1. Thanks to huge plays, the Browns overcome a shoddy match and secure a postseason berth. Although Cleveland made it to the postseason for the first time since 2002, the Browns will not receive bonus style points for their performance. The Browns' 37-20 victory over the Jets on Thursday was far from a masterpiece, but they did make plays in all three phases that changed the course of the game. Simply said, it was far more difficult than it probably needed to be. Even though they scored 20 points twice and gained 367 yards in the first half, the Jets managed to hang around, primarily because of three Cleveland mistakes. David Njoku gained 113 yards in the first quarter, but on the third play of the second, he fumbled. There was no play to be made, so Joe Flacco threw a poor pick-six. The Browns had opportunities to stop it both times, but they were unable to. The Jets were idly lingering about following a scoreless third quarter, and the Browns continued to allow it. The Browns' defense was exposed with 12 men on the field in the fourth quarter when Pierre Strong Jr. easily gave up a fumble, negating a takeaway and setting up a field goal for the Jets. They ran out of gas after that, but the Browns could have— and probably should have— shut out the Jets earlier. additionally, more hygienically.
2. Is the Jets' chances of winning truly just one Aaron Rodgers away? Even though the Browns made their fair share of mistakes in the first half, it's unfair to ask this question based solely on one game. It makes one wonder if the Jets have the same roster that fans believed they had in August, when there was so much excitement surrounding the team before the season began. The Browns without Amari Cooper completely stripped the defense, giving up 376 yards—more than they had given up in all but four whole games—and 34 points, which was a record for the team's worst-ever offensive output. The field goal that was blocked and the kickoff that was mishandled by the special teams were both nasty errors. Eight penalties and a pick-six from the offense also contributed. This season, the Jets have suffered tight losses to the Chiefs, Raiders, Patriots, and Falcons while also picking up some noteworthy victories against the Eagles, Bills, and Texans. However, they have lost six times by three or more points, including twice at home, as of Thursday's game. Would having a better quarterback helped? Of course. However, since Aaron Rodgers, 40, has finished his Achilles rehabilitation, the Jets may want to have some candid, difficult discussions regarding the roster this offseason.
3. Watching Flacco's erratic performance is worthwhile. As expected, Browns supporters were chanting Flacco's name toward the end of the game. The quarterback has thrown for more than 300 yards in each of his five starts, winning four of them. He will be playing in the playoffs as a starter for the first time since the 2014 campaign, adding another chapter to his amazing tale. Though wide receiver Elijah Moore left the game with a concussion and Cooper was sidelined four days after his 265-yard, two-TD receiving outburst against Houston, it was nonetheless an uneventful performance from him on Thursday. Early on, Flacco led some spectacular drives as the Jets appeared to be defensively chasing him. In a thrilling first half, he gained a career-high 296 pass yards and three touchdown passes. However, he also made some terrible throws, coughed up a fumble, and had a bad pick-six. The second half then began. During the second half, Flacco was only 3-for-7 passing for 13 yards, allowing his accuracy to slip away in real time. The Browns were ahead and had few targets available, but Flacco has now thrown eight interceptions in five games—one in every game—along with three fumbles. Although they nearly did so several times on Thursday, those mistakes haven't truly cost him or his team anything yet.
4. The Jets' defense has its best game of the season, but it closes strong. It was strange to watch the Browns sprint down the field four times in the first half on touchdown drives spanning more than 75 yards. Whatever you think of the Jets this season, the defense has generally shown up prepared to play. On Thursday, that was not the case. Kevin Stefanski deserves a hand for calling a very amazing game early on, but the Jets' defense seemed to be in disarray. Cooper was not the Browns' greatest receiver, and Moore got injured at the two-minute warning in the first half. Flacco almost ran 300 yards against the Jets in the first half alone. The Browns ground game, which had been stagnant for a few weeks, wasn't any better versus the run defense. The game was close in the first half because to Quinnen Williams' third-down run stuff and Flacco's overthrow on fourth down, and the Browns managed just 61 yards on 21 plays in the second half. However, the Jets' early season debacle was mostly due to the defense's lackadaisical start.
5. Browns' run game picks some steam. Cleveland's run game has slowed out dramatically in recent weeks due to injuries to key players on the offensive line, in the backfield, and elsewhere on offense. The club had accumulated 83 run yards over the previous two weeks and was averaging 75.8 rush yards per game going into the contest. But the Browns' 28 runs for 127 yards on Thursday, led by Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt, was a major step in the right direction. Ford added two receiving touchdowns and ran for 64 yards. To get a score, Hunt ran. Strong Jr. even contributed with four carries for 29 yards rushing, despite a late fumble loss. Nevertheless, it was the first time since Week 10 that the club as a whole averaged 4.5 yards per carry or more, and they had a backup plan in place when the passing game faltered. This season, that hasn't always been the case, and as the playoffs approach, this could be a quietly encouraging development.
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