As I'm sure everyone knows by now, we can earn a playoff appearance with either a win over Cincinnati or a Tennessee loss.  Note that this is not the same as a Brown's win or a Tennessee loss or the same as a Brown's win or a Tennessee loss to NYJ.  What does this mean?  It means that the gimme game against SF in week 17 in regards to a playoff berth is completely meaningless to the Brown's.  The illustration below shows that the outcomes of a L-W and L-L finish for the Browns are identical.

    Week 16 Week 17    Overall    Conference   
CLE    W    W    11-5    8-4    IN
TEN    W    W    10-6    7-5   

CLE    W    L    10-6    8-4    IN
TEN    W    W    10-6    7-5   

Brown's Loss-Win Scenarios                   
CLE    L    W    10-6    7-5    OUT
TEN    W    W    10-6    7-5   

CLE    L    W    10-6    7-5    IN
TEN    W    L    9-7    6-6   

CLE    L    W    10-6    7-5    IN
TEN    L    W    9-7    6-6   

CLE    L    W    10-6    7-5    IN
TEN    L    L    8-8    5-7   

Brown's Loss-Loss Scenarios                   
CLE    L    L    9-7    7-5    OUT
TEN    W    W    10-6    7-5   

CLE    L    L    9-7    7-5    IN
TEN    W    L    9-7    6-6   

CLE    L    L    9-7    7-5    IN
TEN    L    W    9-7    6-6   

CLE    L    L    9-7    7-5    IN
TEN    L    L    8-8    5-7   

Obviously, the SF game at least at this point still has meaning with regards to the AFC North title and seeding.

So assuming that the SF game is truly meaningless, what are people's thoughts on the best way to approach that game?  Should we keep playing our regulars and use the game as a playoff tune-up?  Or, rest up our regulars (especially those with nagging injuries) and treat the game as a bye.