IMHO, this game is critical for Cleveland's playoff hopes.
Now, I'm not some delusional "Browns are going to win the Super Bowl" Clevelanders. They aren't that good. That was made abundantly clear in the 38-6 loss to Baltimore and the 38-7 loss to Pittsburgh.
That said, the Browns have a VERY good chance to make the playoffs and they could potentially even get a plausibly winnable first round game. I think that playoff experience needs to be the realistic goal and two playoff games would be better than one even if the second one is a blowout loss.
Here is why I say the game against the Vegas Raiders (that is still hard for me to say) is crucial:
The Browns are 5-2 with nine remaining games. Of those, three are near sure losses to the 6-0 Steelers, the 5-1 Titans, and the 5-1 Ravens. Another five are near sure wins over the 0-7 Jets, 1-6 Giants, 1-6 Jaguars, 1-6 Texans (I still want to say 'Oilers'), and the 2-4-1 Eagles. That only leaves one other game, this week's contest against the 3-3 Raiders.
In theory it doesn't make much difference. With a win the Browns will be 6-2 and expected to finish 11-5. With a loss the Browns will be 5-3 and expected to finish 10-6. Either way they stand a pretty good chance to make the playoffs. Here is why it matters:
- Room for error: With a win here, the Browns can afford to lose to one of the five bad teams left on their schedule. With a loss here an upset might be fatal to Cleveland's playoff hopes. This is especially true because:
- Tiebreakers: The Browns already own a H2H win over Indy. Right now the Browns would be the sixth seed in the AFC. Indy is #7 trailing the Browns by 1/2 a game and the tiebreaker. Miami and Vegas are two games down. If the Browns win this, there really won't be anyone threatening them from behind. If they lose this they'll only be 1/2 game ahead of the Raiders and since the Raiders have the tiebreaker that could be trouble.
