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Yesterday was the beginning of an important stretch.
Sure, winning the division is the goal, but it may be a bit of a stretch to do that at this point.
However, the wildcard isn't out of the question(sure, we have to win) and many of the teams that might project as wildcard contenders are on the schedule...J-ville, Denver, Buffalo, Indy...Ravens next week.
All of these games have the potential to be important in tie-breaker situations.
So, yes we have to win to get there, but it is stacking up in a way that some of these wins we need will, or could, be against the teams we might be tied with in the end, giving us a big edge.
Go Browns!
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Absolutely a big stretch, peen. Like you said, we're playing our likely competition for the wild card. It's in our hands, we need to take care of business. This is a nice stretch of home games, too.
These are some winnable games. Of course, when we can handle the Giants and beat Jax on the road, all games are winnable. We just need to show up and play the way we can.
I'm going this Sunday. Let's get to .500, and get a divisional win while we're at it.
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After all the drama this team has gone thru over the first half of the season, sitting 3-4 isnt what we wished for or expected, In the words of Monty Python.....were not dead yet.....But as said before we must keep winning to have a chance at a wild card or a division crown. It's time for the players to SHUT UP & PLAY....We fans dont care about your contract, we dont care if your unhappy, (Look at the Economy, many of us are too), We dont care if your Karma is off or your Moon watch is glowing a diffrent color.....JUST WIN....  The Browns of old would tighten thier chin straps, tape up thier hands, spit a few teeth out and forgot about taking names....Let the trainers sort'em out ......Lets see if you can walk in thier foot steps & carry on the tradition.... .
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Quote:
Sure, winning the division is the goal, but it may be a bit of a stretch to do that at this point.
Steelers are 5-2. We're 3-4. We beat them when we play them again, they're only one up on us. So we're definitely in the division still. There's another 9 games for us to play.
UCONN HUSKIES 2014 Champions of Basketball
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I understand..and agree....just allowing for a flub up along the way. 
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong
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Well the next game against the Ravens is the most important.. and no, I'm not using the old cliche about the next game being the most important.. we need to improve our standing in the division because in the event we end up in a tie with Pittsburgh, that's one of the first tie-breakers... I'm trying not to get too excited and plan week by week but I am keeping an eye on the Steelers and feel there are quite a few potential losses left on their schedule.. Next week could be huge, we beat the Ravens, the Redskins beat the Steelers and we will be knocking on the door right behind them... 
yebat' Putin
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Expanding on that, what Petey said and what BallPeen has started here, I personally think the Division is out of the question, unless the Steelers really fall apart with Ben being so banged up -- their line is not doing a very good job -- AND they lose their other Cincy and Baltimore game(s),.....that's the only way I see us winning a tiebreaker. The best the Browns can be is 4-2,...Pitt has to lose those other two division games to go 3-3. If not, and we're BOTH 4-2, the next tie break is conference record, where I think the Steelers will probably have the edge there also. Obviously, after we win the Steeler game and that is their only division loss (??), we have no claim to the Division in the case of a tie,...so,....
In my opinion, the best thing to hope for is an outright tie the week BEFORE we play the Steelers in the finale. That stupid loss to Baltimore is really weighing heavy, so DC is on the money -- this next one is big; hell they all are.
The Steelers have some tough games ahead, where the Browns are starting to look like they're getting some edge back on their sword. Putting the pressure on them by winning and taking care of business is bound to take it's toll. Enthusiasm and momentum is a hard snowball to stop.
Let's not rely on tiebreakers,....
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Quote:
sitting 3-4 isnt what we wished for or expected
No, but being 3-1 since week 4 isn't too bad either.
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with 2 games in 5 days, we need to keep the d off the field sunday. this will be a physical game. we are shorthanded on the d-line, and that thursday game could be rough. this could be a make ore break two games. lose sunday, and play beat up on thursday......  OR we could win on sunday with a dominating run game, giving the big boys some rest. then unleash hell on the bron-cows. with 11 days rest before heading to buffalo...
The orange 99 cent stickers will return one day if the fun nazi's allow it.
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Must win next week...we cant keep going to 2 games under .500...plus its a divisional game.
Its a must win to be serious about the p-offs...if we win then we have some hope. Denver is beatable as are the Colts and Texans...the Bungles game better be a beat down.
We have to win this week and then if we beat Denver...we are in great shape.
It will come down to DA...unfortunatley....which guy shows up? Will he play a whole half the same? Will he play good at all? Will we get the NYG DA or the Ravens game DA?
Our team is solid and consistent outside of him...and when he plays even decent we look like a great team...this stretch of games are all on his shoulders.
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No doubt it is a big game...but we are getting to the point they are all big games.
3-4.....7 games played...11 to go, 7 is the lucky number.
Our guys need to look at every game as a must win game. There isn't a whole lot of slack in the rope.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong
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Quote:
Must win next week...we cant keep going to 2 games under .500...plus its a divisional game.
Its a must win to be serious about the p-offs...if we win then we have some hope. Denver is beatable as are the Colts and Texans...the Bungles game better be a beat down.
We have to win this week and then if we beat Denver...we are in great shape.
