Browns' Rooting Guide for NFL Playoff Implications of Week 17

The Cleveland Browns booted a great chance to lock up a playoff spot when they lost to the New York Jets in Week 16. Now they have to beat the AFC North-rival Pittsburgh Steelers to get to the postseason for the first time since 2002.

The good news is that just because the Browns botched their easiest path to the playoffs doesn't mean they have eliminated all other routes. The team was affected by COVID-19 issues against the Jets, with four wide receivers out of the game for issues related to the virus.

This has been a good news-bad news season for the Browns. The good news is that they are the most relevant they have been since returning as a franchise in 1999. The bad news is they have done in it one of the most competitive AFC playoff races in recent memory.

At 10-5, the Browns would already have a spot clinched in the NFC. In the AFC, there's a possibility they will be watching the Wild Card Round from home. Let's pore over the playoff picture and what the Browns faithful will want to have happen in Week 17.

AFC Playoff Picture

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

There's still a lot up in the air when it comes to the AFC playoff picture. The Kansas City Chiefs (14-1) have established themselves as the No. 1 seed. They will enjoy a bye week as the AFC West champions with the best record in football.

The Buffalo Bills (12-3) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (12-3) have clinched their respective divisions. The only division up for grabs is the AFC South, where the Tennessee Titans (10-5) and Indianapolis Colts (10-5) are among the logjam of teams who enter this week at 10-5.

That list also includes the Browns, Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins. In summary, there are three wild-card spots and the AFC South title on the line Sunday, and nothing is clinched outside of the top three teams.

Those five teams will be in the hunt for the four final spots in the field, and one team is going to be left out. Here's what the Browns need to have happen to ensure they aren't left out and get the best matchup possible.

Steelers at Browns

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

The Browns' playoff hopes live and die with the result of their game against Pittsburgh. Simply put, with a win Cleveland is in, and a loss will likely keep them out. Everything else could give them a better seed and a better matchup, but the Browns control their destiny in terms of getting in.

One thing they have going for them is that the Steelers have nothing to play for. Pittsburgh has already clinched a spot and a home game. Head coach Mike Tomlin has already revealed Ben Roethlisberger will rest and Mason Rudolph will get the start at quarterback.

It stands to reason other key Steelers players will be rested as the team not only has everything locked up but could well play the Browns again in the first round.

That all lines up to improve Cleveland's odds, but it is coming off a loss to the Jets.

Much of that defeat had to do with the absences of the Browns' top four wide receivers: Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones and KhaDarel Hodge. All four were placed on the COVID-19/reserve list before the game against New York, but they have since been activated. However, cornerback Denzel Ward and linebacker Malcolm Smith were placed on the list.

The two teams met in Week 6, when the Steelers won 38-7. But this matchup has a different feel to it, as the Browns have improved a lot since then, and the Steelers may not be all that invested in winning.

Jaguars at Colts

Stephen B. Morton/Associated Press

More good news, bad news for the Browns. The good news is they can still get in the playoffs if they lose to the Steelers. The bad news is the path for that to happen relies on the Indianapolis Colts losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars with a playoff spot on the line.

The silver lining of hope is twofold. The Jaguars' only win this season came against the Colts, even if that was in Week 1. The other is that Jacksonville has already clinched the first pick in the draft, so there's no motivation to tank.

Still, the Jaguars are without running back James Robinson and wide receiver DJ Chark, so what little firepower the offense had will be limited. Add in the fact that the Jacksonville hasn't kept a game within 21 points for the past three weeks, and there isn't a whole lot of hope this gets done for the Browns.

The Colts are 3-1 in their past four games, with the only loss coming against Pittsburgh in Week 16. That result may help the Browns more than a loss here would as the Steelers can now rest their starters.

Rooting interest: Jaguars

Titans at Texans

Mark Zaleski/Associated Press

The third and final path the Browns can take to get to the playoffs in the event of a loss to the Steelers is a Titans loss paired with wins from the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins.

In this situation, the Browns and Titans would both be 10-6 while the Ravens and Dolphins would get in at 11-5. Cleveland owns the tiebreaker over Tennessee for the final spot because of its head-to-head win in Week 13.

Unlike the Jaguars, who don't have much going for them, the Houston Texans do at least have Deshaun Watson. Despite Houston's record, he's a top quarterback. The team lost a close one to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16 and took the Titans to overtime in their Week 6 matchup.

That being said, Tennessee appears focused on winning the game and the division. 

"It doesn't get any more clear than it is for us right now," Tennessee quarterback Ryan Tannehill told the Associated Press (h/t USA Today). "We win this game, find a way to win, [we] win the division. That's one of the things we set out to do this year. It's pretty clear what we need to do. We just have to go out and make it happen."

Additional results that would be nice for the Browns in terms of playoff positioning would be a loss for the Ravens against the Bengals. That would clear the path for the Browns to move up to the No. 6 seed. A Buffalo Bills win over the Miami Dolphins, paired with a Browns win over the Steelers, would make claiming the fifth seed a possibility.

With the franchise desperate to break the playoff drought, the focus should be on getting in. And that starts with beating the Steelers.

Rooting interest: Texans