If the Browns win out they can still scrape by a barely winning season (8-7-1) which would be a pleasant surprise. I’m feeling pretty good about today.
Newton was obviously not on when it mattered. Weird pass choices on the attempt to win the game with 2:45ish to go. Some poor plays earlier in the 3rd quarter, too, when I was kinda paying attention for a bit.
Browns are definitely better than they have been for 2.5 seasons.
I’m feeling like Baker Mayfield is clearly the franchise QB the Browns have been waiting for. I’m also feeling like Sam Darnold is some guy the Jets still have no idea about whether he’ll pan out or not.
So, uh, yeah, Beef, you may have to pry Mayfield out of my cold, dead hands in the Dynasty league.
Found this on reddit:
Individually none of those things are unlikely at all. All together less so, but to even have a chance at this point is pretty cool.
What gets kind of glossed over there is that the week 17 Steelers loss would have to come at the hands of the Bengals. In Pittsburgh. Can’t see it. Cincinnati is a train wreck now.
Maybe the Steelers can lose twice to New Orleans in a single game, instead?
NFL rookie of the week:
Week 1: Denzel Ward
Week 3: Baker Mayfield
Week 4: Nick Chubb
Week 5: Denzel Ward
Week 7: Baker Mayfield
Week 9: Baker Mayfield
Week 10: Nick Chubb
Week 12: Baker Mayfield
Week 14: Baker Mayfield
3 Browns have won rookie of the week more than the rest of the NFL combined. That’s pretty remarkable.
It’s about time those high draft picks finally pay off. 
Local (Cleveland) sports talk radio is getting a little overly giddy talking about the Brown’s playoff chances but I’ll be content for this year, that in mid December the Browns have playoff chances at all.
Lots of exploding heads in Baltimore and Pittsburgh if Browns take the division.
Browns fans must be torturing themselves about that OT tie against Pittsburgh and those other two narrow losses right now.
C’mon guys, let’s not get too giddy here; odds are pretty good the Browns go 7-8-1, which compared to 1-15 and 0-16 is a massive improvement, with real hope for the future.
I’ll mention the Denver game since others haven’t; c’mom folks, when the coach called time out just as Denver was handing the game to him and then the failed 4th down play, didn’t any of you have memories of “The Drive” and “The Fumble”, both against Denver? But not this time…not this time. That 4th down sack renewed hope that just maybe, we have the makings of a contending team here.
Until something goes wrong–to be a true Browns fan is to take nothing for granted and to expect suffering.
But hope springs eternal…
That’s pretty much it for our playoff chances, unfortunately. We needed the Steelers to lose here to get a shot at the division, or the Colts or Titans to lose to keep the wildcard dream alive. There’s still technically a chance but it’d require the Colts and Titans tying among other things, so practically no.
Ah well, to turn a dumpster fire season in the making into an almost playoff run is pretty remarkable. Next year the Browns are going to the playoffs.
I think Cleveland is a couple of good draft picks/trades and a stable head coach situation away from a playoff berth. Next season that could happen. The Browns have been a forgotten team for so long, it would be great to see them become a force in the AFC.
Speaking of the coaching situation, why would they not want to just hire Gregg Williams?
The Browns are still not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, but they would need every other team chasing that last wild card spot to lose out, and for Tennessee and Indianapolis to tie in the final game of the season. So, it’s all but over. But they can still finish with a winning record!
I think they should just keep Williams. Or at least hire someone that will keep him as DC.
Just going by their record since he took charge he seems like an upgrade. I don’t see why this would be a bad idea either.
You only keep him if you think that he’s the coach to lead you to 13-3. Just because he’s doing better than the prior coach, that’s not enough.
If he has to go 13-3, you have to think he’s one of the top 4 coaches in the NFL. I’m all for setting the bar high, but that might be a bit much. Since he took over Williams is 4-2. If he finishes at 6-2, I’d say that’s pretty damn good and worth keeping around.
Who out there is more likely than Williams to take the team to 13-3? I mean, if Bill Belichik were looking for work then sure, sorry Gregg but we’re moving on. But who is actually available? Mike McCarthy? You only hire someone else if you think he’s actually an improvement. The last thing the Browns need to do is emulate the Raiders moves on coaching.
The worst thing they could do is to keep the carousel turning. That would only mess Mayfield up, perhaps permanently.