The Cleveland Browns Can Make The Playoffs...We're Serious

CLEVELAND — The Browns won a hard fought Sunday afternoon game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, 26-20. The victory was more than a moral conquest, winning meant Cleveland still had a chance at a postseason berth.

Here we are, the Monday after, still alive in the playoff race. The Browns have a slim (razor thin) opportunity to sneak into a Wild Card spot...or even win the AFC North.

Pittsburgh and Baltimore both lost on Sunday. The Steelers dropped a game to the Raiders, while the Ravens lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.

That means Pittsburgh is 7-5-1 on the year, while Baltimore is 7-6. With Cleveland at 5-7-1, the Brownies could conceivably sneak into pole position of the division.

For that to happen, both the Steelers and Ravens would have to lose all of their remaining games. Cleveland would have to win out. With the Broncos, Bengals and Ravens left on the schedule, the Browns have a shot to go 3-0 in the last three weeks.

The Steelers have games against New England and New Orleans coming up, which means the Steelers could lose out. Baltimore has games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Chargers and Browns remaining.

ESPN now has the Browns "In the Hunt" for the AFC Playoffs, and the New York Times gives Cleveland a 12 percent chance to make the AFC playoff bracket.

To grab a Wild Card spot, the Browns need Baltimore, Denver, Miami, Tennessee, and Indianapolis to all go on losing streaks.

Look...it's unlikely Cleveland makes the playoffs, but crazier things have happened in the NFL. Plus, after struggling to eke out even one win over two seasons...isn't it nice to be dreaming about the postseason?

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