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The New York Jets attained a lead early in their Week 16 matchup against the Cleveland Browns and continued to build on it through most of the third quarter. Cleveland finally began to chip away late in the third quarter and early into the fourth quarter but the team's efforts fell short. Edge rusher Tarell Basham came up with a key strip sack late that enabled New York to seal the team's second consecutive victory, 23-16.
It was a combination of errors for a Cleveland team that learned Saturday it would be without four of the five wide receivers on the active roster. They were also without two starting offensive linemen, and the Jets used that to their advantage by recording seven quarterback hits and four sacks on Baker Mayfield.
What the loss means for Cleveland's playoff hopes
Miami and Baltimore won in Week 16. Cleveland and Indianapolis lost. The Browns loss means that they have no chance to win the AFC North. There is still a path for the team to make the playoffs, however, and it is really simple: win and you're in. If Cleveland can defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17, they will end a playoff drought that dates back to 2002.
The issue is that Pittsburgh is 36-5-1 against Cleveland since 2000, including an embarrassing 38-7 decision in Week 6. It remains to be seen if the Steelers will rest anyone next week or what they still have to play for this regular season.
The Browns' playoff hopes sit at just 60%, according to Sportsline data scientist Stephen Oh; down from 89% before Sunday's game. If the Colts were to lose to the 1-14 Jaguars, as they did in Week 1, Cleveland would be in the playoffs even with a loss.
