CLEVELAND — The last time the Browns clinched a playoff spot , there were about 12,000 fans inside Cleveland Browns Stadium.
It was 2020, and all the Browns needed to do — and did — was to beat the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers in the season finale to clinch an AFC wild card spot. That was the COVID season, which meant there was a significantly reduced number of fans in the stands.
The stadium was full and loud on Thursday night when they Browns took on the New York Jets . They rewarded those fans with a 37-20 win that clinched just the third playoff berth since the franchise returned to the NFL in 1999.
The Browns (11-5) maintained their hold on the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoff race . The win over the Jets (6-10) all but assured them they can't fall lower than that spot, even with a loss in Week 18 at the Cincinnati Bengals .
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The win, at least for a few more days, also keeps the Browns' hopes alive for an AFC North title and the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs. Those hopes now ride with whether or not the Baltimore Ravens (12-3) lose to the Miami Dolphins (11-4) in a 1 p.m. Sunday game.
A Ravens loss and the Browns go to Cincinnati with a chance to potentially win the AFC North if Baltimore were to lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers in its regular-season finale. A Ravens win simply means the Browns likely start the playoffs on the road at the AFC South champion.
Quarterback Joe Flacco continued the storybook December as the Browns starter, completing 19 of 29 passes for 309 yards. He threw three touchdowns, one interception and finished with a 121.2 passer rating.
It's Flacco's fourth consecutive 300-plus-yard passing performance. All four of those were Browns win.
Thursday's win, despite the fact the Browns opened in a 27-7 lead midway through the second quarter, wasn't easy. Receiver Elijah Moore left the game with a head injury in the second quarter.
The Browns have no control over what the Ravens do on Sunday. They had full control over what they could do on Thursday night.
Follow along here for updates throughout the Browns' push to clinch the playoffs.
The Browns converted the fourth-down stop of the Jets into what was the final nail in the coffin. It turned out to be a 33-yard field goal by Riley Patterson with 2:54 remaining.
The kick extended the Browns lead to 37-20.
The Jets' last chance to really make a dent into the Browns lead came with roughly 5:30 remaining. New York had a fourth and 6 at its own 27.
Quarterback Trevor Siemian took off running to the left toward the sticks, and appeared to have the angle. But linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah managed to get enough of him to trip him up, and he landed inches shy of the line to gain.
That gave the ball back to the Browns with 5:21 remaining and Cleveland leading 34-20.
The Jets managed to turn the Browns penalty into point. Greg Zuerlein's second field goal of the game, a 44-yarder with 8:50 remaining, pulled New York within 34-20.
The Browns defense did get a big play on third down prior to the kick when Alex Wright sacked quarterback Trevor Siemian for a yard loss at the Cleveland 26.
The Browns appeared to get a stop on fourth down when defensive tackle Jordan Elliott stuffed quarterback Trevor Siemian on a sneak attempt for no gain on fourth and 1 from the Browns 26. However, the Browns were called for too many men on the field, giving the Jets new life at the Cleveland 21.
Pierre Strong Jr. had given the Browns two good runs to open their first fourth-quarter possession. On his third, he gave the ball to the Jets.
Strong was stripped of the ball at the Cleveland 35 and New York's Jermaine Johnson recovered it there with 11:55 remaining.
The Browns mustered just 12 net yards in the third quarter. The Jets will open the fourth quarter with a second and 2 from the Cleveland 45.
However, the Browns hold a 34-17 lead with 15 minutes remaining.
Matt Haack was signed to the Browns practice squad Tuesday. His presence was insurance for punter Corey Bojorquez , who suffered a left quad injury in the win over the Houston Texans .
Haack was elevated to the gameday roster Thursday after Bojorquez was ruled out. He finally made his Browns debut with eight minutes left in the third quarter, getting off a 44-yard punt to the Jets 33.
The Browns appeared to give the Jets momentum right back two plays after the blocked field goal. Running back Jerome Ford appeared to get stripped of the ball as he was going down by safety Jordan Whitehead at the Browns 17.
However, the officials went to video replay. On review, they ruled Ford was down moments before the ball was stripped out, giving the Browns the ball back.
