Playoff Picture: where do the Cleveland Browns stand in the AFC playoff race?

What seed will they be and who would they be facing in the first round?

Cleveland currently holds the top wild-card spot in the AFC and the fifth seed overall. The Browns are also a game ahead of the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts who currently sit at 8-4 on the season.

The most likely playoff scenario is that the Browns would hold on to their fifth seed in the AFC due to their relatively easy schedule moving forward. This would mean that the Browns would face off with the worst division-winner from the AFC.

Figuring out who Cleveland would play in the first round is a tougher question to answer. If the playoffs started today, the Browns would rematch with the Tennessee Titans but that could easily shift by the end of the season.

There are many other teams that the Browns could face in the first round of the playoffs. The Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and the Tennessee Titans are all possible opponents at this point.

Out of those four teams, the Titans have the easiest schedule and are the most likely to win the AFC South. The Bills have a tougher schedule, but they have a one-game lead on the Dolphins who have a brutal stretch of games to end the season. The Bills are also likely to win their division.

Cleveland will likely face the lesser record out of Tennessee and Buffalo in the first round. It is worth noting that the Titans defeated the Bills earlier this season meaning that if they were to finish the season with the same record, the Titans would place ahead of the Bills, forcing a Browns and Bills matchup in round one.

The Browns are almost certainly going to be the five seed in this year’s playoff, but their opponent is still to be determined.