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There is one thing that Cleveland Browns fans have to deal with: no matter what, the Pittsburgh Steelers have already clinched a playoff berth. They currently hold the No. 2 seed, which is good for a first-round bye. Right now, there is only one team in the AFC that has a chance to take the No. 2 seed instead: the Baltimore Ravens. The only way that Baltimore would be able to do that is if they win their final two games, one of which is against the Browns, and the Steelers then lose to the Browns. Either way, we'd basically be giving one AFC North team a first-round bye by default.
The bigger impact we can have is trying to keep one of those teams out of the playoffs altogether. Since the Steelers have clinched, that means the Browns can play a hand in Baltimore being ousted from postseason contention. If Baltimore wins one of their final two games (they face Cleveland and Cincinnati), they will clinch a wildcard spot. If they lose them both, then that opens Pandora's Box for either the San Diego Chargers or the Jacksonville Jaguars to sneak in instead.
So, in summary:
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Pittsburgh will clinch the No. 2 seed if...they beat the Browns, or if the Ravens lose one of their final two games.
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Baltimore will clinch the No. 2 seed if...they beat the Browns and the Bengals, and then Pittsburgh loses to Cleveland.
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Baltimore will clinch a wildcard spot if...they win one of their final two games, or if San Diego and Jacksonville each lose one of their final two games.
- Baltimore will miss the playoffs if...they lose against the Browns and the Bengals, and either San Diego or Jacksonville win both of their final two games.
The odds are definitely in favor of the AFC North having two teams involved in postseason play. If you had the choice though, would you rather see Baltimore have the No. 2 seed, or Pittsburgh have the No. 2 seed, given the scenario that would have to occur over the final two weeks! Remember, that scenario involves Cleveland losing to Baltimore this week, and Pittsburgh losing to Cleveland next week (and the Ravens beating the Bengals).
For my vote, I don't care what seed Pittsburgh gets -- I'd rather the Browns finish the season with two straight division wins.