With the Cleveland Browns 2023 regular season coming to a close, and a playoff berth very possible, I’ve interviewed some SHS students about their thoughts on the season and the upcoming NFL playoffs.
The Browns play the New York Jets, Houston Texans, and the Cincinnati Bengals in their final four games of the season, given that they’re 9 – 5 right now, what do you predict their record will be?
“11 – 6,” said seniors Aidan Brown and Jordan Klein. On the other hand, senior Aaron Titlebaum stated the Browns would finish “10 – 7.”
Do you believe there is any chance the Browns will win the division?
“There is,” Titlebaum said. “But here’s the thing, the Ravens have to lose two of their last four games, we’ll say Bengals and Niners, then we would have to win out, in which case, we would win the division.”
How big is the impact of losing Deshaun Watson for the remainder of the season?
“It’s big, but Joe Flacco has stepped in pretty well, so I’m pretty confident,” Klein said.
Do you think the Browns record would’ve been different had Nick Chubb not gotten injured so early in the season? If so, what do you think their record would be to this point?
“Absolutely,” Brown said. “At this point they’re 9 – 5. I think I could honestly say [with Chubb they would be] 10 – 4, maybe 11 – 3.”
Do you think the Browns have the tools to win any playoff games?
“I think we could win one playoff game, but I don’t think we’ll go beyond the divisional round,” Klein said.
Do you believe Joe Flacco’s past Super Bowl and playoff performances bring a newfound confidence to this young Browns team?
“Yeah, it’s pretty clear he’s had a positive impact on the team so far based on the locker room press conferences– it’s pretty clear he’s had a positive impact on the players,” Klein said.
From what I’ve gathered from these interviews, it’s pretty clear SHS is confident in their hometown Cleveland Browns, as am I. But we’ve yet to see what will actually happen with the final weeks of the season, and with three games remaining, anything could happen.
