The Browns, led by one of the NFL’s best defenses and interim starting quarterback Joe Flacco, are still in contention for the AFC North and the top seed in the AFC.
Cleveland would have appreciated a little bit of help from the 49ers against the Ravens on Christmas Day, but its division title and first-round bye hopes are still alive and well despite Baltimore’s routing of San Francisco.
The Browns enter the final two weeks of the season with a 10-5 record, firmly holding the AFC’s top wild-card spot. They’re going to need a little magic to overtake the Ravens for the AFC North crown and the No. 1 seed in the conference, but it’s not impossible.
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Here’s how Cleveland could still win the division and the AFC.
Browns playoff picture
How Browns can win AFC North
The only way the Browns can win the AFC North is if they win out and the Ravens (12-3) lose out.
Cleveland will host the Jets at home in Week 17, then close the season in Cincinnati against the shorthanded Bengals in Week 18. Without two wins, the best the Browns can finish is an AFC wild card spot.
Even with two wins, Cleveland will need the Ravens to drop back-to-back home games to the Dolphins and Steelers to end the season.
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The Browns and Ravens split their two matchups this year, so the tiebreaker would go to whoever has the better record against the division.
In this scenario where Cleveland wins out and Baltimore loses out, the Browns (4-2 against AFC North) would edge the Ravens (3-3) by one game to win the division.
How Browns can earn the No. 1 seed in AFC
Now that the Browns have hypothetically won the AFC North with two wins and two Ravens losses, they could be in contention for the No. 1 overall seed in the conference and a first-round bye.
But this time, they’re going to need help from the Bills in Week 18.
In this scenario, the Ravens lost to the Dolphins in Week 17 when Cleveland fans were donning their teal and orange in Miami’s support. In Week 18, the Dawg Pound will be praying for a Dolphins loss at home to Buffalo to clear the way for the No. 1 seed.
Then, both the Browns and Dolphins would finish 12-5 overall but Cleveland would claim the top spot because it (9-3) would have a better record than Miami (8-4) against AFC teams.
So, to iron out the Browns’ chances for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, they would need:
- To win out against the Jets at home (Week 17) and Bengals on the road (Week 18)
- The Ravens to lose out against both the Dolphins (Week 17) and Steelers (Week 18) at home
- The Dolphins to beat the Ravens at home (Week 17) then lose to the Bills on the road (Week 18)
Browns remaining schedule 2023
| Date | Opponent | Record |
| Dec. 28 | vs. Jets | 6-9 |
| Jan. 7 | at Bengals | 8-7 |