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AFC Playoff Picture: Cleveland Browns looking to end 17-year playoff drought in Week 17

Buffalo Bills fans know the pain.

The last time the Cleveland Browns made the playoffs was 2002. If they miss the postseason again in 2020, they will have had 18 consecutive seasons without a postseason berth, surpassing the 17 seasons the Buffalo Bills went without a trip to the playoffs from 2001 to 2017.

Cleveland was in the driver’s seat heading into Week 16. Facing off against a one-win New York Jets team, the Browns could have won to secure a Wild Card berth. Instead, they fell to one of the bottom teams in the conference. Even so, they control their own destiny in Week 17.

With a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17, the Browns would clinch their first trip to the playoffs since before Facebook was launched.

If the Browns lose, they still have a couple paths to the postseason. Thanks to wins over the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts, they have a path in the tiebreakers. A win by the Jacksonville Jaguars over the Colts would clinch a spot for the Browns without Cleveland winning. A combo of the Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens, and Houston Texans winning would also give the Browns a playoff spot without a Cleveland win by eliminating the Titans.

Are Bills fans rooting for their Lake Erie cousins to end a long, arduous playoff drought or do you want the Browns to have a longer stretch than the Bills without a postseason run?