Takk McKinley‘s season is over. On Tuesday, doctors confirmed that the defensive end has in fact suffered a torn Achilles (Twitter link via Josina Anderson). McKinley will be placed on injured reserve this week, allowing the Browns to fill his spot on the 53-man roster.
McKinley, 26, had to be carted off after a non-contact injury in the third quarter of last night’s game. The Raiders went on to beat the Browns 16-14, dragging Cleveland’s playoff odds down even further. At 7-7, they now have a 15% chance of sneaking into the playoffs, per the stats at Five Thirty Eight. The Raiders, also stationed at 7-7 but with no hope of winning their division, have an 11% chance.
The timing is especially terrible for McKinley since he’s on track for free agency in the spring. The Browns had him on a one-year, $4.25MM deal with the potential to reach $6MM through incentives. Even with the usual dearth of quality pass rushers on the market, his next contract will likely be for less.
The Browns, without the former first-round pick, will travel to Green Bay to face the Packers on Christmas Day.
That really stinks for Takk. He was playing quite well this season.
The Browns are also done for the year.
As a Steelers fan, I can safely claim that nobody in the AFC North is done. This is the most inconsistent division in football, so anyone can finish in first or last
Yea Wagner is right, it’s somehow one of the toughest divisions but at the same time none of the teams have shown they deserve to win it. It will likely come down to the final week and anyone could win it.
The Browns are a game back of everyone in the division with 3 to play. The likelihood they can make up ground on EVERYONE is zilch. The divison is still up for grabs, but the Browns are nothing but spoilers going forward.
They’re one game back. If they beat us (Steelers), they’re in a better position. If they sweep the Bengals, they own the tiebreaker. If the Ravens lose 2/3 (possible given that they play the Rams, Bengals, and Steelers), the Browns might be able to still lose to Green Bay and win the division due to their superior record against divisional opponents in this hypothetical scenario.
While that’s just as unlikely, if not more so, than any of the other teams winning the division, it’s definitely not impossible. Thus, the statement reads off as ignorant
THERE IS NO WAY THE STEELERS WIN THE DIVISION. PERIOD.
I’m a lifetime Steelers fan….but they are a mediocre team…worst thing to happen is for them to make the playoffs…gives fans hope …there is none…. Baltimore and Tennessee beat themselves….play for a higher draft pick…they need a QB
Earlier this season, I was a believer in the Steelers, thought they would make the playoffs, but they have been so bad. Even just half a game back, they’ve just been so dang terrible. They’re 20th in points scored and 20th in yards – while still being 12th in total plays! And guess what? They’re also 28th in defensive yards allowed and 23rd in points allowed. The Browns are 19th and 18th, respectively, but 26th in total plays, and are in the top 12 in both defensive categories. I would give them a slightly better chance than the Steelers.
Yes, there could be a small chance they win the division, but with the Ravens and Bengals playing each other with winnable games still left, and the Steelers playing KC next week, I would give them less than a 5 percent chance, and the Browns not much more. The Steelers don’t even look good to the eye test, they’re not as good at defense as people give them credit for, and their only good offensive player is Diontae Johnson. Want another crazy Steelers stat? The Steelers are 31st in rushing yards, worse than the Jets, and only better than the Texans. Ravens or Bengals, 100%. Remember when the Steelers started 11-0 last season? I don’t . . .
Yea I would t count the Browns out just yet, they have already beat the Steelers and bengals who they have left and GB had issues with Baltimore and a very talented backup. Is it likely Cleveland wins out, no but it isn’t comply unreasonable to assume they take 2 of 3 and the remains divisional teams don’t have easy schedules.
The Browns did not beat the Steelers earlier this season. Otherwise, good argument
tiebreakers don’t matter with the Steelers unless another team gets a tie – the Steelers’ll just be a half game ahead or behind
Sack the quarterback