Call me greedy, but it is now time for expectations to be lifted.
The Browns aren’t the losers that nearly everyone thought they’d continue to be. The re-re-re-rebuilding process is getting results.
With a 7-4 record, a high-flying offense, superb special teams, an improving defense, and a weak upcoming schedule, the window of opportunity is wide open. The Browns had better fly right through it full force, because it’s been known to slam shut without warning.
While it’s no sure thing that the Browns make the playoffs, the current probability stands at 78.8% that they do. That alone would be a great accomplishment compared to pre-season expectations.
But it’s late November now. Days are colder and shorter. We’re all getting older. I am no longer content to snag the second wild-card spot and put the season on the line in Pittsburgh against a Steeler team that has already beaten us twice. The last two playoff seasons, that’s just what happened, and, well, as Forrest Gump put it, that’s all I have to say about that.
If the season ended today, that’s how it would go down. Muck that, I say.
The difference between that sixth seed and any of the other AFC playoff slots is particularly huge this year.
The fifth seed (first wild-card spot) will almost certainly travel to San Diego, or maybe Denver, two very flawed teams with records inferior to Cleveland’s. The degree of difficulty is much lower there than at Heinz Field or the RCA Dome, the two most likely sites of the other wild-card round game.
Additionally, the sixth-seeded team, if it happens to upset the division champ, earns itself nothing more than a guaranteed trip to New England (the presumptive top seed) the following weekend. The fifth seed at least has a chance of forestalling that matchup another week if the sixth seed wins its first game. And facing the Patriots, every little edge matters, so it’s preferred to meet them when they’re not fresh off a bye week.
So clearly, the fifth seed, currently in Jacksonville’s grasp, is well worth striving for. Like the Browns, the Jaguars’ final five games include three on the road. But whereas the Browns will travel to face the Cardinals, Jets, and Bengals, the 8-3 Jags will visit Indy, Pittsburgh, and Houston, a much tougher slate. I’ll be rooting very hard for the Colts to beat them this Sunday.
But it’s not too late to abandon hope for the AFC North title. We need to gain two games on the Steelers, but the schedule presents those opportunities. The Browns must win at least four if not all five of their remaining games. Pittsburgh hosts Cincy, travels to NE, hosts the Jags, visits St. Louis, and finishes at Baltimore. There are easily two or three potential losses there, especially if the injuries to Santonio Holmes and Troy Polamalu linger.
Capturing the division championship obviously would be an excellent achievement in itself. But the playoff benefits would be especially great. Mathematically, the Browns could still get one of the first-round byes. More realistically, they would be the third seed. That means hosting the sixth seed. Keep in mind, the Browns have not won a road playoff game since 1969 and are only 2-14 all-time as NFL playoff visitors. For that reason alone, any dream of bringing the playoffs to Cleveland should die hard.
Taking it a step further, assuming a division title and a first-round win, the Browns’ next playoff game would take place at the second seed. That means some other team would have to face the rested Patriots. Taking on the Colts in Indy is a tall order in itself, but think of how much differently we regard the Browns now than we did after Week One. How differently might we regard them and their chances if they invade Indiana on an eight-game winning streak?
And while we’re outgunning the Colts, some other team (Pittsburgh?) is softening up the Patriots for us. Heck, they might even upset them. If that happened, the AFC Championship Game would take place in Cleveland Browns Stadium.
And then we go on and win the Super Bowl. Easy, right?
Well, not easy, but it is a worthy challenge, and it is an exciting time to be a Browns fan, and we don’t need to settle for a sludgy grudge match on that disgrace of a field in that aptly-named city in western PA.
We’ve been there already. This season could be the start of something entirely new. It’s time to aim high and see where we land when we get there.
