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The Cleveland Browns find themselves in very unfamiliar territory heading into Week 15 of the NFL season: in playoff contention. How about that for a change?
After their win over the Denver Broncos on Saturday, the Browns moved to 6-7-1, and while their postseason chances are still pretty slim, it's still an incredible step forward for a franchise that had trouble even winning a single game over the last several years.
So, what has to happen foe the Browns to make the playoffs?
Well, according to ESPN Stats & Info, Cleveland would have to beat the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens over its final two weeks. The Ravens would have to lose out and finish 8-8, and the Miami Dolphins would have to lose one of their final games to finish 8-8. Finally, the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans would both have to lose in Week 16 before tying in their Week 17 matchup against each other.
Impossible? No. Unlikely? Yes.
Browns safety Jabrill Peppers says the team can only worry about itself over the last two weeks, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com:
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“Every week is playoff week,” said Peppers. “You can’t look too far ahead. That’s how you slip up. You look at every game as a playoff game. We can only control what we can control.”
Since Gregg Williams took over for Hue Jackson as Browns head coach, Cleveland has gone 4-2, including impressive road victories at Cincinnati and Denver and a victory over the Carolina Panthers.
Also, the six wins that the Browns currently have are more than the accumulated total from 2015 through 2017 combined.
Cleveland has not made the postseason since the 2002 campaign, the longest active drought in the NFL.
