Browns’ Playoff Dreams Receive Both Positive And Negative Update in Jags Injury News

The final stretch of the 2024 NFL season will not be short on drama as the Cleveland Browns try to snap a two-year playoff drought and make it past the Divisional Round for the first time since—avert your eyes if you have a sensitive stomach—Bernie Kosar led the charge under center back in 1989.

Kevin Stefanski’s team is fighting for its life in the AFC playoff picture after an awful defensive effort resulted in a 36-19 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

The Browns are in the right side of the tiebreaker equation, sitting in the third and final wild-card spot at the expense of the Houston Texans, as one of four non-division-leading AFC teams with a 7-5 record going into Week 14.

In the AFC North, they still have the potential to overtake the 7-5 Pittsburgh Steelers (and, with luck, the 9-3 Baltimore Ravens), but they also need to fend off challenges from the 7-5 Texans, 6-6 Denver Broncos, 6-6 Buffalo Bills, and 6-6 Cincinnati Bengals.

As the Browns prepared for a challenging game against the fourth-seeded Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 14, their opponent’s initial injury messaging brought both good and bad news.

The Good News: Christian Kirk Won’t Take the Top Off the Defense

Christian Kirk was exposed early in the Monday Night Football game on December 4—as he frequently is—in a weakness in the opposing plan. Trevor Lawrence hit Kirk for a 26-yard gain after he perfectly threw the ball above the middle of the Cleveland defense, but just short of the hard-closing safety.

However, the explosive wide receiver stood up slowly and then hobbled without his signature speed off the field and into the locker room. After he failed to make a comeback, Jacksonville head coach Doug Pederson disclosed on Tuesday, according to NFL insider Adam Schefter, that he had sustained a core injury that would require surgery and cause him to miss “some time.”

No team, possibly with the exception of a certain New Orleans Saints team during the Bountygate scandal, cheers on opponent injuries. However, given Kirk’s importance to the Jacksonville offense and their own prowess in deep ball defense, the Browns won’t be overly upset about this development.

In terms of passing touchdowns allowed and passing yards allowed, Cleveland is ranked fourth. According to Pro Football Reference, only Baltimore has given up fewer net yards per passing attempt in 2023.

Kirk leads the group in receiving yards (787), but he is second among Jacksonville’s receiving options in targets (85), receptions (57), and receiving touchdowns (three). When he is not in the starting lineup, Cleveland can focus more defensive attention on Evan Engram and Calvin Ridley while pressuring the Jaguars to throw more dump-off passes to Travis Etienne. This allows Cleveland to stop depending on Parker Washington, Zay Jones, and the rest of their lackluster receiving group.

It’s the classic case of a strength getting even stronger prior to an important matchup.

The Bad News: Trevor Lawrence Is Still in Play

Considering how good Cleveland’s pass defense is and how limited Jacksonville’s pass-catching options are, perhaps this won’t matter. But, the Browns would undoubtedly rather play the unimpressive C.J. Beathard than Trevor Lawrence, whose right arm had been getting stronger as his third season went on.

Similar to Kirk, Lawrence suffered an injury that prevented him from playing in Jacksonville’s Monday Night Football game.

When he dropped back on third-and-11 with 5:44 left in the fourth quarter and the score tied at 28, left tackle Walker Little stepped on his ankle. He may have made the situation worse by bending backward as he hit the ground. He got help for his own slow-motion exit to the locker room after trying to walk off the field and smashing his helmet into the grass.

Surprisingly, Lawrence hasn’t been ruled out of even Week 14’s game against the Browns despite the aftermath of his injury and the initial conjecture from the entire NFL fanbase and the plethora of wannabe doctors on social media that it might be a season-ender or, at the very least, cost him a significant amount of time.

Perhaps Pederson is simply using this as a ploy to make Stefanski ready for Lawrence’s powerful arm and quickness. After all, high-ankle sprains usually require several weeks away from activity.

It’s not ideal for the Browns as they attempt to avoid losing their playoff hopes, though, whether this is a preemptive move or a real update proving that Lawrence’s limbs, joints, and tendons are made of rubber.