... because that's what it will take to get a playoff spot. We have the bungles twice, the rats twice, and the steelers away,, then the Lions, Pats, Packers and Raiders.

Of course it is. So is 13-4 but it's highly unlikely. Honestly the way we've been playing, I don't think we will finish with more than 8-9 wins and I hope I'm wrong.

Overall, I like that lineup of opponents more than I do what we just got through, but I also think that the Bengals are setting themselves up for their usual November disappointment, and I think we get our heads out of our butts as the team gets healthier. I also think that our defense is capable of addressing its issues and becoming a strength of the team, or at least not being a liability.

10-7 or 9-8 can get a playoff spot in the AFC. It's a bit off a mess at this point. To be honest I don't see how the team that just played Pittsburgh wins six more games.

If the entire philosophy of the team, is about playing it safe, and not taking any chances,
then No.

That would require a lot of other teams to not reach the same record of 10-7, or 9-8 as the Browns are behind in almost every tie break comparison. Unless of course if they sweep the Ravens, Raiders, Bengals Patriots, and beat the Steelers, but that would be 11 anyway.

0-1 in the division and 2-3 in the conference do not help in the tie breaker department.

We wont get to 8 wins. We’ll beat Detroit … and? Maybe NE or Cincy/Baltimore once. That’s it.

I think the current negativity is no less emotionally based than all of the positivity was at the beginning of the season. As Tom Petty would say, "You believe what you want to believe."

It was only a couple months ago that we had people on here getting their heads bitten off when they were saying we should pump the brakes on the hype (and the defense was a mess, but that's different).

It's possible, but I don't see it happening.
I think the best case scenario for us right now has us finishing 9-8, maybe 10-7, and likely on the outside looking in.

Right now, the way the Browns are playing, they would be lucky to win 2 more games this season. And yes, I am serious. They have the 2nd toughest schedule remaining. They better hope they beat Detroit. SMH

And Detroit is a team we've had trouble beating since we came into the league in 1950. We did beat the Vikings and Broncos at least.

That's because most other teams with this roster would be 7-1.

They wouldn't have the fluke fumbles vs KC
They wouldn't have gotten robbed by the Refs vs LAC
They wouldn't have had their best player, known for sure hands, fumble and drop 3 passes to lose the game at the end.
They would still lose to Arizona tho, we got whooped that one haha.

In terms of actual talent on this roster, there is no reason we shouldn't be 7-1, we just Browns'd it 3 times.

Not probable. I thought going in to Sunday that the loser of that game was out of the playoff race, and I do believe it to the degree I would put money on it. Silly me, I actually thought that we were gonna drive down for a winning score for once. But, in such a Brownsian way, one of our best players played his worst in the moment of need.

It is amazing how expectations change. I expected us to go 3-1 in Q1 and 2-2 in Q2. We are 1 game worse than that, and it feels like the sky is falling...probably because of HOW we got to this record. But being only 1 game behind that pace, and knowing that crazy things happen in the NFL, I am going to see if we can hit the 3-1 mark I expected from the next 4 games. Sure, it seems unlikely now, but 1) we still have pretty good players, 2) we still have a pretty good coach, and 3) did I mention crazy things happen in the NFL? 2-2 or worse in the next 4 and our fate is sealed. 3-1 and we still have a chance in that final post-bye stretch.

I thought the loser from Sunday was out as well. A loss this Sunday surely makes it so

Based off of the pattern of these games, I don't see any sure wins outside of the Lions and Steelers and maybe eek out one against Cinci. The rest are L's unless we take a major turn. We fade into death in the 4th quarter of any game we're trailing in. At this rate I'll be surprised if we get 8 wins. I wanna be wrong so bad.

Losing Conklin for a while is going to hurt.