For the past two weeks, one of our first stories to focus on has been the NFL draft positioning for the Cleveland Browns, including having the Jacksonville Jaguars’ first-round pick in 2026. While we will still do that following this piece, it would be a tad disrespectful to the Browns team that just won against the Green Bay Packers in Week 3.
A fun game with some culture-defining moments, Week 3’s victory was proof that anything can happen in the NFL and, often, the league is full of some wild swings
from week to week and season to season.
Playoffs and the Browns?
Listen, it is one win and if the AFC wasn’t such a mess, this article would not hold merit (or be a strongly ‘homer’ take). Except, the AFC is a mess and Cleveland has a chance to take advantage of it despite their difficult schedule, so it is worth covering.
With the 1-1 Baltimore Ravens playing on Monday Night Football, there are currently just six teams with winning records in the AFC. The NFL’s official media site has them in this playoff order:
- Los Angeles Chargers: 3-0
- Buffalo Bills: 3-0
- Indianapolis Colts: 3-0
- Cincinnati Bengals: 2-1
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 2-1
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 2-1
Even looking at that list, there are four teams that no one would be surprised if they fell apart sooner rather than later to not even make the playoffs. Only the Chargers and Bills were expected to be good, have played well on the field and are (barring major injuries) close to locks to make the postseason.
The Ravens can join that list going into Week 4.
After those seven teams, the Browns are one of five AFC teams with one win and two losses. The NFL has Cleveland as the 12th team in the playoff race at this point, with early-season tiebreakers placing them behind the Las Vegas Raiders, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and Kansas City Chiefs.
The AFC has four winless teams:
- Houston Texans
- New York Jets
- Tennessee Titans
- Miami Dolphins
Cleveland fans know their team should be 2-1, taking the place of the Bengals who they should have beat in Week 1. For now, the Browns can take solace in knowing that the conference has started out poorly, overall, making sure the Week 1 loss isn’t a death sentence on the season.
The official playoff seeding as of now:
A lot of football to play still, but not a great start for the AFC. Hopefully, we will get to track the playoff chase weekly if the Browns keep stacking wins over the next few weeks.
What stands out to you about the playoff picture above? Are you surprised by the number of losing teams in the AFC through three weeks?