The Jets seemed poised to get a second Greg Zuerlein field goal on possessions on either side of halftime. After a delay of game penalty moved the try back 5 yards, he sized up a 31-yard field goal.
Zuerlein didn't size up Browns defensive lineman Shelby Harris, who got a big paw on the try and blocked it. That kept the Browns lead at 34-17 with 9:27 left in the third quarter.
The Jets came out of the locker room after halftime determined to get running back Breece Hall going. That's exactly what they did on their first second-half drive.
Hall ran it on four of the Jets' first five plays, gaining 37 yards to move the football to the Browns 31. They reached the Browns 6 when Trevor Siemian hit Jason Brownlee for a 24-yard pass.
The Jets managed to gain some momentum going into the locker room at halftime. Greg Zuerlein ended the half by kicking a 46-yard field goal as time expired in the half, pulling Jets within 34-17 of the Browns.
Cleveland held a lead in total yards 367-163. Quarterback Joe Flacco was 16-of-22 passing for 296 yards with three touchdowns, an interception and a 135.4 passer rating.
New York has turned the ball over twice in the first half. Quarterback Trevor Siemian was 10-of-14 passing for 124 yards with a touchdown, an interception and a 92.6 passer rating.
Who said Browns quarterback Joe Flacco wasn't mobile? He showed enough mobility to keep a play alive enough to find Jerome Ford for what turned into a 50-yard touchdown and a 34-14 Cleveland lead with 1:25 remaining.
Flacco was alone in the shotgun on the play after Elijah Moore left with an apparent head injury. New York defensive tackle Quinnen Williams rushed in and hit Flacco in the head, but didn't get a grasp on him.
The 38-year-old quarterback recovered and ran to his left, appearing to tuck the football. However, right before he got near the line of scrimmage, Flacco cocked his arm back and fired a strike to Ford, who caught it at the Jets 39.
Ford did the rest, running his way to the end zone for the touchdown.
Elijah Moore was having a big game against his former team, the Jets. He had four catches for 42 yards and a touchdown prior to the two-minute warning.
Moore's fifth catch, a 22-yard pass to the 50, created a very scary moment, though. His head hit the ground hard as he was being tackled, and it appeared Moore was convulsing on the ground.
After several moments, Moore was helped to his feet and immediately went to the medical tent. The Browns later announced he was being evaluated for a potential head injury.
The Browns appeared ready to bury the Jets as the second quarter neared its conclusion. However, New York's Jeremaine Johnson stuck with quarterback Joe Flacco despite a pump fake, tipping the ball up in the air and to himself.
Johnson returned the interception 37 yards for the Jets touchdown. That pulled New York within 27-14 with 2:02 remaining in the second quarter.
Browns defensive end Myles Garrett last got credited for an official sack with about nine minutes remaining in their Week 11 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 19. He took down Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett to give him sack No. 13 on the season, which led the league at the time.
With 6:15 remaining in the second quarter on Thursday, Garrett picked up sack No. 14. He took down New York's Trevor Siemian for a 7-yard loss, snapping a five-game streak without an official sack.
Garrett did have a sack on a 2-point conversion in the Browns' Week 14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars . That does not count as an official sack.
Elijah Moore was one of the big Browns acquisitions in the offseason. They picked up the receiver in a March trade with the New York Jets, with whom he had grown disgruntled.
Moore made his presence known on the Browns fifth possession. In fact, it both started and ended with the third-year pro out of Ole Miss, including an 8-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Joe Flacco with 6:15 left in the second quarter to make it 27-7 Browns.
Moore had three consecutive catches netting 31 yards to open the drive. That included a 24-yard gain on third and 1 from the Cleveland 28 in which the pass looked to be intercepted by New York's Michael Carter II , except that Moore ripped the ball out of his hands and came down with it himself.
David Njoku had a big first quarter. His first catch of the second quarter looked like it was going for a big gain.
However, Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley managed to not only strip the ball from Njoku after a 19-yard gain, but also recovered the ball at the New York 35. The Jets, though, went three and out on the offensive possession.
