How Cleveland Browns can shock the world and make NFL playoffs without Deshaun Watson

What a difference a quarterback (or lack thereof) can make. With Deshaun Watson healthy and seemingly incapable of being benched, the Cleveland Browns were dead in the water, arguably the most depressing team in the entire NFL. It was obvious to everyone that Watson simply couldn't function as a starting QB anymore, but all that guaranteed money forced Cleveland's coaching staff and front office to make fans deny their lying eyes. It seemed like the Browns would be trapped in purgatory until Watson's deal finally got palatable enough to escape out from under.

Watson's Achilles injury in Week 7, however, has changed the complexion of things entirely. The Browns were finally forced to stop considering the QB's massive contract and simply play the best player, which we've known for weeks was backup Jameis Winston. And sure enough, when Winston got his chance, he showed everyone exactly what they'd been missing: Cleveland looked like a totally different team in Week 8, toppling Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens 29-24 behind 334 yards and three TDs from Winston.

The offense went from one of the league's worst to the same explosive attack we saw down the stretch with Joe Flacco last year, while the defense, finally given a little bit of help, managed to frustrate Jackson and Derrick Henry just enough to secure a win over a Super Bowl contender. The Watson-led Browns were relegated to watching their draft positioning. These Browns, though? They look like they can hang with anyone. Which begs the question: Is it too late for a playoff push?

Do Browns have path to the playoffs with Jameis Winston replacing Deshaun Watson?

We'll deal with the bad news first. Despite the win on Sunday, Cleveland is still 2-6, buried in last place in the AFC North. The Browns do have plenty of division games remaining, but making up three games in nine weeks feels like a tall task.

A Wild Card spot, however, is another matter. Cleveland's next four opponents are the Chargers at home, the Saints on the road, the Steelers at home and the Broncos on the road. If they play like they did Sunday, a 3-1 or even 4-0 stretch there is hardly inconceivable. If they do the former, that will bring them up to 5-7, which is probably good enough to get within shouting distance of the seventh seed.

The closing stretch is tougher: Trips to Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Baltimore with home games against the Chiefs and Dolphins. That really makes this next four-game stretch critical, because even going 3-2 over the closing quintet will be an impressive feat. But who knows: Maybe Pittsburgh's QB situation has disintegrated by then, and Cincy and Miami have both packed up and started planning for next season. If Cleveland can just get back in striking distance over this favorable stretch of schedule, getting to 9-8 is within reach. And the Wild Card field is hardly overwhelming: A win over the Broncos would be huge for tiebreaker purposes, and betting against the Colts and Anthony Richardson feels like a smart play right now.