Browns Dealt Significant Blow in Playoff Race

Maybe the Cleveland Browns really are cursed? Following a massive victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team lost three more key defensive contributors for the rest of the season. The most notable is Grant Delpit, who has surgery on a groin injury he suffered. But defensive tackle Mo Hurst and edge rusher Ogbo Okoronkwo will also miss the rest of the season with torn pec muscles.

That comes on the heels of more bad news on the offensive side of the ball. Both Jedrick Wills and Dawand Jones will miss the rest of the season with knee injuries. Somehow, the team will have to continue on at 8-5 with the playoffs coming on quickly. They have some winnable games if they can pull them out.

The Browns also may be without starting center Ethan Pocic, who suffered a stinger on Sunday. The Steelers are one game behind the Browns in the AFC playoff picture, with Cleveland holding the No. 5 seed and top Wild Card, and the Steelers right behind with the sixth seed.

To say the least, Cleveland’s injury luck has been brutal this season. If you want to trace back even further, Deshaun Watson and Nick Chubb will miss the rest of the season, too. All of the injuries have added up to create a lot of adversity for the Browns, but with Myles Garrett still leading the way on defense and Joe Flacco finding a groove offensively, they hope to continue replicating these performances.