4 teams the Browns could face in Round 1 of the NFL Playoffs

A win over the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football locked up a playoff spot for the Cleveland Browns. At 11-5, they're still in the race for the AFC North title and could potentially steal the No. 1 overall spot. But with their wideouts ailing and the Baltimore Ravens needing to lose out for either scenario, that's not an incredibly likely scenario.

Should the Ravens lose this weekend, that thought process could change but for now, the Browns are still comfortably sitting at No. 5 in the AFC. That means they would wind up hitting the road to take on whoever wins their division with the worst record. Right now, there are four teams that could very well land that spot, three of which are in the AFC South. Let's check out those teams and see how they match up with Cleveland.

4. Houston Texans

At 8-7, the Houston Texans are in a three-way tie with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts. Right now, they don't have any tiebreaker advantages, so they're technically third in the division. They will have a chance to get back on top with the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts on the schedule to close out the season.

For the past two weeks, they've been without starting quarterback C.J. Stroud and while they edged out the Titans, they were unable to beat the Browns. Cleveland won 36-22 but it could be a vastly different game with Stroud under center.

Also out when they faced off in Week 16 was Will Anderson. Looking ahead to Week 17, Stroud is back but Anderson is not. If Anderson does return for the playoffs, their pass rush could be much better. Cleveland should still have the edge but they need to throw Week 16 out the window and prepare for a much tougher matchup.