Just Now:Browns Week 16 establishing guide Best seeding for the playoffs

Cleveland can secure a season finisher compartment this week, yet everything begins with a success and afterward some assistance. A gander at the most ideal results in Week 16

The Cleveland Browns, who have started four different quarterbacks and may have the most expensive injured reserve list in the NFL, are close to making the AFC playoffs.

We’ll pause for a moment to let that sink in.

The Browns (9-5) could clinch a spot as early as this weekend if they can beat the Houston Texans (8-6) on Sunday at NRG Stadium. Numerous combinations would leave Cleveland celebrating a return to the playoffs, according to NFL Communications

Even if all those scenarios do not come true, the Browns will still have a greater than 99 percent chance of making the playoffs if they beat the Texans, according to The New York Times playoff simulator. A loss, while disappointing, would still leave the Browns with an 81 percent chance of making the playoffs with two games left on the schedule.

That is a lot to process, so let’s run through this week’s rooting guide for Browns fans, starting with a pair of games to be played on Saturday.

The Bengals continue their annual irritating habit of making a late-season run to the playoffs, but this time they are doing it with quarterback Jake Browning running the show on offense and a defense that has given up more than 30 points four times in the past six games. That shouldn’t be a problem this week, however, as the Steelers are turning to Mason Rudolph at quarterback as they continue to realize that offensive coordinator Matt Canada was not the problem. A tie would work here, but even though the Browns hold the tiebreaker over the Bengals, hanging another loss on the Bengals can’t hurt