The Browns will start at their own 25-yard line after a punt from Jets punter Thomas Morstead rolled just across the goal line for a touchback to end the first quarter. They have a 166-98 edge in total yards, but the Jets have turned the ball over twice.
The failed fourth-down try didn't bite the Browns because their defense saved the day. Safety Ronnie Hickman stepped in front of a pass from Jets quarterback Trevor Siemian intended for Hickman's former Ohio State teammate, Garrett Wilson , and intercepted the pass.
Hickman returned the pick 30 yards for the Browns touchdown. Riley Patterson made his PAT this time, giving the Browns a 20-7 lead with 2:01 left in the first quarter.
The Browns got nothing out of the special teams takeaway because, on fourth and 4 from the Jets 6, they decided to go for it. They could've tried a 23-yard field goal, but didn't.
Instead, quarterback Joe Flacco threw into the end zone to Cedric Tillman on a ball Tillman had no chance to catch.
The Browns got the ball right back after special-teams star Matthew Adams stripped Jets kickoff return man Israel Abandikanda on the return. Mike Ford Jr. recovered the ball for the Browns at the Jets 12 with 4:37 remaining in the first quarter.
Riley Patterson was signed to the practice squad on Christmas Day due to Dustin Hopkins ' hamstring injury. He was elevated to the gameday roster Thursday when Hopkins was ruled out.
After making his first point-after kick, Patterson missed his second one to keep the Browns lead at 13-7 with 4:43 left in the first quarter.
David Njoku once again played a big role in the Browns scoring a touchdown. He had a 6-yard catch to make it third and 12 midfield.
On the next play, Njoku ran a crossing pattern and snared quarterback Joe Flacco's pass with his left hand only and turned upfield for a 43-yard gain to the Jets 7. Kareem Hunt scored from there on the next play to make it 13-7 Browns with 4:43 left in the first quarter.
The Browns didn't hold the lead for very long. The Jets marched right down the field to answer with a 21-yard Trevor Siemian to Breece Hall touchdown to square the score at 7-7 with 8:06 remaining in the first quarter.
Siemian was 2 of 2 for 43 yards on the drive. Hall had 32 yards on 3 rushing attempts to go with the touchdown catch.
The Jets did so against a starting defensive group that went with three cornerbacks.
DE: Myles Garrett
DT: Shelby Harris
DT: Dalvin Tomlinson
DE: Za'Darius Smith
LB: Sione Takitaki
LB: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
S: D'Anthony Bell
Nickel: Greg Newsome III
CB: Martin Emerson Jr.
CB: Denzel Ward
The Browns were in a third and 15 hole at their own 20 thanks to an offensive pass interference call against Elijah Moore. Didn't matter, though, as quarterback Joe Flacco stepped back and found a wide-open David Njoku for a 36-yard gain to the Jets 44.
That was one of two big plays to Njoku on the Browns' opening drive, which ended with Jerome Ford catching a 7-yard touchdown pass from Flacco. The play before that, Flacco and Njoku connected for a 28-yard gain.
Flacco was 3 of 4 for 71 yards and a touchdown on the drive, which gave the Browns a 7-0 lead with 11:10 left in the first quarter.
The Browns got the ball to start the game after the Jets won the toss. With no Amari Cooper, rookie Cedric Tillman and second-year pro David Bell started at receiver along with Elijah Moore.
Here's the starting lineup on offense:
QB: Joe Flacco
RB: Jerome Ford
TE: David Njoku
WR: Cedric Tillman
WR: Elijah Moore
WR: David Bell
LT: Geron Christian
LG: Joel Bitonio
C: Ethan Pocic
RG: Wyatt Teller
RT: James Hudson III
Amari Cooper was a last-minute scratch for the Browns after trying to go through warmups less than two hours before kickoff Thursday night against the New York Jets.
Cooper was listed as questionable due to a heel injury. He started to go through early warmups before taking himself out of the line.
Cooper hadn't missed a full game since Nov. 25, 2021, while he was with the Dallas Cowboys . Thursday's scratch snaps a streak of 39 consecutive games played, including a playoff game in January, 2022, with Dallas.
