The Browns have not made the playoffs since the 2020 season. But here are three reasons why their dry streak will come to an end this season.
Joe Flacco Cleveland appears to have finally found its quarterback after losing Deshaun Watson for the remainder of the season.
Flacco, on the bench a few weeks ago, led the Browns (8-5) to an impressive 31-27 victory over the Jaguars (8-5).The 16-year veteran completed 26 of 45 for 311 yards, three touchdowns and just one interception.
His big day led coach Kevin Stefanski to name him the starter for the rest of the season, which was definitely the right decision as Flacco gives the team the best chance to win.He can win with anyone
The Browns become just the 13th team since 1950 with four different quarterbacks (Flacco, Watson, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and P.J. Walker) to start multiple games in a season, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. What’s even more impressive is that Cleveland won a game with all of them.
This shows how talented the team is and that as long as they have competent quarterback play, they may be able to contend for a Super Bowl this season.
The Browns’ sixth-best offense (131 yards per game) in the league combined with their defense allowing the fewest yards per game (263) has made them a team no one wants to face in January.
Remaining calendarCleveland currently sits in 5th place in the AFC and has a good chance of staying there. ESPN gave the team an 80.8 percent chance of reaching the playoffs, with its four remaining opponents having a combined record of 24-28.
It appears the Ravens (10-3), the AFC’s No. 1 seed heading into the “Monday Night Football” doubleheader, will win the AFC North.
But the Browns could very well finish the season with the second-best record in the division and as the best wild card in the AFC.
Other must-reads: Eagles make brutal NFL history with loss to Cowboys in Week 14NFLNFL Week 14 losers: WR gaffes, coaches on the hot seat and a historically bad offense.
With most of the Week 14 action in the books, here’s a look at the week’s losers: Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney: As the Chiefs trailed the Buffalo Bills by three with 1:12 to play, they succeeded.
They scored a wonderful 49-yard touchdown, capped by a lateral from tight end Travis Kelce to Toney. However, Toney was offside, erasing the score from the scoreboard and with it the Chiefs’ hopes of winning the match.
Not only did Toney’s mistake ruin what could have been the game of the year, but the Chiefs ultimately fell to 8-5 while seeing their chances of home-field advantage in the playoffs diminish further. Meanwhile, the Bills, one of their biggest rivals, are revitalized at 7-6 after losing three of their last four games.
Los Angeles Chargers coach Brandon Staley: After another dismal effort by the Chargers’ offense in an embarrassing 24-7 loss to the Denver Broncos, Staley could be in first place. The Staley-led unit has scored just 23 combined points since Week 12, while the team has lost four of its last five games and fallen to 5-8.
If things couldn’t get worse for Staley, the Chargers might have lost quarterback Justin Herbert for the rest of the season with a broken finger on his throwing hand.
Everything quickly fell apart in Los Angeles for Staley. Sunday was another big step back. Las Vegas Raiders: The Raiders were shut out 3-0 by the Minnesota Vikings in Week 14, in a contest neither team seemed interested in winning.
This is only the seventh time in the Super Bowl era (1967) that a game has ended 3-0 and the first time since 2007, when the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Miami Dolphins by a field goal.
Believe it or not, the game between the Raiders and Vikings was one of two games that went scoreless at halftime on Sunday, as the New York Jets and Houston Texans managed to do the same. According to Stathead, this is the first time since November 30, 1986 that this has happened twice on the same day.
Officials, Ravens/Rams: The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Los Angeles Rams 37-31 in an overtime thriller won by a 76-yard punt return touchdown by backup Tylan Wallace.
Probably he shouldn’t have counted only the magnificent game of the special player. Wallace was freed from what appeared to be a fairly obvious block in the back that was not called.
It’s a great result for the Ravens, but a bad way to end perhaps one of the best games on the slate for Week 14. Detroit Lions: The Lions entered Week 14 with a three-game lead in the NFC North with five games remaining.
However, after an ugly 28-13 loss to the Chicago Bears, they lost two of their last three games and fell to 9-4. Only a short time ago, the Lions had created a seemingly insurmountable first place finish.
Now the stretch could be a bit risky for Detroit as it tries to break a six-year playoff drought and win a division title for the first time since 1993.
NFC South: Despite Week 14 wins over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7) and the New Orleans Saints (6-7), they and the rest of the division – the Atlanta Falcons (6-7) and Carolina Panthers (1 -12) – remain under .500.
With the Bucs finishing atop the division at 8-9 in 2022, there is a real possibility that the winner of the NFC North could do so with a losing record for the second year in a row.
