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5 things the Cleveland Browns must do to reach the Super Bowl in 2020

By Randy Gurzi

CLEVELAND, OH - NOVEMBER 11: Myles Garrett #95 of the Cleveland Browns celebrates defeating the Atlanta Falcons at FirstEnergy Stadium on November 11, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Browns won 28 to 16. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - NOVEMBER 11: Myles Garrett #95 of the Cleveland Browns celebrates defeating the Atlanta Falcons at FirstEnergy Stadium on November 11, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Browns won 28 to 16. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – OCTOBER 28: Nick Chubb #24 of the Cleveland Browns carries the ball against Terrell Edmunds #34 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half in the game at Heinz Field on October 28, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – OCTOBER 28: Nick Chubb #24 of the Cleveland Browns carries the ball against Terrell Edmunds #34 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half in the game at Heinz Field on October 28, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

5. Win the AFC North

One of the best feelings in 2018 was the fact that the Browns continued to stay alive in the playoff hunt until Week 16. While it was a longshot even before the Tennesse Titans got a win over the Washington Redskins on Saturday night that week, it was still fun to watch the team make news for a positive reason.

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With a final record of 7-8-1, the Browns know they need to do better on their end to finally get over the hump and end the longest playoff drought in NFL history. While there were a few winnable games that could have gone their way, two AFC North games really stand out. One was their tie to the Steelers in Week 1.

Cleveland had several chances to win that game and it ended with a blocked field goal off the foot of Zane Gonzalez. Another was their final game when they lost 26-24 to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 17. In this one, they surrendered 296 yards on the ground and had three turnovers. Had they at least slowed down the running game and protected the ball, they could have ended up with the win.

With those two games going their way, Cleveland would have been 5-1 in the AFC and had a record of 9-7. They would have also knocked the Ravens down to a 9-7 record and won the AFC North since they beat them earlier in the season already. Heading into 2019, they need to make sure not to leave golden opportunities like they had in Week 1 and 17 on the board.

Cleveland needs to own the AFC North in order to get a home playoff game while also ensuring they don’t have to worry about a game between teams like Tennessee and Washington to make the postseason. The first step to winning it all is to get into the tournament and winning their own division guarantees that they get in.

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