It will come down to DA...unfortunatley....which guy shows up? Will he play a whole half the same? Will he play good at all? Will we get the NYG DA or the Ravens game DA?
Our team is solid and consistent outside of him...and when he plays even decent we look like a great team...this stretch of games are all on his shoulders.
Not to condescend, but that also makes it a conference contest,...we need those as badly,...and if the dreaded tiebreak gets to common opponents, getting that Philly win could be big too. (Steelers having lost to both Giants and Eagles,...we need Dallas to beat Pitt too.)
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I was thinking about this today.
I looked at the remainder of the schedule, and I see 3 games we should win (Bal, Hou, Cin) and I believe the rest are up in the air. The question will be, how many of those remaining 6 (Philly, Pitt, Indy, Buffalo, Denver, Tenn) can we win. If we go 50/50 we end up 9-7, will that win us the division or wild card? I'm not so sure.
Can we win 4 or more of those 6 games, I'm not convinced either way. We obviously have hope with our big wins over the Giants and Jags...so there is a chance especially if we win the games you mention.
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As I look at the schedule I see a possible loss in each of our remaining games, and I see a possible win in each of our remaining games.
We cannot look at the schedule and see anything different. Look at San Diego, Buffalo, Dallas, Indy, etc........there's a reason we play the games. If the team that played the giants shows up, we go undefeated the rest of the way. If the team that played the redskins shows up, we don't win again.
Then, compound that with the opposing team needing to show up and play.........man, you get a big headache if you do that.
Want it to be a migraine? Throw in an injury or 2 to us, OR the teams we are going to be playing.
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Quote:
As I look at the schedule I see a possible loss in each of our remaining games, and I see a possible win in each of our remaining games.
We cannot look at the schedule and see anything different. Look at San Diego, Buffalo, Dallas, Indy, etc........there's a reason we play the games. If the team that played the giants shows up, we go undefeated the rest of the way. If the team that played the redskins shows up, we don't win again.
Then, compound that with the opposing team needing to show up and play.........man, you get a big headache if you do that.
Want it to be a migraine? Throw in an injury or 2 to us, OR the teams we are going to be playing.
^ This.
Not to be the "lets play this weeks game before playing the rest of the schedule all at once guy" but...lets play this weeks game before playing the rest of the schedule all at once guy. 
Seriously, who the heck really knows what's going to happen this weekend and then how that will impact the next game and then....you get the idea.
Just like real life, we have the butterfly effect in NFL too. For example, say we punch it into the endzone after the Steptoe catch, maybe the Jags don't fumble the kickoff because Dawson kicks it deeper because he's pumped up and then they score a TD on their drive. We bash the Browns for not scoring a TD there but it might have contributed to winning the game after all was said and done. So to talk about games 2-3 weeks in advance is insane (but I get why people like to do it).
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I think every game from here on out is winnable.
Even the Titans game.
We have to take this a week at a time though. We gave Baltimore that game earlier in the year, we matchup better with them than we showed. We should win this one if we play the right gameplan and execute properly.
I could honestly see Denver being a shootout because they have no D, but Cutler is a damn good QB.
Houston is very winnable but they scare me because you don't know which Houston will show up, or which Cleveland will show up.
I think as much as Buffalo improved from last year, so did we. Should be very even.
Colts? I'm worried about Manning getting back on track, if he's still a bit off like he has been we stand a very good chance.
Eagles have a Jekyll and Hyde thing going on too, but this is our most likely L.
I'm not dreading the Titans that much, especially if something should happen to Kerry Collins.
Cinci, I'd be most scared if they're 0-14 when we play them.
Pittsburgh, I think it's finally our time.
We won't win every game from hereon out. But taking 7 of 10 is not out of the question. We did it in '02.
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the division is not out of the picture just yet...
look at pittsburgh's remaining schedule...
@ WAS
IND
SD
CIN
@NE
DAL (Romo should be ready to go, this game is dec 7)
@ BAL
@ TEN
CLE
there are some L's on this schedule.
and i think the rougher part of our schedule is done. we still have tough games, but i think they are all winnable. hell every game but the dallas game was winnable.
you gotta win sunday though, you just have to, it would be back-breaking not to, i think we pour it on...
the denver game will be a fun one, i really see a repeat of week 2 last year, a good old fashioned shootout, where the total may go over by halftime...
if we can win these next two, and get that extra rest, i think we can set ourselves up nicely... we get a few extra days to look at buffalo, that game will be tough, but they are most certainly beatable...
i'm telling you, if we make the playoffs, we will have really earned it. our schedule is brutal, and we're holding our own.
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Quote:
I think every game from here on out is winnable.
Even the Titans game.
i think that is a good matchup for us...
i know, i know, the rushing yards they get a game, and the rushing yards we give up a game...
they haven't played a really great team yet, if you jump on them early, they're done, they are going to the playoffs, but they aren't going to do much...
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Ok, here are the AFC Standings as they sit after the Indy loss.
Amazingly, a win next week with a NYJ loss (@ Buff) and Miami loss (@ Denver) would vault us up to the #6 spot (last wild card position)....both those teams will be underdogs.