Since coming into the league as the No. 4 overall pick by the Oakland Raiders, Cooper had only missed five regular-season games in his career. That's despite having dealt with a litany of injuries, including his two seasons with the Browns.
Injuries have bothered Cooper throughout the season, but he hadn't missed a full game due to any of them. He departed both of the Browns' back-to-back losses at the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Rams with a rib injury and a concussion, but started the next week both times.
In Week 2, Cooper was questionable to play at the Pittsburgh Steelers with a groin injury. He played, catching seven passes for 90 yards in a loss to the Steelers.
The ninth-year veteran was coming off a franchise-record 265 yards on 11 catches in this Sunday's 36-22 win over the Houston Texans. He won AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the performance.
TV channel:WEWS-TV (Channel 5).
Stream: Amazon Prime
Announcers:Al Michaels (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) and Kaylee Hartung (sideline reporter).
The Cleveland Browns Radio Network will carry the game, with Jim Donovan (play-by-play), Nathan Zegura (analyst) and Je'Rod Cherry (sideline reporter) on the call. Among the affiliates in the Akron-Canton area are WAKR-AM 1590, WONE-FM 97.5, WHBC-AM 1480, WQKT-FM 104.5, WKRK-FM 92.3, WKNR-AM 850 and WNCX-FM 98.5. It can also be heard on Sirius/XM, either on channel 138 or 381.
Westwood One Sports will carry the game nationally on various outlets. Ian Eagle (play-by-play) and former Browns left tackle and Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Thomas (analyst) will be on the call.
The Browns have also started a Spanish-language broadcast, with Rafael "Rafa" Hernández-Brito (play-by-play) and Octavio Sequera (analyst) on the call. Games will be streamed on La Mega Cleveland , as well as heard on WNZN-FM 89.1 in Lorain and WVKO-FM 103.1 in Columbus.
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook ; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10 a.m. ET, Thursday.
Moneyline (ML):Browns -360 (bet $360 to win $100) | Jets +290 (bet $100 to win $290)
Against the spread:Browns -7.5 (-110) | Jets +7.5 (-110)
Over/Under (O/U):34.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Browns:Linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. (knee), out; safety Juan Thornhill (calf), questionable; defensive end Ogbo Okoronhwo (pectoral muscle), out; kicker Dustin Hopkins (left hamstring), out; punter Corey Bojorquez (left quad), doubtful; receiver Amari Cooper (heel), questionable; receiver Marquise Goodwin (knee), questionable
Jets:Quarterback Aaron Rodgers (Achilles), out; quarterback Zach Wilson (concussion), out; tight end Jeremy Rucker (concussion), out; kicker Greg Zuerlein (right quad), questionable; receiver Allen Lazard (illness), questionable; running back Israel Abanikanda (ankle), questionable
The Browns improved to 10-5 on the season with a 36-22 win on Christmas Eve over the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium in Houston. Browns receiver Amari Cooper set a franchise record for receiving yards in a game with 265 yards on 11 catches. Quarterback Joe Flacco was 27 of 42 for 368 yards with 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. It was Flacco's third consecutive 300-yard passing game, a first in his career.
The Jets improved to 6-9 on the season after rallying for a 30-28 win over the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The Jets won the game with a 54-yard Greg Zuerlein field goal with 5 seconds remaining. New York, though, led the game 27-7 at halftime, but found itself in a 28-27 hole with 4:52 remaining. Trevor Siemien, starting in place of the concussed Zach Wilson at quarterback for the Jets, was 27 of 49 for 217 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Breece Hall rushed for 95 yards and 2 touchdowns and had 96 receiving yards for New York.
Thursday's game will be the 30th meeting between the Browns and the New York Jets, including the playoffs. The series dates back to 1970.
Overall:Browns 15-14
In regular season:Tied 14-14
In playoffs:Browns 1-0
In Cleveland:Browns 10-9
In New York/New Jersey:Jets 5-5
Streak:Jets have won the last two meetings
Last meeting:Jets won 31-30 in Cleveland on Sept. 18, 2022
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns clinch playoff berth with win over Jets
