The Cleveland Browns reached their annual crossing of the Rubicon moment on Sunday*.
Following another dispirited loss, this time to a New York Jets team that came into the game with just one win, the Browns
find themselves at 2-7 on the season. It was a team defeat in every way imaginable:
- The special teams allowed a pair of return touchdowns, the first time that has happened in franchise history.
- The offense only scored three points in the second half — their four possessions ended in punt, punt, turnover on downs, and field goal.
- The defense, despite putting up what appeared to be a statistically strong day, faltered in the fourth quarter with costly mistakes.
Even in a year where the AFC North Division is a mess, with the fading Pittsburgh Steelers leading the way at 5-4, the Browns will once again not be invited to any discussion of potential playoff candidates.
Now, after their fifth loss in the past six games, the Browns are left to ponder what to do with the final eight games — yes, there are still eight more games to go in this slog of a season! Do you play to win or play to strengthen your draft position?
No one wants to see a team lose week after week. Not only does that demoralize an already broken fan base, but losing becomes contagious, especially with younger players, and it turns into a cycle of learning how not to lose before you can learn how to win.
But at this point, what does winning accomplish as it relates to the team’s long-term prospects? The Browns have two first-round selections in the 2026 NFL Draft, their own and one from the Jacksonville Jaguars, and they need to maximize those as much as possible.
The Jaguars did their part on Sunday, blowing a 19-point fourth-quarter lead to a Houston Texans team led by quarterback Davis Mills. The loss drops the Jaguars to 5-4, and they still have games left against the Los Angeles Chargers (7-3), Denver Broncos (8-2), and a pair against the Indianapolis Colts (8-2).
Cleveland can’t control what the Jaguars do, but they can control their own destiny, and with one more game to be played in Week 10, the Browns are in a tight race for the No. 1 overall selection.
According to ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi, the Tennessee Titans currently have a 36.2 percent chance of grabbing the top pick, followed right behind by the Browns at 26.4 percent. The odds from there drop pretty quickly, with the Jets at 13.5 percent, the two-win New Orleans Saints at 10 percent, and the two-win Las Vegas Raiders at seven percent.
This is important as the Jets, Raiders, and Saints, despite Tyler Shough picking up his first win on Sunday, are all going to be in the quarterback market along with the Browns. Even though the Browns may have the draft capital to move into the No. 1 spot via a trade, with so many holes to fill on the roster, the last thing they need is to get into a bidding war if the Titans wind up with the draft’s top selection.
As we mentioned, the Browns will have a strong say in whether or not they can land that top spot in the draft. They still have to play the Ravens and the Steelers, along with the San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills, the feisty Chicago Bears, and the season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals, which will certainly be all kinds of fun with Joe Flacco quarterbacking the Bengals.
The two key games will be in Week 12 as the Browns are on the road against the Raiders, and in Week 14 as they host the Titans. Cleveland already owns the tiebreaker with the Jets after Sunday’s loss, and they can earn the tiebreaker with the Titans and Raiders if they are so inclined.
It is not going to be pretty, but the path to the No. 1 overall selection is there for the Browns.
The question now is, how much do they want it?
*We are open to the argument that this may have very well occurred in Week 1.
What do you think, Browns fans? Should the team play to win, or is securing the top pick in the draft more important? Have your say in the comments!