Division leaders
1. Tennessee 7-0 and pretty much have it clinched with everyone else 3-4 in their division.
2. Pittsburgh 5-2 but have a really tough schedule coming up that could knock them down a few rungs.
3. New England 5-2 because they have the divisional tiebreaker over 5-2 Buffalo
4. 4-3 Denver who have pretty much a 2 game lead over the Chargers since they beat them once already.
Wild Cards
5. Buffalo 5-2 / 3-1 (AFC record)
6. Baltimore 4-3 / 4-3
Chasing
7. NY Jets 4-3 / 3-3 (AFC record)
8. Miami 3-4 / 3-3
9. Cleveland 3-4 / 2-2
10. Indy 3-4 / 2-2
11. JAX 3-4 / 3-4
12. Houston 3-4 / 2-4
13. SD 3-5 / 3-3 (1-4 on road, but only 3 road games left. Easier schedule remaining, which are only reasons they don't drop to below)
Pretty much eliminated
14. Oakland 2-5
15. KC 1-6
16. Cincy 0-8
#gmstrong
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Peen, when did the schedule go to 18 games? I thought it was 16 and a bye week.
By my count we have 9 games left in regular season play. Am I wrong?
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Yes. They added two games this year to bring it to 18 games.
Just kidding. I noticed that to but I just attributed that to senility. We have 9 games left, some pretty good teams left, but if we want a chance at the wildcard we have to beat our wildcard competitors.
And by the way...if we go 7-2 the rest of the way we're in. 10 games this year pretty much guarantees a playoff position judging from the way the AFC has played the NFC thus far.
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Along those lines, for those who are curious as to our chances to reach 4-4 at OUR halfway point, the line going into this game against the Rats:
Even.
It's a fascinating matchup: One team with a great defense, a great running game, and a rookie QB who has 3 TD's and 7 INT's. The other team has an emerging offense with a good running game and a very suspect defense.
Here's how the Rats are doing what they are doing:
2nd in the NFL in rushing attempts
32nd in the NFL in passing attempts
They know they have a rookie QB, so they are sticking to the run no matter what. Despite being 5th in the NFL in yards rushing, they have a very average 3.8 yards per carry. This clearly means they are trying to protect Flacco.
If we're going to beat the Rats, we MUST be able to stop the run, something we haven't done well at all this season. If Tucker has half-a-brain, he'll load up the box and dare Flacco to beat us. We must jam heap at the line so that he doesn't get a clean release, then make sure we're loading up the gaps to stop the run.
This is going to be an ugly game. It's one we can win, but it will begin and end with us trying to stop the run. If we can, we win hands down. If we can't.........
***Gordon, I really didn't think you could be this stOOpid, but you exceeded my expectations. Wussy.
Manziel, see Josh Gordon. Dumbass.***
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Personally, I think winning the turnover battle is more important in this one. Turnovers KILLED us the first time we played the Rats. However, I agree that stopping their running game is also key. If we accomplish those two goals, Baltiwhore loses. Period.
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Missed opportunities are essentially the same thing as a tunrover...last time DA not only threw picks but also missed several big plays. We have to make the plays available...especially against such a good defense.
If we can stay up on them...where they have to rely on a passing game..we should be ok...but if we turn it over and get down...were done...theyll eat DA for lunch and run it down our throats. The major reason they ran it through us was because our defense was on the field for 3/4 of the game....which was due to the turnovers.
It really rests on our offense...if DA plays well...we win because we wont be missing plays or making turnovers...our defense wont be dead tired and the RATS will have to rely on Flacco. Plus if we are winning we can still use Jamal and stay balanced....
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Quote:
Peen, when did the schedule go to 18 games? I thought it was 16 and a bye week.
By my count we have 9 games left in regular season play. Am I wrong?
LOL....your right...that is why I avoided math when in school.
I am all for the 2 more they talk about.
7 is still the number
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong
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I don't care how, DA or Jamal, but getting in front is ALWAYS the key for this team. I thought it nearly a miracle they were able to recover in the Giants game. 
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Indeed an important stretch of games. IMO we need to get to 10 & 6 (that's winning 7 of the 9 left) Wins - Balt, Denv, Buff, Hous, Indy, Cincy (including Jac., we'd have a 6 game win streak) Loss - Philly Win 1 of the 2 - Tenn, Pitt (best to beat Pitt, might get Div. title and better tie breaker over Balt.) This would put us at 9 & 3 in the confrence and would give us wild card tie breakers over just about anyone. Losing one more game would put us at 9 & 7 and that's just not a very good record for making the playoffs. It takes too many teams to lose too many games from this point on. Can we do it? It would be pretty remarkable. It would take a herculean effort by Sean Rogers, Jamal Lewis and...gulp...DA 
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with as beat up as Pitt is and with the hits that Roeth is taking and their upcoming schedule...
9-7 could still win the division....
heck, with the parity in the AFC this year, 9-7 could win the wild card....
if we win on Sunday with losses by NYJ and Miami, then we are the #6 seed for now (Jets and Dolphins are both big underdogs as well).
probably still a long shot with our schedule, but there is definitely a chance.
#gmstrong
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