Browns playoff hopes real, despite record, due to weak AFC

We will never know what could have been but we might get a chance to see what can be with the Cleveland Browns. Many were calling for Jameis Winston to be the Browns starting quarterback early in the 2024 NFL season. At 1-6, Cleveland was forced to make the change when Deshaun Watson was lost for the season.

We all know what happened in Week 8.

Winston led the Browns to an upset victory over the, at the time, AFC North-leading Baltimore Ravens. A nice win but doesn’t matter much with playoff hopes and chances out the window, right?

Wrong, maybe.

Currently, Cleveland is slotted in as the 11th seed in the AFC. Despite just two victories, the Browns are just two games out of the final playoff spot as the AFC is weaker than expected. Just eight teams have a record of .500 or better.

On the other hand, there are six teams with just two victories and a lot of talent in the conference. FanDuel has Cleveland’s win total line at 5.5 currently, a clear indicator of what they think of the team right now.

The Browns have a chance to really put the playoffs back on the menu next week against the Los Angeles Chargers (4-4) who currently hold the sixth seed. A victory in Week 9, with the Chargers having to come across the country for a 1 PM game, would spark life into playoff talk in Cleveland.

A long way to go and a very tough schedule to get there but, thanks to the AFC playoff picture seen below, the Browns playoff hopes are not zero going into Week 9.

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