The Cleveland Browns’ 2023 season would look a lot differently if not for a few close wins this year.
Cleveland played in eight one-score games this season and won six of them. That greatly affected the teams’ 11-5 record heading into a meaningless Week 18 showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Now, what if those games flipped? What the Browns lost six one-score games and only won two of them? What if this scenario played out for the rest of the NFL as well, and the other side of the coin showed up for every team? Bryan Knowles of FTN Network broke down that alternate universe, which would have the Browns on the outside of the AFC playoff field after 18 weeks.
Meanwhile, in a universe not too far from our own, here are the current NFL standings if every one-score game was flipped. pic.twitter.com/eG6RWrONsB
— Bryan Knowles (@BryKno) January 3, 2024
The Browns are the only locked-in playoff team who wouldn’t be in the postseason if this scenario played out. The Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers – three potential playoff teams – would almost assuredly be out postseason contention entirely if the season unfolded this way.
This exercise is, of course, meaningless in the grand scheme of things. It is also an indication of how well Kevin Stefanski coached his team in critical matchups and that good defense can overcome tight contests.
Take the Browns’ Week 6 win over the San Francisco 49ers. Cleveland allowed just 17 points in that contest, which is the fewest points the 49ers have scored all season. The Browns scored one offensive touchdown but converted field goals on nearly every possession they could to claim the win.
Cleveland matched the Colts offense in Week 7 to remain in the game and won on a last-second score from Kareem Hunt. And against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 10, the Browns scored 16 unanswered fourth quarter points that included a game-winning field goal as time expired.
So, while that chart looks as if the Browns got lucky to win so many games, it’s actually more of an indication as to how well they’ve played rather than a coin flip.
