The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Work remains for team to make 2020 playoffs
Fortunately for the Browns, the playoffs don’t begin soon, as they are among six teams with 6-3records.
Fortunately for the Browns, the playoffs don’t begin tomorrow. Or the day after tomorrow.
The Browns are one of six AFC teams with a 6-3 record. One of them, the Colts, leads the AFC South, which means the Browns and four other teams are trying to squeeze into three wild-card playoff spots. The Raiders, Dolphins, Titans and Ravens are also 6-3 and behind their respective division leaders.
Seven teams from each conference advance to the postseason this year. The Browns are currently eighth in the AFC. The Steelers, Chiefs, Colts and Bills lead their divisions. The Raiders, Dolphins and Ravens are the wild-card teams.
The Browns are outside looking in — for the moment — because of a conference record inferior to those of the other contenders. The Browns are 4-3 in the AFC. The Raiders are 4-2 in the conference and the Dolphins are 3-2. The Ravens are 4-3, but they beat the Browns in the season opener, so that tiebreaker goes to Baltimore.
The Titans are also 4-3 in the AFC. The Browns have the edge over the Titans because of a better record among common opponents. The Browns beat the Bengals twice plus the Colts and Texans once each.
They lost to the Steelers. The Titans beat the Texans but lost to the Steelers, Colts and Bengals. So the Browns are 4-1 and the Titans 1-3 vs. common opponents.
The tight race makes every game significant. Each week the standings could be jumbled with seven games still to play.
The Browns host the NFC-East leading Eagles at 1 p.m. Nov. 22 at FirstEnergy Stadium and then play in Jacksonville on Nov. 29. They have a showdown with the Titans in Nashville on Dec. 6 and then get a chance to even the score with the Ravens in a Monday night game at FirstEnergy Stadium on Dec. 14.
“We don’t get wrapped up in that,” Coach Kevin Stefanski said Nov. 16 on Zoom. “I know it’s fun for fans and I get all that, but we try to focus on the task at hand. Today is about learning from yesterday. You try to learn from a win as much as you learn from a loss and then get ready to play Philly.
“For our fans, we like having meaningful football games, but the thing that matters most for us is the game that week.”
Three regular season games remain after facing the Ravens. The Browns play the Giants and Jets in back to back games Dec. 20 and Dec. 27 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
The regular season for the Browns ends Jan. 3 in a home game with the Steelers. The Steelers (9-0) have a three-game lead on Cleveland and Baltimore in the AFC North. They could have the division and home-field advantage clinched before then and decide to rest quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in a game the Browns might have to win to make the playoffs.
With so many teams knotted at 6-3, it likely will take a 10-6 record to qualify for the postseason.
Here, per the NFL, are the playoff tiebreakers for two teams:
1. Head-to-head, if applicable.
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
4. Strength of victory.
5. Strength of schedule.
6. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
7. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
8. Best net points in conference games.
9. Best net points in all games.
10. Best net touchdowns in all games.
11. Coin toss.
The tiebreaking procedure is a little more intricate if three or more teams are involved, again, per the NFL.
(Note: If two clubs remain tied after a third or other clubs are eliminated, tiebreaker reverts to step 1 of applicable two-club format.)
1. Apply division tiebreaker to eliminate all but the highest-ranked club in each division prior to proceeding to step 2. The original seeding within a division upon application of the division tie breaker remains the same for all subsequent applications of the procedure that are necessary to identify the two wild-card participants.
1. Head-to-head sweep. (Applicable only if one club has defeated each of the others or if one club has lost to each of the others.)
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
5. Strength of victory.
6. Strength of schedule.
7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
9. Best net points in conference games.
10. Best net points in all games.
11. Best net touchdowns in all games.
12. Coin toss