate in the division will likely be determined by how they fare in this weekend's matchup vs. Cleveland and their Week 17 contest at Baltimore. The Browns also have one game remaining against the Ravens, which will come at FirstEnergy Stadium in Week 16.
AFC Wild Card
While the AFC's Wild Card race remains muddled, the Browns find themselves as close to securing one of the conference's two non-division title bids as they have been all season.
Laying claim to a 5-6 record, only one game separates Cleveland and Pittsburgh (6-5), who happen to face each other this week. Merely beating the Steelers, however, likely won't be enough as three other 6-5 teams currently sit between the Browns and Pittsburgh.
As of Monday, here are the current AFC Wild Card standings:
- Buffalo Bills (8-3)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5)
- Oakland Raiders (6-5)
- Tennessee Titans (6-5)
- Cleveland Browns (5-6)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (4-7)
- Los Angeles Chargers (4-7)
- New York Jets (4-7)
While making up three games on the Bills, it's not necessarily out of the question either. Buffalo possesses the third-most difficult remaining schedule, while Cleveland lays claim to the second easiest.
Should the Browns and Bills finish with the same record, Cleveland would have the postseason edge based on its head to head victory. The same, however, can't be said for the Titans, who hold an edge over the Browns thanks to their Week 1 win in Cleveland.
SItting at 5-3 in the AFC, the Browns set up favorably for potential tiebreakers vs. Oakland and Indianapolis. As a result, Cleveland just needs to continue winning and hope that at season's end, its record is at least better than the Titans' and/or at least the same as (or better than) the Bills, Steelers, Raiders and Colts.
For what it's worth, the Titans have the second most difficult schedule remaining this season, with games against the Saints, Colts, Raiders and Texans (twice).
What's ahead?
Here are the five games remaining on the Browns' 2019 schedule:
- 12/1 at Pittsburgh (6-5)
- 12/8 vs. Bengals (0-11)
- 12/15 at Cardinals (3-7-1)
- 12/22 vs. Ravens (8-2)
- 12/29 at Bengals (0-11)
Realistically, the Browns will likely have a decent shot of making the playoffs if they go 5-0 or 4-1 over the course of their final five games. If Cleveland were to drop one game, the most ideal would be in Week 15 against the Cardinals, as a loss to their lone remaining NFC opponent would be the least harmful to the Browns' tiebreaker scenarios.
As far as Cleveland's most important remaining games are concerned, this Sunday is right up there. Beat Pittsburgh and the Steelers' own playoff hopes will go on life support, while Cleveland will have four games remaining -- including two against the winless Bengals -- to complete a once improbable turnaround.