DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum AFC North final 4 games, thoughts and prediciton

I was reviewing the AFC North schedule for the remainder of the season and have a few random thoughts that may, or may not, generate some good discussion amoung the board members.

After last nights Pitt win, they have an extremely soft final 4 games with the Jets being thier only winning record team to challenge; Cinci 2-10, Jets 9-2(currently), Carolina 1-11(oh the flashbacks), and the Browns 4-7. I foresee the Steelers winning the Cinci, Carolina games fairly easily, and losing to the Jets. This will still seal thier AFC North Divisional position and will mean they most likely will not push playing thier 1st stringer against the Browns in the final game of the season as they know the Browns will make them pay dearly, and they can not afford to go into the playoffs hurt from another inter-divisional slugfest like they had last night.

The Ravens have a really tough final schedule as they have to go against; the Texans 5-7(with a real chance at a divisional title at only 2 games back in the AFC West), NO 9-3, the Browns 4-7, and Cinci 2-10. This will be the inter-divisional game that I see being the most challenging to win as the Ravens will either be all-in for a wild card spot or completely out of it due to a steak of losses.

Cinci I think have mailed it in as they are 2-10 with games against all but one team who have a winning record and a chance to make the playoffs; Steelers 9-3, Browns 5-7, Chargers 6-6, and the Ravens 8-4.

The Browns have a real shot at an 8-8 or even a 9-7 season. They must, however, play with the same attitude we saw last year going against; Bills 2-10, Cinci 2-10, Ravens 8-4 (still a potential playoff contender), and Pitt 9-3.

I am going to predict the final games as wins for the Browns in the Bills and Bengals games just because they should. Granted both the Bills and Bengals have played very close games the last few weeks and this will be very telling as to wether the Browns can win the games they are suppose to win. I also predict wins verses the Ravens as spoilers to thier Wild Card spot and the Steelers game because they will likely sit thier starters due to legitamate injuries from last nights game and the fear of depleating thier starting roster if they field it against the Browns knowing how hard the Browns played them in the final game last year.

I know that may be homerism and orange glasses optimism but I'll happily take a 7-9 through a 9-7 season considering there were plenty on here that did not predict any better than that "IF" the Browns would have won the first 2 games against TB and the Chiefs, only had "One" legitatemate starting QB instead of the injury carosel of three, and managed to "not" go through every RT side OLman on the roster/depth chart.


Your thoughts?

completely agree with what you're saying. i don't think it's homerism to think we'll end up at least 7-9.

a 7-9 (with potential of up to a 9-7) season when no one expected relevance, a great defense with an extremely improved secondary, a dependable running game, and a surprise young qb is quite a season for a team that started out 1-10 the season before.

I can envision a bunch of scenarios. Obviously, I want us to win out, and we CAN. But I can't help picturing us sleeping on at least one of the "easy" win teams.

Very interested to see how Hillis does against the Ravens now that they "KNOW who he is."

Man I would love to be able to meet the Ravens AND Steelers w/ their playoff hopes on the line.

Buffalo is the type of game we have the potential to lose.

I see pit & the rats winning out, rats get the WC. I see Cincy losing out, getting another top QB pick (to go with their new coach). I see us winning two more, finishing 7-9, and taking a defensive player or (maybe) an O-lineman with our first pick (somewhere between 10-13?). Texas, Titans & Skins losing could drop us in the draft. I'll be surprised (pleasantly) if we actually pick a WR in the first.

I see us splitting the remaining games for the remainder of the year. I have no solid evidence to go on, but I don't see the Steelers resting players and taking it easy for the last week, even if they have the playoffs all tied up. The Ravens will be scratching and clawing for the playoffs. I respect/fear the Ravens far more than the Steelers.

Buffalo has played with heart the past few weeks but, as a poster has already mentioned, they will find a way to give us the game. I picked Carolina as our doozy-game, and we escaped that one.

If we lose to Cinci, I will be physically ill.

Pitt.....12-4
Bal.....12-4
Cle.....8-8
Cin.....2-14

Round 1 playoffs
Indy vs Jets..................NYG vs NO
KC vs Bal....................Sea vs Phi

Round 2 playoffs
Pit vs Indy....................Atl vs Phi
NE vs Bal....................Chi vs NO

Conf Championships
NE vs Pit.....................Atl vs NO

SB
NE............................ Atlanta

our MO in the last two victories has been "let the other team beat themselves" and that should work against Buffalo and Cincinatti, but not against Pitt and Balt. Against Pitt and Balt, we should go back to the game plan we had for N.O. and N.E. Don't try to outsmart yourself against Buffalo and Cincinatti. Let them beat themselves. They will.

