Browns Playoff Seeding Settled Following Ravens Win
If the Cleveland Browns winning the AFC North was one of your sports New Years Resolutions, you'll have to save it for 2025.
It wasn't for lack of trying though.
After a clinching a playoff berth for the second time in four years with Thursday night's win over the Jets, the Browns did leave open the possibility of winning the division and earning the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC. Dreams of opening round byes and home field advantage were quickly put to bed by the red hot Ravens though, who blew past the Dolphins, 56-19.
Those honors belong to Baltimore who improved to 13-3 with the victory. Entering Sunday, the Dolphins and Browns were the only teams that still had a shot at the top spot in the conference. Cleveland would have needed their division rival to lose to Miami and then again next weekend in order to have a shot at the North itself. Instead, the Ravens made sure there were no lingering questions going into Week 18 and wrapped up both the division and the top seed in one fell swoop.
For the Browns, it means their long overdue quest to win the division continues. That's something Cleveland hasn't seen happen in over three decades. The city's Brownies haven't hoisted the AFC North crown since 1989, nearly a decade before the team even moved to Baltimore then returned in 1999.
The good news is, Cleveland is now locked into the top wild card spot regardless of what happens over the remaining Week 17 slate and in the final week of the regular season. That obviously means they're more likely to spend the postseason on the road – barring an all Wild Card team sweep in the opening round – but it also guarantees them a more favorable matchup to start their postseason run.
Currently, the Jacksonville Jaguars reside as the No. 4 seed in the AFC and can clinch the AFC South with a win next week over the Titans. If that happens, Cleveland's first stop would be on the road against a Jaguars team they've already beaten this year.
With Week 18 now essentially rendered useless for the Browns now, it will be curious to see how head coach Kevin Stefanski handles resting players ahead of the playoffs, something he did open up about during a Friday meeting with the media.
"I think it's dependent on where you are and what you feel like you need for your football team," the Browns head man said. "Obviously there's moving parts here going into these last ball games. So we'll see how it plays out on Sunday and then we'll make the appropriate decisions. But doesn't change the fact that you want to finish strong."
