At 4-3, the Cleveland Browns are very much in the playoff hunt – both as a division winner or as one of the three wild-card teams. The result of their Week 9 game against the Arizona Cardinals could swing their chances to make the postseason by a lot.
The Browns’ playoff probability has a difference of 15.4 percentage points depending on whether they win or lose against the Cardinals, according to Sumer Sports. A victory on Sunday would give the Browns a 49.8 percent chance to make the playoffs, but a loss would lessen that probability to 34.2 percent.
team with the most playoff leverage on the line in week 9:
bengals
falcons
bills
vikings
jets https://t.co/6GrPWx3yR1 pic.twitter.com/t1Z2cZgycq— Tej Seth (@tejfbanalytics) November 3, 2023
This model is based on 10,000 rest-of-season simulations and obviously depends on how the rest of the AFC North and AFC play (the Pittsburgh Steelers improved to 5-3 after a win over the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night).
If the season ended today, the Browns would be the No. 7 seed. But a lot can change in one weekend.
The Browns got an upgrade at quarterback for Week 9 as head coach Kevin Stefanski officially named Deshaun Watson the starter. Watson missed Week 8 with a shoulder injury that he aggravated in Week 7. He practiced well enough to get the nod against the Cardinals.
