Brendan Gulick and Anthony Moeglin give their reactions to the Browns final regular season game and the playoff road ahead. The Browns will head to Houston to take on the Texans and former Ohio State Quarterback C.J. Stroud.
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00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 Well, good afternoon, everybody, and welcome to Paycourse Stadium
00:12 for our instant analysis here of the season finale,
00:15 the regular season finale.
00:17 That's the most important part.
00:18 Season one is over.
00:19 Season two is just about to get started officially next weekend.
00:23 Brendan Gulick and Anthony Megwin with you, part of our coverage
00:26 on Brown's Digest here on the Fannation Network
00:28 with the SI Media Group.
00:30 The final score today was not indicative of an effort,
00:34 I think, from the Browns.
00:35 They actually, with their reserve players,
00:38 the thought actually played hard just didn't look very good.
00:42 At one point, the Browns in a 31-14 loss.
00:45 One point, they were down 31-0.
00:47 And Anthony, early in the second quarter,
00:49 I think they were outgained 224 to 0.
00:52 I mean, it was pretty clear pretty early
00:55 that Cincinnati was the better team today.
00:57 And ultimately, that was fine.
00:58 You want to win.
00:59 It's disappointing.
01:00 But the Browns got out of this game largely healthy,
01:04 only a couple of little injuries,
01:06 maybe one that could linger.
01:07 We'll touch on that in a second.
01:10 All things considered, you want to go into the playoffs
01:13 with momentum.
01:13 But when the game is played like this
01:16 and the result doesn't impact your playoff standing,
01:19 you just play it and you move on.
01:21 It's truly amazing.
01:22 We were texting about this in the first quarter.
01:24 When there's reserves versus starters,
01:27 the difference is-- and it's obvious,
01:29 but it's amazing every time you see it.
01:30 It was really clear from the first possession.
01:33 We throw an interception.
01:35 They come back with an interception.
01:36 And then that was it.
01:38 That was the last little bit of life that the Browns had.
01:41 But the disappointing part was you
01:44 were hoping to see a little bit more out of Jeff Driscoll.
01:47 Finished 13 to 26, 166 yards, two touchdowns,
01:50 two interceptions in the two touchdowns
01:52 in the fourth quarter.
01:53 Two David Bell came against the Bengals backups, too.
01:57 So against the starters, he was largely disappointing.
02:00 And there's a lot of reasons for that.
02:02 But we hinted on it early in our pregame show
02:05 that we were hoping to see a lot from him.
02:06 We just didn't really see it this afternoon.
02:10 Yeah, and again, you want to win.
02:12 Kevin Stefanski made it clear that goal number one was to win.
02:15 They weren't treating this game like it was an exhibition.
02:18 It's a competitive game.
02:19 And it mattered to them to try to win.
02:21 So they didn't feel like they accomplished their goal.
02:24 But it's a little easier to swallow when you're not
02:26 playing great and when you're not playing basically
02:28 your entire group of impact players.
02:32 It just sort of is what it is.
02:33 And now you refocus.
02:35 The way the results shook out--
02:37 I'm sure most people by now know this, but in case you don't--
02:41 the Browns are going to Houston next weekend.
02:42 Jacksonville lost at Tennessee.
02:44 And so the previously eight and three Jacksonville Jaguars,
02:48 who at one point were the number two seed in the AFC,
02:51 lose five of their last six.
02:53 Not only do they not win the division,
02:55 they are out of the playoffs.
02:57 And the Pittsburgh Steelers are in the postseason
03:00 as the seven seed.
03:02 The Sunday night football game tonight
03:04 between the Bills and the Dolphins
03:06 is really the only thing left that's
03:07 going to impact what a wild card, super wild card weekend
03:11 is going to look like.
03:12 The Ravens are locked in as the one seed.
03:15 Kansas City, Houston, and Cleveland
03:17 are locked in at three, four, and five.
03:20 And so the question is, will Buffalo
03:24 be playing in Miami again next weekend if the Dolphins win?
03:30 Or will the Bills win tonight and clinch the number two seed?
03:34 And in which case, they would then
03:36 host the Pittsburgh Steelers, where Miami
03:38 would play Kansas City.
03:39 That's really all that's left to be determined on the AFC side.
03:42 We know that Cleveland's going to Houston.
03:44 They're going to play the CJ Stroud-led Houston Texans.
03:47 It's going to look certainly like a better team than the one
03:49 we saw on Christmas Eve.
03:50 Yeah, not only do they get CJ Stroud back,
03:52 but they also have Will Anderson back
03:54 who didn't play against them.
03:55 So two big impact players, I'd say, for Houston.
03:59 But besides all of that stuff, it's
04:03 amazing the last three weeks.
04:05 You go back three weeks from now,
04:07 Pittsburgh was on the outside looking in.
04:08 I think they had a 10% chance to get in the playoffs.
