Daily Dawg Chow 12/19: Hope still alive for the Cleveland Browns, but the eye is really towards next year

The latest from Dawgs By Nature:

• Browns open as 3.5-point favorites against the Saints in Week 16 (Chris Pokorny) The over/under opens at 35 for the game.
• Browns, Steelers officially eliminated from AFC North hunt in Week 15 (Jared Mueller) Bengals take control of the division with three weeks left
• Injury updates on Clowney and JJ3 the day after Browns win (Jared Mueller) Could be without Clowney for a bit, Johnson seems more likely to play this week
• NFL warns teams of recent costs from firing coaches, execs: $800 million (Jared Mueller) Surprisingly, the Browns aren’t the majority of that in the last 5 years

More Cleveland Browns news:

• What are the Browns’ playoff odds after Chargers win, Jets and Patriots lose? (Browns Wire) “The Browns have to take care of their own business, with the New Orleans Saints coming to town on Christmas Eve, but all hope is not lost.”
• Game Balls: 5 standouts who helped lead the Browns to a Week 15 win (clevelandbrowns.com) “He was seeing it very clearly,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “I thought, for the most part, we protected really well. I thought he was very poised and making good decisions.”
• With coach Kevin Stefanski, Browns prove they’re still bought in (Akron Beacon Journal) “The Browns (6-8) are all but mathematically eliminated from qualifying for the postseason, a position solidified with their 23-10 loss to the Bengals on Dec. 11.”
• Jim Ingraham: Things looking good for Browns … for next season anyway (The Chronicle) “With the win, the Fighting Stefanskis are now 6-8, and lurking in the weeds in the AFC North. If they can run the table by beating the 4-9 Saints, the 7-5 Commanders and the 5-8 Steelers, they would reach the finish line with a record of 9-8.”
• Browns beat Ravens and Watson looks...like he’s back (Youtube) Quincy Carrier recaps DeShaun Watson’s progression as the Browns beat the Ravens Saturday night