Browns: Dolphins just made the AFC North very interesting

The Dolphins defeated The Ravens on Thursday but it was the Browns who won.

The Dolphins have effectively taken themselves out of the race for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft with their defeat of the Ravens on Thursday Night Football. The Dolphins took away the Ravens’ running game, and in doing so, helped provide ammunition to those that believe Lamar Jackson can’t win a game if he has to pass the ball exclusively. Despite it being the Dolphins that got the victory, it was the Browns that ended up being the real winners when the game ended.

With the loss, the Ravens fall to 6-3, who have a 1.5 game lead on the Browns, who are 5-4. Cleveland had a rough stretch recently but seemingly righted the ship against the Bengals this past Sunday. With the Patriots coming up on the schedule, the Browns have an opportunity to get to 6-4 and tie the Ravens in wins for the year.

They’ll still be a half-game behind on the season, but with two games against Baltimore still on the schedule, the Dolphins just propelled the Browns back into the AFC North title hunt.

The Browns will prove their championship mettle against the Ravens

The Ravens and Steelers have done a great job hammering the Browns over the last 20 years but unlike with the Steelers, the Browns have seemingly always played the Ravens really well; no matter the talent on either team.

If it wasn’t for a pandemic and an epic defensive collapse, the Browns may have easily swept the Ravens last year. Now with a much-improved defense, and an offense that is seemingly back on track, the Ravens no longer look unbeatable. The playbook for how to handle Jackson has been written and if the Browns go into their games against Baltimore completely healthy, there’s no doubt that the Browns’ defense can cause problems for Jackson and the Ravens offense.

The AFC North may be the best division in football at the moment, with all four teams being above .500. If the Browns were able to win the division this year, it would show just how good the team truly is.

It’d be the first of three possible championships the team can win this year, behind the AFC Championship and of course the Super Bowl. It’d also be the first time that the Browns have one that title, or any others for that matter. Cleveland has never won the AFC North, let alone the AFC Championship or the Super Bowl.

While many fans think only the Super Bowl matters, that’s not the case. Getting an AFC North title would mean quite a bit and would further cement that the Browns are on the right track.