The Cleveland Browns were officially eliminated from playoff contention before seeing the field in Week 17. Like it has been most of the year, a few small differences in the Cincinnati Bengals game against the Kansas City Chiefs would have made all the difference in the world, at least until Monday Night Football.
Instead of controlling their playoff destiny, the Browns face two meaningless games to end the season.
While both games are against division rivals, Cleveland could be best served to protect some of their key injured players. While retiring Ben Roethlisberger may be a goal of Myles Garrett, his groin injury has to be taken into account. The team does not want to see him hurt his groin worse or have a different injury compensating for the groin.
The same should be true for other injured Browns. As we noted a few weeks ago, Baker Mayfield should be shut down and scheduled for surgery as soon as possible. With reports that he will need multiple months to get healthy, the sooner the team can get him under the knife is the best idea.
Kareem Hunt, Troy Hill and John Johnson III figure into the team’s 2022 plans and have missed games recently. Hill and Johnson are already out for Week 17. Hunt should join them this week and next on the sidelines.
It may be hard to get players, especially passionate ones like Mayfield and Hunt, to agree to the plan but it would be in their best interest as well as the team’s.
Losing out, while difficult, could help Cleveland’s draft positioning, perhaps even a top ten pick, while also having them face an easier schedule (last place in the division plays a “last-place schedule”).
Better draft position, presumed easier schedule and players getting more time to heal. Sitting injured guys the last two weeks just makes sense even if it is unlikely.