J.J. Watt could propel Cleveland Browns to the postseason

Could J.J. Watt’s rant help the Cleveland Browns?

The Houston Texans could help the Cleveland Browns make the playoffs. And if J.J. Watt has anything to say about it, they will do all they can to make that happen.

Heading into Week 17, Cleveland is 10-5 and they need one win to make the playoffs. The problem is, they’re facing the Pittsburgh Steelers who thoroughly embarrassed them earlier in the season — which has the team’s status up in the air.

If there is any good news though, it would be that there are options for the Browns to make it to the postseason even if they fail to get it done on Sunday. Our own Matt McFatridge broke all those scenarios down, and one of the wildest could actually come to fruition thanks to a rant from J.J. Watt.

The final scenario pointed out by McFatridge has the Baltimore Ravens beating Cincinnatti and the Miami Dolphins winning against the Buffalo Bills — as well as the Houston Texans knocking off the Tennessee Titans.

Sound impossible for the 4-11 Texans to take out the 10-5 Titans? Maybe not thanks to a passionate speech from Watt following their loss to Cincinnati. After the game, Watt went in on his teammates telling those who don’t care to go home, and then he reminded them they still have something to play for — their fans.

"“There are people every week that still tweet you, that still come up to you and say, ‘Hey, we’re still rooting for you; we’re still behind you.’ They have no reason whatsoever to. We stink. But they care and they still want to win and they still want you to be great. That’s why. Those people aren’t getting paid. We’re getting paid handsomely. That’s why. And that’s … that’s who I feel the most bad for, is our fans and the people who care so deeply and the city and the people who love it and who truly want it to be great. And it’s not. And that sucks as a player to know that we’re not giving them what they deserve.” — Watt via Sarah Barshop of ESPN"

Watt was widely praised for his stance, which sadly seems to be a lost feeling. Far too often players are on the field smiling and laughing following a loss, more concerned with seeing their friends than what just took place on the field. Sure, the NFL is full of guys who battle together and get along, but they can do this while still having pride in their performance.

A perfect example of this is J.J. Watt. He’s beloved in NFL circles and still understands the fans drive this thing. Without them, the players wouldn’t have the platform they do — or the money that Watt continued to allude to.

Now, he surely went into the meeting room this week with a less censored version of this speech and that could lead to the Texans showing up in a big way in Week 17.

If so, they could help the Browns end the longest drought in the NFL. With that being the case, we all should be cheering Watt on in this one.