This season has not gone as expected for the Cleveland Browns.
On paper, this team should’ve been a top-three team in the AFC.
Now, they could potentially miss the playoffs if they don’t pick up their play over the next few weeks.
Heading into their Week 13 bye, the Browns sit at 6-6 and tied for 10th in the AFC.
They have an uphill battle ahead of them, but still have a chance at making the playoffs.
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The odds are certainly against the Browns over the final five games of the regular season.
They will have to earn it if they want to make the playoffs.
The Browns’ final five games are all against opponents that are currently above .500 heading into Week 13.
#Browns remaining schedule:
BYE
Vs #Ravens
Vs #Raiders
@ #Packers
@ #Steelers
Vs #BengalsI don’t see any games where I can say “they’ll win that game.” Playoffs not looking great.
— Noah Weiskopf (@BrownsWithNoah) November 29, 2021
The good news is, the Browns aren’t too far out of contention.
Currently, the No. 7 seed and final playoff spot is taken by the Los Angeles Chargers with a 6-5 record.
That being said, the Browns don’t have to win out to have a chance at the postseason.
Instead, possibly winning as many as two or three of those games could put them in the playoffs.
Although, it’ll likely be close with five teams all sitting with six wins heading into Week 13.
The Browns roster is relatively healthy and they do have the pieces in order to beat these teams.
However, it has been tough for them to put everything together and play as a unit.
The coaching staff needs to get everyone on the same page during the bye week.
This roster has the potential to be a playoff team, but needs to make adjustments over the final five games.
Sell
Over the last three weeks, the Browns offense has seemingly disappeared.
They’ve scored 13 points or less in each of those last three contests.
The Browns started out hot, but have collapsed over the last month or so.
Since Week 5, the Browns are 3-5 and have only one convincing win, which was over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Outside of that, Cleveland has struggled to beat their opponents and have made it tough on themselves down the stretch.
After their Week 12 loss to the Ravens, the Browns have less than a 20 percent chance of making the playoffs.
According to ESPN FPI, #Browns now have a 19.5% chance to make the playoffs and a 5.4% chance to win the division
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) November 29, 2021
As already mentioned, their final five games are against teams all over .500 at the moment.
That means, the Browns have plenty of work ahead of them and it might be too late for them to turn it around.
They registered four interceptions against the Ravens in Week 12 and only managed to score 10 total points.
Obviously, the offense isn’t in a good place right now and this team appears to be playing their worst football of the season right now.
It’s also worth noting that quarterback Baker Mayfield has struggled to find any consistency.
In fact, Mayfield hasn’t surpassed 250 passing yards in any of the last six games.
This defense is normally able to do their part, but this offense needs to step up over the final five games.
It’s hard to believe head coach Kevin Stefanski will be able to right the ship during the bye week, but this is certainly going to be an uphill battle going forward.
NEXT: Ranking The Order Of Blame For The Browns' 6-6 Record