I am the only idiot on the board that publicly follows what the playoff scenarios are and believes everyone of those little dingies can happen,.... on me,....

I too looked at the Division, and the rest of the mathematical "contenders" as some follow up to one of the FOX game show telecasts where they posted all of the teams (1) with a Division lead (2) best Wild Card and (3) "Still Alive."

They had the 5-7 Houston Texans as "Still Alive," but NOT the Browns, so I was pissed. Most probably because they are closer to their Divison lead than the Browns are to the (now) Steelers, I suppose.

Anyway, CBSSportsline.com still has us listed as mathematically possible.

My best estimate is, we must take the Wild Card left after the East provides us with the Jets & New England. This means we must outlast Baltimore (amongst 4 or 5 others too.)

However, there still exists the possibility of taking the Division at 9-7, winning the tiebreaker with the Steelers with a 4-2 record. Of course once the Steelers win another game (this weekend at Cincy), this becomes impossible.

All of the teams in the "Still Alive" category have at least 2, and most have 3, games remaining against teams that are in that same ballpark. This will make it interesting.

Because there are so many of these helmet-to-helmet games coming up in the next four weeks, I call this a 50-50 chance that the Browns, assuming the best case scenario of four straight wins, have as good a shot as any of the others "still alive."

I know many of you will crash this party as "unrealistic" and I would totally understand,...however, this is exactly what happened in 1985 when the Orange and Brown won the Division at 8-8 with NO tiebreakers necessary. (Pitt and Cincy were 7-9).

With last nite's miracle, Pittsburgh will mostly likely win the Division. The Jets and New England (with whom we hold the breaker) will likely make it to 10 wins (our mathematical "stopping point.") & we need Jacksonville to win the South, KC in the West. That leaves us hoping Indy, Oakland, San Diego, et al, find a away to finsh 8-8 or worse, or we don't have to worry about winning a head-to-head TB'er with.

It still would not be "over" if (when) Pitt and Baltimore get 10 wins. We could still win a tiebreaker with New England. My advice here, is become a Jets fan this evening,....

I'm NOT saying any of this is probable or likely, just laying out the groundwork for those who are wondering what the scenarios look like, and "who to root for."

Just couldn't stand it when they tell me Houston is still in and I'm not.

That's crap.

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Texans 5-7(with a real chance at a divisional title at only 2 games back in the AFC West)

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I think the Texans have to get past the Colts, Jags, Broncos, Chargers, Raiders & Chiefs to win the AFC West.

I'll take Jets over Giants in Super Bowl.

All New York match-up.

*Yes, I'm aware that I'm the same guy that said "Don't buy the Jets hype". I was wrong. (although Pats win tonight, IMO)

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All New York match-up.

*Yes, I'm aware that I'm the same guy that said "Don't buy the Jets hype". I was wrong.

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I'm not so sure you were wrong, nobody else in the AFC looks dominant.. so the Jets are as good a pick as any plus they seem to have a big giant horseshoe stuck up their butt the last month or so...

But on the flip side, watching an all NY super bowl ranks up there with things like having bamboo shoved under my fingernails on the scale of fun things to do..

Butt horseshoe,....

They are playing well,...we'll see what happens tonite.

I'm waiting for one of the networks to have Dallas vs. the Jets.

Who would the press pick in that one?

id usually agree with that...and it worked with Minny this week, but...

i dunno...Buffalo is a 2nd half team...they arent ever out of it...i think with this game, just run the ball, keep their offense off the field and mix up coverages to confuse Fitzy cuz he tries to make things happen when they arent there...

If you just keep it close with Buffalo...you can win...

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They had the 5-7 Houston Texans as "Still Alive," but NOT the Browns, so I was pissed. Most probably because they are closer to their Divison lead than the Browns are to the (now) Steelers, I suppose.

Anyway, CBSSportsline.com still has us listed as mathematically possible.

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Mathematically possible but not at all likely.

The Texans are 2 games off the dvision lead with 4 games left to play while we are 4 games off the division lead with 4 games left to play.

