Cleveland Browns Punch Their Ticket to the Playoffs

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CLEVELAND -- Chants of "Fla-cco, Fla-cco" cascaded down from the crowd Thursday night as the Cleveland Browns officially punched their ticket to the playoffs -- and the party in the stands carried over into the locker room afterward.

Led by quarterback Joe Flacco, the Browns (11-5) defeated the New York Jets 37-20 to clinch their first postseason appearance since 2020, and only their third since 1999.

"Pretty special night for this organization," Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski said. "Pretty special night for the fans out there."

Before an electric atmosphere, the Browns jumped on New York early and never relinquished control. Flacco threw three touchdown passes in the first half, including a 7-yard strike to running back Jerome Ford on the opening drive.

Since returning to the NFL in 1999, the Browns have only been to the postseason in 2002 and 2020. But when Cleveland clinched its postseason berth in the regular-season finale at home three years ago, its stadium was mostly empty due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thursday's scene was completely different, as Browns fans arrived early and stayed late, well after the final whistle.

Despite losing several key players, including Watson and All-Pro running back Nick Chubb (knee) to season-ending injuries, the Browns are alone in the 5 seed in the AFC playoff picture. Cleveland also remains alive for the AFC North division title, and the No. 1 overall seed and first-round playoff bye.

"It's sweet going to the playoffs," running back Kareem Hunt said. "But now we're trying to not just make it to the playoffs -- we're trying to go the whole way."

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Gallery Credit: Seth Berkman