Browns control their playoff-clinching destiny, which is all they wanted | Takeaways
HOUSTON — There will be a bunch of scenarios for Week 17 put out by the NFL on Tuesday involving the Browns. However, there's only one that matters most.
A Browns win over the New York Jets on Thursday night in Cleveland means they clinch a playoff berth.
That's it. It's all on the racket, so to speak, for the Browns to eliminate the scoreboard watching and simply win to get in the postseason.
That's what Sunday's 36-22 win at the Houston Texans did for the Browns. It's all they can ask for, to be honest.
"It feels great," All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett said after the win. "Put some of our past failures behind us, we've been cleaning up on our mistakes and improving week-to-week, playing good December football, which is paramount for a team that wants to go far, for us to be a contender and it's been huge for us to be as synchronized as we have."
The Browns (10-5) ended Sunday with a firm grasp on the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoff race, a game up on the No. 6 Buffalo Bills. Buffalo is the lone 9-6 team among the non-division leaders, while the Kansas City Chiefs are 9-5 entering Monday afternoon's game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
After the Bills, there were four teams sitting at 8-7: Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals. None of those teams would be able to catch, let alone pass, the Browns if the Browns win on Thursday night.
“Yeah, I can't wait to get down there," Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. "Our crowd is going to be unbelievable. We can earn it on Thursday. That's the story."
There's a secondary storyline that runs through at least the end of Monday. The Browns are two games behind the AFC North-leading Baltimore Ravens, who take an 11-3 record into Monday night's game at the San Francisco 49ers, in the loss column.
If the Ravens lose to the 49ers, that moves the Browns within a game of first place in the division. The path to their first division title since 1989 takes some help, but it comes down to the Browns winning out against the Jets and at the Cincinnati Bengals and the Ravens losing two of their final three games.
Baltimore's final two games after San Francisco are at home against the Miami Dolphins (11-4) and the Steelers (8-7). If the Ravens and Browns finish with matching 12-5 records, which would include a season split between the two, Cleveland wins the tiebreaker because its division record would be 4-2, compared to Baltimore's 3-3 AFC North mark.
"Every week, I come up here and like I get on the phone afterwards with my family everything and, and it's like, man, that was a big win," said quarterback Joe Flacco, who is now 3-1 as the Browns' starter. "Man, that was a big win. Every week seems to be like that.
"Man, we need this win. We are playing well and we are getting them. That's December football. That's what happens at this time of the year, December, January, February. They are all must-wins and they all have a ton of importance. But our guys have done a great job so far in the last few weeks of keeping that mindset, and we've just got to keep doing it.”
All-Pro Joel Bitonio battles through the back pain
Joel Bitonio made his return to the Browns offensive line against the Texans. He had left last Sunday's win over the Chicago Bears with 6:08 remaining in the first quarter with a back injury.
Bitonio acknowledged there was no certainty he was going to be able to make it to where he could play.
"If you would've asked me on Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday, it was — you can ask my wife," Bitonio said. "She was helping with getting my shorts and underwear on and getting out of bed and those things. When you look back on it, you're like, I crawled up the stairs on Sunday night and it's like, all right, I played in the game the next week. It puts things in perspective.
"I think Friday when I went out and practiced and I got a few plays in and moved around, I was like, all right, once we get to Sunday, adrenaline's kicking in, I think I can get through as long as it doesn't reaggravate."
That's why Bitonio, as much as anyone, had to be happy when Stefanski pulled a number of starters on both sides of the ball after the Browns went ahead 36-7 early in the fourth quarter. And why he couldn't have been pleased when two quick Houston scores led the starters to return to the game for the final six minutes or so.
"I did get a series off and then they scored, got the onside, scored and had to go back in there," Bitonio said. "I think that was the first time in my career that I got pulled at a big win and then I ended up having to go back in the game. So it wasn't quite how I envisioned it, but I'm glad we pulled it off."
Martin Emerson Jr. joins the list of walking wounded on Browns defense
Martin Emerson Jr. had been pretty much an ironman through the first two years of his NFL career. The second-year cornerback, though, is facing a question of whether or not he'll be able to play against the Jets.
Emerson sustained a shin injury late in the first half. He only was out for one play before coming back in two plays later, which was when linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah intercepted Houston quarterback Case Keenum.
The injury, or maybe the 22-7 halftime score in favor of the Browns, led to Emerson not playing in the second half. Mike Ford Jr. and Cameron Mitchell were the primary replacement corners.
"We'll see," Stefanski said. "It's hard. You don't know just yet. Obviously in that short week, you always worry about those type of guys or can they make it to a Thursday. We'll see. I don't know.”
Emerson's teammate, Garrett, had some thoughts.
"He's going to be OK," Garrett said. "Young guy, tough as nails, playmaker. Saw him holding his shin, but to me, in my opinion, from what saw, I'd be precautionary, but regardless, I think he'll be ready when we need him and if not, we've got a lot of guys who are going to step up and make those plays. But we're going to support him regardless of whether he comes back for this next game or he's down one or two."
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns get much-deserved chance to clinch playoffs at home: Takeaways
