The Cleveland Browns are 6-5. In any other season, a 6-5 record would create a lot of desperation for a team with as high of aspirations as the Browns had going into 2021.
In a strange 2021 in the AFC, Cleveland is tenth in the conference based on tiebreakers after 11 weeks but only a half-game out of the fifth seed and a game and a half out of the division lead.
The muddied AFC, where all but four teams have a record of .500 or better, gives the Browns a lot of hope but also means that a lot of teams are competing for the same thing they are.
The AFC North is also muddied with all four teams above .500 and Cleveland is currently last in the division but only a half-game behind Cincinnati for second.
Going into the Thanksgiving holiday, it will be interesting if teams start to separate themselves. The Browns have two huge games next with Baltimore on the road and then at home with a bye in between. If either team wins both games, separation could occur for both.
That would still leave the Pittsburgh Steelers and Bengals in competition for the division. If the Ravens lose both, they would still have a chance as well.
The crowded picture in the conference means almost every game played by an AFC team will matter for Cleveland. Only the New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins are likely out of contention but even the 4-7 Dolphins could make a run.
Browns fans will have a lot to scoreboard watch over the next couple of weeks with the hope of clarity following the second game against Baltimore. For now, 12 teams in AFC are fighting for their playoff lives after 11 weeks.