After defeating the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football, the Cleveland Browns are headed to the playoffs. Quarterback Joe Flacco continues his hot streak, rookie safety Ronnie Hickman Jr. continues to be a revelation off the bench, and the Browns have now won four games in a row.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski, who entered the week with the best odds to win NFL Coach of the Year, may have just solidified himself at the top of the running for the award he has already won once before. Still holding firmly onto the fifth seed in the AFC, the Browns still have a shot to win the AFC North with some help from the Miami Dolphins this weekend.
The Browns now have 10 days until they close their regular season against the Cincinnati Bengals.
In a playoff-clinching 4 Downs, here are the biggest takeaways from this 20-37 win over the Jets to advance to 11-5 on the season.
You deserve this, Cleveland.
1st Down: Running game finally shows signs of life, but RBs cannot stop fumbling the football
For the first time in weeks, the Browns finally found success on the ground.
Running back Jerome Ford, on top of two receiving touchdowns, rushed for 64 yards on 12 carries. Kareem Hunt scored another goalline touchdown, adding another 31 yards on 10 carries. Even Pierre Strong Jr. got in on the action, rushing for 29 yards on four carries.
The problem, however? The Browns could not salt the game away due to fumbles from both Ford and Strong.
The output the Browns are getting from their running backs is inexcusable. Two steps forward, one step back today, but this is not a room that will grind a game away.
And we are getting to the point where a call to Leonard Fournette‘s agent to sign him off of Buffalo’s practice squad must be considered.
2nd Down: Ronnie Hickman was always the Rodney McLeod successor, but has arrived earlier
It was obvious when the Browns signed the aging veteran Rodney McLeod: he was brought in to help the transition under new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who he had plenty of experience with.
However, more than one year in Cleveland? Always a bit of a long shot. This meant that third safety role heading into the future was up for grabs, and undrafted rookie safety Ronnie Hickman Jr. fit the bill.
However, due to the injuries to McLeod, Grant Delpit, and Juan Thornhill, Hickman was thrown onto the field much earlier than expected. And there isn’t a soul in the building that thought Hickman would arrive as soon as he has.
Stacking three weeks in a row now, Hickman was rewarded with his first career interception and created magic as well as he returned a Trevor Siemian pass for a touchdown. Hickman has been a pleasant surprise fore the Browns after he started the season fighting for a spot at the bottom of the 53-man roster.
Now it looks like the Browns have all three of their necessary safeties under contract for the future in Delpit, Thornhill, and Hickman.
3rd Down: What to do with the wide receiver room?
I firmly believe Amari Cooper would have played if this game had been played on Sunday and not on a short week. However, the concussion to Elijah Moore was scary, and one that looks like a multi-week process to work through.
Leaving the game after being evaluated for a concussion, Moore was experiencing some obvious physical symptoms. While there is hope he returns next week, a head injury is not anything to take lightly.
After Cooper and Moore, however, it is wildly obvious defenses can then just sit on the run game and tight end David Njoku, and let their cornerbacks sit one-on-one with the rest of the wide receivers.
Wide receiver will still be a priority this offseason, but immediately, it is a glaring concern if Cooper were to go down for an extended time.
4th Down: The Legend of Joe Flacco continues...
While the second half moves slowly, and it felt like the Browns could not move the ball without their top two wide receivers, they did not need to after the elite first half of Joe Flacco.
Now throwing for more than 300 yards in four straight games, 296 of those came in the first half as the Browns racked up a massive 34 points in the first 30 minutes against the Jets. Flacco threw for three touchdowns in the first half, and he continues to prove he will create plays down the field for the Browns as they look to make a deep playoff run.
Yes, he threw another interception that resulted in six points for the Jets, a trend he still must curb. But Flacco is running this offense to near-perfection as head coach Kevin Stefanski trusts him with all of the keys to his system.
Pairing what Flacco is doing with the defense Jim Schwartz is operating, and the Browns are not to be slept on as the playoffs near.
Extra Point: All eyes on BAL-MIA
The Browns have locked up the fifth seed at minimum.
However, there is still a pathway toward winning the AFC North and locking down the top seed in the conference. But it all starts and potentially ends with the matchup between the Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens.
If the Ravens win, they clinch the top seed and the AFC North. However, if the Dolphins can get the best of them, then the Browns have a chance to win out and steal the North title if they then slip again in Week 18.
It has been a magical season, but it has the potential to get even wackier.