As for the wild card, there are a total of 10 teams with a better record than ours.

If the Ravens, Stillers and Jets each win just one more game we are out.....and the Stillers and the J-E-T-S play each other yet so one of them is a virtual lock to do so. I see Baltimore winning at least 3 more easily.

As they noted on FOX.....we are not "still alive" in a realistic sense whatsoever.

My hope for the remainder of the season is to get Colt healthy and back on the field for more experience/evaluation.

Nobody said it was.

No, but you said you were pissed when they said it wasn't.....

It is actually still mathematically possible for us to have the 3 seed in the playoffs.

Not necessarily ... Houston is still alive mostly because they can still win the South. Our identical records do not put us in the same boat.

I think they have a higher chance b/c Jacksonville is in the lead with 7 wins.. if jacksonville loses out, as well as inday,then the texans could win the division if they win the rest of their games.

Our division leader has 9 wins.. a little harder for us to take the division at this point.

It's so hard not to think what if...

what if we won our first two games against the Bucs and Chiefs...

what if we won our game against the Jets if Stuckey holds on to the ball..

what if we beat jacksonville if our defense stops the screen to MJD...

9-3... WOW.. o well... Maybe next year..

Yeah, I understand that thinking, Turk- I really do... but it does no good for my heart or my mood to go down that path.

Instead, I've simply enjoyed watching entertaining games by a team that has surprised even us diehard fans. A team that is still relevant in December. Who among us thought that was even possible, back in late August? Usually by this time of the season, we'd have been talking about top 5 draft prospects for over a month! (If anyone needs proof that the Browns have indeed improved, it gets no plainer than this...)


Here's the "what if" game I'm playing right now:

"What if the Browns continue to grow, improve and draft well?"



I like my "what if" game a lot more than yours...



just sayin'...

Just for grins after the loss to the Jags mentally I decided (so I could pretend we were still in the playoff picture) that the Browns record was 5-5.

I figured that I would give us 2 more wins from all the "if ,and but games".

So now, (only in my mind) the Browns are 7-5.

You know it really works for me. The Browns are better than their record. When we are able to start McCoy consistently and he develops the necessary chemistry inside the offense we will be a winning team.

Just think everyone. Last year we didn't even have room for over the top optimism. This year at least we have, as Jim Carrey so eloquently put it "So you're sayin' there's a chance!" Yes even though it is closer to a trillion to 1, there is, for the moment, a chance.

Be a Fan(atic)....Go Browns!!

j/c

Just looking at this here pretty briefly, jumping the Ravens for the 6th seed isn't prohibitively unlikely if the Browns were to win out. The Ravens have a gimmie game at home vs the Bengals in week 17, so they'd have to lose in Houston and at home vs the Saints (then in Cleveland week 16 obviously). The Browns would then hold the division tie-breaker with 4 wins over Baltimore's 3. This would also apply for the wild-card.

Of course, there are four 6-6 teams (MIA, INDY, OAK, SD) also fighting for a wild-card spot. More obscure tie-breakers could eventually come into play like common games but it's worth noting that the Browns poor conference record (3-5 into a theoretical 7-5) would probably come back to bite us.

It's probably all a moot point because there will probably be two wild card teams with (at least) 10 wins a piece, making it impossible for us to catch them. And all of this assumes that the Browns will win out which is unlikely in the first place, but stranger things have happened.

I won't start thinking playoffs until we are 8-7, going into Week 17 and there aren't any 10 win teams in the running for the Wild Card. I'm as optimistic as the next guy but know when not to get crazy.

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I'm as optimistic as the next guy but know when not to get crazy.

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Then you are NOT as optimistic as the next guy.

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Now, you are correct, when there are 6 teams with ten wins, we are done.

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There only needs to be 4.. if it's the Steelers, Ravens, Patriots, Jets... it doesn't matter what the Jags, Chiefs, etc are (or whoever leads that divisions)

Stand corrected,...yes, the Ravens are the key.

There can be 5 with ten, as long as it's not including Baltimore, New York, & Pittsburgh.

We win the 9 - 7 tiebreak with either the Steelers and the Ravens,....

However, a 9 - 7 tie with Miami and the Jets (while Pittsburgh & Baltimore have 10 wins,...) puts the Browns in over both (3 AFC North teams would be in,...)

We just wouldn't be the # 2 seed,...

I am ignoring the rest of the AFC here too, BTW,....