A BROWNS BUSINESS TRIP THAT WENT AS PLANNED
By STEVE KING
When you’re in the hunt for playoffs, it’s all about business – it’s strictly business, in fact – and the Browns took care of theirs on Sunday.
Took care of business. 💼
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) November 29, 2020
📸's » https://t.co/bmcdmJTzzx pic.twitter.com/QplUpFHFpz
They went on the road and beat a team they should have beaten – that they needed to beat if they really want to go to the postseason for the first time in 18 years – in the woebegone Jacksonville Jaguars, 27-25.
The win, the third in a row for the Browns, all since they observed their bye week in the exact middle of their season, raises their record to 8-3 and keeps them very much in the thick of the AFC wild-card picture. The Pittsburgh Steelers, the only team ahead of the Browns in the AFC North and the NFL’s last unbeaten at 10-0, have all but clinched the division title. They will meet the third-place Baltimore Ravens (6-4) on Tuesday night – Tuesday Night Football, really? – at Heinz Field.
But the preliminaries are over for the Browns. They did what they had to do in dispensing of three bad teams in a row (also the Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles) since the break. Now comes the main event with the fact that their remaining five games include three against some of the AFC’s best in the Tennessee Titans and then the Ravens in the next two weeks, plus a regular-season finale against Pittsburgh.
They need to steal at least one of those games, and if they do, they are almost assured of making the playoffs – as long, of course, as they also sweep their other two foes, New York’s dreadful Giants and Jets.
It’s all fun, and exciting, to think about, especially since it’s only the second time since 2008 (also 2014, when, after 11 games they were 7-4) that the Browns have been doing this well this late in the season.
At the beginning of the year, would you have taken this situation, Browns fans?
Of course, you would have!
So, for goodness sakes, enjoy it!
