Every Game That Matters For The Browns’ Playoff Chances In Week 17
For Browns supporters, Sunday should be a largely leisurely day since they already have a postseason berth secured. They can’t finish lower than the fifth seed in the AFC, as they proved on Thursday night with a 37-20 victory over the Jets.
There is still a chance for Cleveland to win the AFC North and secure the conference’s top spot in terms of seeding, and it’s a rather significant one: if the football gods work their magic during these last two weeks of the regular season and knock the
In addition, a number of games, especially in the AFC South, may affect the Browns’ first-round opponent if they maintain their five-seed position. These are the remaining Week 17 games that Cleveland might be impacted by.
Since it is the only game that has the potential to directly affect the Browns’ playoff seeding, this one naturally ranks first on the list of matches to watch this weekend.
In Week 18, Cleveland could win the AFC North with a victory over Cincinnati and another loss by the Ravens, provided the team loses to Miami. Should that occur, not only would it be the first division title since 1989, but the Browns would also rank first overall in the playoff standings, earn a first-round bye, and have home-field advantage.
Although it seems impossible, Baltimore has won five straight, including a noteworthy victory over the 49ers on Christmas this past week. Still, you never know. All of it begins on Sunday afternoon with a Dolphins victory.
Panthers versus Jaguars (-3.5) at 1:00 p.m. On Sunday
Jacksonville, which currently leads the AFC South, is currently ranked as the conference’s fourth seed with a 9โ7 record. In other words, if the playoffs began today, Cleveland would play the Jaguars again in Jacksonville.
But, because Jacksonville really has the same record as division rivals Indianapolis and Houston, and because of the head-to-head win percentage tiebreaker, maintains the top slot in the division, making the south one of the more interesting races to follow during the final stretch of the regular season.
Jacksonville can find themselves on the outside looking in if they make one or two mistakes. Not helping matters is the fact that starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence will not play this weekend against the Panthers due to a shoulder ailment. They will take home a first-round home game and win the division if they prevail.