That’s easier said than done. They play the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs (9-6) on the road Sunday, but if the Bengals survive that test, Cleveland (10-5) may have already clinched a spot and could be resting starters in the regular-season finale matchup in Cincinnati.
The Browns, sitting in the No. 5 position, play host to the Jets (6-9) on Thursday and have a 99 percent chance of making the playoffs, according to NFL.com. If they win one of their last two games, they’re in.
Two playoffs spots in the AFC have been locked up with Baltimore clinching the North title and Miami claiming the East division. Kansas City leads the AFC West, over Las Vegas (7-8), and Jacksonville (8-7) has a tiebreak advantage over the Colts (8-7) for first in the AFC South to round out the top four spots for now.
After the Browns, the Bills (9-6) and Colts are in the last two spots for a playoff berth if the season ended today. Houston (8-7), Pittsburgh (8-7) and Cincinnati are the other eight-win teams in the hunt, and the Raiders and Broncos are still alive at 7-8 but with 11 and 8 percent odds.
Cincinnati has been eliminated from the No. 5 position but could still make it as the sixth or seventh seed. The Bengals are hurt by their 3-7 conference record in many tiebreak scenarios but have head-to-head advantage against the Colts and Bills, as well as over the Jaguars, should Jacksonville not win the AFC South.
The Browns are 7-3 in the conference, and Pittsburgh is 6-5. The Bengals are still more likely to make the playoffs than the Steelers, according to both NFL.com and ESPN playoff predictors, despite Pittsburgh sweeping them this season. The Steelers finish at Seattle and at Baltimore.
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