As the regular season gets closer and closer to the finish line, the list of things that need to happen in order for you to be able to make the playoffs either increases or decreases depending upon your own performance relative to your peers. When you lose every game, of course, that list can get pretty lengthy.
The Cleveland Browns, currently sitting at a cool 0-10 through their first 10 games, need a laundry list of things to happen in each and every one of their six remaining weeks in order for them to be able to pull off an exceedingly rare postseason berth. And let’s just say that if it happens, it will be one of the more improbable sports-related occurrences I can think of.
Cleveland.com has figured it all out for us, conveniently, and shockingly determined that they have a greater than 99 percent chance of missing the postseason. It would take 47 specific outcomes to fall their way between now and the end of the season for them to see a wildcard berth—since the division is already out of their reach.
There are far too many things to run down the list, but basically, teams like the Jets, Bills, Ravens, and Dolphins have to lose all or almost all of the rest of their games in order to make it happen. It’s said that there is a one in 19 quintillion chance that everything that they need to happen to make the playoffs actually happens.
Suffice it to say that that isn’t going to happen. I am just going to come out and say it, if any Browns fans are reading: Cleveland is not going to make the playoffs this year. I hope you were sitting down while you read that.
The real point is this: after this week, the Browns are probably going to be eliminated from the postseason. In just Week 12 alone, they would need to win and then have the Bills, Dolphins, Ravens, Chargers, and Jets to all lose, have the Titans win, and have the Raiders tie. That’s how complicated it gets.
So, okay, chances are their ‘season’ is over after tomorrow. It will end unquestioningly if they lose to the Bengals, because it would give Cincinnati five wins—the most the Browns could get—while also owning the head-to-head tiebreaker.
What comes next? Like, literally next? What do they do after they are eliminated? Do they tank? That assumes of course that they would actually have to tank in order to lose their last five games.
And where do they go after this season is over? Considering that they almost traded for a quarterback, are they this time going to use their presumed first-overall pick on one?
