COLUMN: Go Browns or Ravens? This really is insane
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'Twas the night before Christmas and the Steelers need a hand. They never thought it would happen, but they now are Browns fans.
At least they should be.
This Sunday's matchups are simple: If the Browns win, the Steelers are in the playoffs, and if the Browns lose, the Steelers are out. Yes, the Steelers obviously have to win as well, but there's no way they are losing to the Bengals at home, at least they better not.
The biggest question stemming from this past Sunday's results are not necessarily about the playoffs or what will happen. The biggest question is, as Browns fans, do we really want our favorite team to win or let the Ravens win?
We all know the team from Baltimore is the old Browns when Art Modell sold them in the mid-1990s. With Modell gone, and even a few years before that, it doesn't matter anymore. The Ravens really are not the old Browns anymore, especially with this year's success.
We still view the Steelers as our biggest rivals. When the Browns returned in 1999, they were our biggest nemesis. They were the team Cleveland faced in its season-opener. We still hate the Ravens and always will because they used to be the Browns at one point and are a division rival, but any Browns fan will tell you the same thing I am in this column. If they don't, then they did not grow up a true Browns fan.
Let's say Ohio State is sold to another city and state but return as the Buckeyes four years later. Are the Alaskan Eskimos or wherever they're sold Ohio State's biggest rival or Michigan? Same thing with the Browns and Steelers.
Interacting with a few Steeler fans since Sunday's defeat, many on Facebook are saying "Go Brownies!" A select few say they can never root for Cleveland and will not on Sunday at Baltimore despite the circumstances.
Funny enough, I randomly thought of the same thing on Thanksgiving Day. Speaking to my father-in-law -- who is a die-hard Bengals fan -- this situation popped up in reverse fashion. I told him the only time I would ever root for the Steelers is if the Browns needed them to win to make the playoffs.
He told me I was crazy. Maybe he didn't understand or was confused about my remarks. I don't know, but can anybody blame me?
Die-hard Steeler fans must cheer on the Browns this Sunday. The only way Pittsburgh can get the No. 6 seed is if it wins and the Titans and Colts tie. Speaking of ties, that season opener truly came back to haunt the Steelers more than the Browns in more ways than one.
Whether they want to admit or not, Steeler nation is at least secretly rooting for Baker Mayfield. I know the fans hate him, thinking he's a cocky, no-good S.O.B. Browns fans think the same way for every Steeler ever, especially Hines Ward and Antonio Brown.
Personally, what do I do as a Browns fan? I say go win the game and root for the Bengals.
Deep down, I won't be too upset if the Ravens are victorious. The upside is that the Steelers will not win the division. Also, it's not that crazy to think there will be another tie before the season ends, especially with two teams fighting for that coveted final Wild Card spot.
The absolute worse-case scenario would be the Ravens winnng and the Colts-Titans ending in a tie. Hey, maybe the Bengals will pull off the major upset like last year and win in Week 17 to eliminate a division rival. Most likely not, considering they look like the Browns of the last 18 or so years, but crazier things have happened.
Like I said, go Browns. Let's finish the year at 8-7-1 and shock the country. This is not an easy decision. However, seeing the Browns finish above .500 after going 1-31 the last two years would be amazing.
If the Steelers get in because of this, so be it. They will be forever grateful to Mayfield even after he becomes the Browns' version of Ben Roethlisberger and will always beat his rival.
Also, maybe the Steelers winning the AFC North will mean at least one more season with Mike Tomlin as head coach is a guarantee. I'm starting to believe he will be fired if they don't. There always are exceptions to every rule.