CLEVELAND, Ohio — With five games left, the 8-3 Browns have the second-toughest remaining schedule of their AFC playoff challengers, and the 6-5 Ravens have the easiest.
In fact, the Browns and Dolphins are the only two of the bunch with three winning teams left on the slate. The current AFC playoff standing are as follows, according to the NFL, with the top seven making the playoffs — the four division winners and the three Wildcard teams.
1. Pittsburgh (North) 11-0.
2. Kansas City (West) 10-1.
3. Tennessee (South) 8-3.
4. Buffalo (East) 8-3.
5. Cleveland (North) 8-3.
6. Miami (East) 7-4.
7. Indianapolis (South) 7-4.
8. Las Vegas (West) 6-5.
9. Baltimore (North) 6-5.
Based on opponents’ winning percentage, the AFC North defending champion Ravens have the easiest remaining schedule in the NFL (.336) and the Browns have the 17th toughest (.527).
The Dolphins have the 5th hardest (.573), the Colts have the 21st (.473), the Titans have the 25th (.455) and the Raiders the 30th (.382).
According to ESPN Analytics, which uses different metrics, the teams with the easiest remaining schedule over the last five games are:
1. Raiders
2. Ravens
3. Packers
4. Seahawks
5. Titans
Three of the Browns’ challengers are on the “5 easiest remaining schedules’' list, meaning things should get very interest over the next few weeks.
The Browns, winners of three straight, finish at Tennessee (8-3), at home vs. Baltimore (6-5), at the Jets (0-11), at the Giants (4-7) and at home against the Steelers (11-0).
They should have no problem beating the Jets and Giants, but will have tough battles against the Titans, Ravens and Steelers, providing the Steelers don’t rest their starters in the season finale in Cleveland. Therefore, the Browns should get to 10 wins easily, but getting to a more secure 11 will be challenging.
The Ravens could make things tough on the Browns if they get their act together and rebound from the 23 players who have tested positive for COVID-19 over the past few weeks. The Ravens had to face the Steelers on Wednesday afternoon without starting quarterback Lamar Jackson and at least a dozen other players who were on the COVID-19 reserve list, and they lost their third straight game to fall to 6-5. They’ve also lost 4 of their last 5.
It remains to be seen who will or won’t be available for their next game on Tuesday night against the Cowboys (3-8) and then their Monday Night game in Cleveland on Dec. 14th, which will have enormous playoff implications.
After the Cowboys and Browns, the Ravens finish at home against Jacksonville (1-10) and the Giants (4-7), and at Cincinnati, which is without Joe Burrow.
Week 12′s games mostly went in the Browns’ favor, with the Raiders getting blown out by the 43-6 by the 4-7 Falcons, the Colts getting blown out 45-26 by the Titans, and the Ravens losing 19-14 to the Steelers.
The only thing that didn’t go the Browns’ way was the Dolphins beating the Jets 20-3 to improve to 7-4. But of the AFC contenders, the Dolphins have by far the toughest remaining schedule (5th at .573): Cincinnati (2-8-1), Kansas City (10-1), New England (5-6), at Las Vegas (6-5) and at Buffalo (8-3).
The Raiders have the third-easiest remaining schedule, but put themselves behind the eight-ball by getting drilled by the Falcons on Sunday and falling out of the top seven seeds.
The next two games are crucial for the Browns, with key AFC matchups against the 8-3 Titans, who are hitting their stride, and 6-5 Ravens, who have seemingly fallen apart but gave the Steelers a good battle on Wednesday afternoon despite their skeleton crew. The Ravens game is especially important because of the tiebreakers, with the Browns already down 0-1 in the head-to-head matchup from their 38-6 loss in the opener.
The Giants could give the Browns a good fight in Week 16 considering they’ve won three straight and four of their last six, but that includes two victories over Washington, one over Philadelphia and one over Cincinnati. However, they’re hoping to have quarterback Daniel Jones (hamstring) back sooner than later.
As the No. 5 seed overall and first among the Wildcard contenders, the Browns are poised to snap their 17-year playoff drought, longest in the NFL. But they’ve got a tough home stretch and must play their best football of the season.
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