04:11 And Jacksonville was pretty much--
04:12 you're expecting them to win their division,
04:15 at least get a playoff shot.
04:16 But it's just amazing how some teams, you just
04:19 go to take care of business, win the games in front of you,
04:22 and then let the rest sort itself out.
04:24 And you see that in two different ways.
04:26 The Jacksonville Jaguars just falling off the cliff.
04:28 And Pittsburgh just continuing to win,
04:31 find different gritty ways to win football games.
04:33 They're going to find themselves playing next week.
04:34 It's amazing.
04:35 And look, Cincinnati gets the benefit
04:37 of playing against a Cleveland team that wasn't even
04:40 close to full strength today.
04:41 But a win gives them a 9-8 record.
04:44 They finish over 500 as the last place team in the division.
04:48 I have heard, although I haven't verified,
04:51 I've heard that it's been at least 30 years
04:53 since an entire division has finished over 500.
04:58 Certainly, regardless of what the official stat is,
05:01 the quality of play in the AFC North this year,
05:03 everybody knew was really high.
05:05 And it panned out to continue to look that way.
05:08 It was certainly impressive.
05:11 I don't know how Pittsburgh's in the playoffs.
05:15 I really don't.
05:16 I don't think they're very good.
05:17 But I give them credit, man.
05:19 They've found ways to win games.
05:21 5-1 in the division certainly helps.
05:23 Much like Cincinnati benefited from Cleveland not being
05:25 full strength today, Pittsburgh played a Baltimore team
05:28 yesterday that also had nothing to play for because they
05:30 were the number one seed.
05:31 And we're going to host as long as they won games.
05:33 So give Pittsburgh credit.
05:35 And I guess we'll see what happens.
05:37 Absolutely.
05:38 I would add to that stat you were saying about the AFC
05:40 North.
05:41 This is from NFL on CBS.
05:42 So a credible source there.
05:44 First division since 1935 to have all teams finish
05:48 above 500.
05:49 1935?
05:51 We'll have to check on that.
05:52 It's from NFL CBS on Twitter.
05:54 I'm sure if they're putting it out,
05:56 then I'm sure that's accurate.
05:57 I heard it was 30 years.
05:59 1935 is wild.
06:01 Wild.
06:01 Almost a century.
06:03 Amazing.
06:04 Amazing.
06:04 Browns will finish 11 and 6.
06:05 Steelers 10 and 7.
06:07 Obviously, the Ravens are 13 and 4.
06:08 And the Bengals at 9 and 8.
06:09 And beyond that, go back to the Jaguars season.
06:13 You've said how they finished 1 and 5.
06:15 They were a lock.
06:16 They had three losses before they
06:17 played a stretch of Cincinnati, Cleveland, Baltimore.
06:20 Lose all three of those games, their team's broken,
06:22 and they end up missing the playoffs.
06:23 Just amazing.
06:24 This division this year was truly incredible.
06:27 And it's amazing what the Browns were able to do.
06:29 You come out of it, you're the fifth seed.
06:31 Now, I want to get your opinion on this.
06:33 And this is something that goes to the Russ
06:37 versus Russ conversation.
06:38 I love how the Browns finished.
06:40 The second half was a little bit better than the first.
06:43 They were competing, playing hard,
06:44 scored a couple of touchdowns.
06:45 But you have this really weird taste in your mouth.
06:48 I know none of the starters played.
06:49 But to be down 31-0, to just get kind of crushed all game long,
06:53 it's not great going into the playoffs.
06:56 Obviously, you want everyone to be healthy.
06:58 But you still have that feeling.
07:00 It's not a great feeling going into practice next week,
07:02 getting ready for a playoff game.
07:04 Yeah, I mean, I totally agree and understand with that.
07:07 But I thought Kevin Stefanski probably said it best
07:13 when he referenced, you know what, we earned the right
07:15 to rest guys.
07:16 And for a team that has been as banged up as this year's
07:21 Browns, with more than $60 million
07:23 worth of players that are on injured reserve,
07:26 and so many of those guys in critical positions,
07:29 I think there was a huge element of this fan base
07:32 today that even said, I don't really care what happens today.
07:35 And that's not something we're used to, right?
07:38 You want to win.
07:38 When you play, you want to win.
07:40 And as we said pregame, you don't play any less hard.
07:42 And I also was encouraged by the way these guys played
07:45 in the second half.
07:45 Good for David Bell to find the end zone a couple of times,
07:48 and for Jeff Driscoll to trust him.
07:51 But I mean, maybe we'll look back on it
07:54 and feel differently.
07:56 I think this team has done too many things too well
07:58 this season.
07:59 And frankly, I think they know how good they can be.
08:02 I don't think they are going to go into the playoffs off
08:06 of a sour taste in their mouth with this loss.
08:08 I don't think they go into the playoffs
08:11 with any level of doubt.
08:12 Like, I literally just walked out of the locker room.
