Three games that will decide the Cleveland Browns playoff fate
By Mitch Zoloty
The NFL recently released every team’s schedule for the upcoming season. The schedule makers shined down on the Browns, giving them four prime-time games. Here are three games the Browns must win this season if they want to win the AFC.
Every game is important, anyone who has played on a sports team knows that. However, some games are more important than others. While the Cleveland Browns games against the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals will be fun, they don’t matter as much as the games within the AFC.
Beating our AFC opponents will be crucial because it not only adds one to our win total, but also adds a loss to a team who we are competing against for a spot in the playoffs. This is simple logic, but is sometimes overlooked when trying to predict the season.
The AFC North should have three teams this season competing for the playoffs, those being the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, and the Browns themselves. The Cincinnati Bengals seem all but out already, looking as they have a new head coach but no significant additions to their team so far this off-season. Unless they somehow dominate the draft, they’re looking at finishing fourth in the AFC North again.
With their six divisional games and four games against the NFC West, the Browns have six more games to play. Cleveland also plays against the AFC East, that being the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, and New York Jets. This is arguably the weakest division in the NFL at the moment.
The Dolphins seem in full tank mode, the Bills and Jets both finished 6-10 and 4-12 last season respectfully. The final two games the Browns have are against the Titans and Broncos, both teams that should be looking to battle for wildcard spots this season.
Considering all that has mentioned so far, let’s determine the three games that will be the most important for the Browns to win. One of these mentioned will be a divisional game, one a game against a top team in the NFL, and one against a team that many may be overlooking.