08:15 Kevin Stefanski's press conference
08:17 went into the locker room, and it was all smiles.
08:21 There were several players talking, hey,
08:24 it's time for the playoffs.
08:25 We're ready.
08:26 Oboe Okorankro was saying how grateful
08:28 he is to have a chance to go back down to Houston
08:30 and play in front of some family and friends,
08:32 he wasn't able to play the last time that the Browns played
08:35 the Texans.
08:36 That was anything but a locker room
08:39 that came off of a loss that wasn't particularly
08:42 competitive.
08:43 So I have no reason to believe that these guys are
08:47 going to lose it at all going into next week.
08:51 I just don't think that's the case with this group.
08:53 I love it.
08:54 I love it.
08:54 And listening just after the game, just some commentary,
08:57 I know this Texans offense is going
09:00 to look much different with CJ Stradley in the way
09:02 and Nico Collins being in the back.
09:03 And he's obviously explosive.
09:05 But the Browns offense a couple of weeks ago
09:08 or on Christmas Eve down there was pretty darn good
09:10 themselves.
09:11 Amari Cooper set the record.
09:12 Joe Flacco was fantastic.
09:14 So there's a lot of good things to have circled
09:16 because we went down there on offense,
09:19 played amazing in the defense.
09:20 Yes, they were down a bunch of guys, played very, very good.
09:23 Their challenge is going to be a lot different.
09:25 But there's no reason to believe that Browns
09:27 can't go down to Houston and take care of business
09:29 against that good team.
09:30 But it's exciting, man.
09:31 It's exciting to talk playoffs.
09:33 And it's exciting when Cleveland's
09:34 involved in the conversation.
09:36 So Kevin Stefanski was asked about
09:39 if there was any sort of resolution
09:41 to his backup quarterback situation going
09:43 into the playoffs after what he saw today.
09:45 And he really wouldn't answer the question.
09:48 As someone who played quarterback collegiately,
09:50 I'm curious, did you see enough from Jeff Driscoll today
09:53 recognizing that the offensive line isn't what it usually is?
09:57 The Joker wasn't on the field.
09:58 Cooper's not on the field.
10:00 Jerome Ford barely played.
10:01 Did you see enough from Jeff Driscoll
10:03 for you to feel comfortable that if he's the backup quarterback,
10:06 that it's not going to be a big deal?
10:08 It's really tough because he came in this week--
10:10 he met a bunch of guys for the first time this week.
10:13 So it's really hard.
10:14 He didn't look comfortable at all.
10:16 From the start, he's staring receivers down,
10:17 the interceptions, he could have had four or five of them.
10:20 The ball's bouncing around just on bad decisions.
10:22 I personally saw enough to go in the other direction
10:25 and be like, hey, this is too much.
10:28 And it's like, this is a little too much, a little too quickly.
10:31 And you think, hey, PJ Walker's at least been here.
10:33 He knows the guys.
10:34 He knows the system.
10:35 He's comfortable around these guys.
10:37 And if you're in a pinch, if you lose Flacco,
10:40 that's going to be an uphill battle regardless.
10:42 But if you do get to there, I think
10:44 go with a guy who's been there.
10:46 And that's at least my opinion from just what we saw today
10:48 from Jeff Driscoll.
10:49 Well, let's just hope that's not a conversation we
10:51 need to even entertain as we get ready for postseason football.
10:55 The reality is we could see this team play one more game.
10:57 We could see them play another month and a half.
11:02 It's pretty fun to be on the precipice
11:05 here of starting a playoff run.
11:07 There has not been a ton of history
11:10 where a five seed or worse has gone on to at least play
11:15 in the Super Bowl.
11:16 But it did most recently happen with Tampa Bay back in 2020.
11:20 So it at least has happened recently.
11:21 It's only happened twice in the history of the AFC.
11:25 I believe the last time it happened
11:27 was when the Steelers won the Super Bowl in 2005.
11:29 They were a six seed.
11:30 And if memory serves me correctly,
11:32 I think it was New England back in like 1985.
11:34 They were a five seed when they won the AFC.
11:36 So we'll see if the Browns can make a little bit of history
11:39 coming up against the Houston Texans next weekend.
11:41 Will it be Saturday, Sunday, or Monday?
11:44 At this point here as we stand here at 435 in the afternoon
11:47 on Sunday, we don't yet know.
11:49 But I would imagine that the NFL will make that announcement here
11:52 later this evening, either during or after Sunday night
11:54 football when the Bills and Dolphins meet
11:57 and in the final game of the regular season.
12:00 All right, for Anthony Meglin, I'm Brendan Gulick.
12:02 Thanks for hanging with us here for a little bit.
12:03 We've got all the latest news and info on the team
12:05 wrapping up week 17 in Cincinnati
12:08 and getting you ready for the playoffs, Cleveland.
12:10 It's over on BrownsDigest.com.
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