Cleveland Browns took a loss in Week 17 that could haunt them down the road despite beating the Pittsburgh Steelers
The Browns losing in Week 17 cost them big time in the draft order.
The Cleveland Browns grabbed win No. 4 on the season and it was a bright spot for a team that hasn’t had many this season. Cleveland pitched a great defensive performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday and it was enough to win a 13-6 game at home.
Coming into the game, the Browns sat at the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. A loss in Week 17 would have put the Browns at No. 2 overall with the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders having played each other in Week 17. The win in Week 17 has undoubtedly changed things for the Browns with the draft next April.
Browns fall in draft order after win over Steelers
Cleveland’s win over the Steelers cost them four spots and they would now be picking No. 6 overall if the season were to end today. The Browns have one game left this season and that is a road game against the Cincinnati Bengals. In what very well could be a two-quarterback draft class in terms of the top guys, the Browns just all but lost their chance at landing either Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza or Oregon’s Dante Moore.
It’s hard to see either quarterback lasting past the first three to four picks and that’s where the Browns are set to pick now. The Browns will be rooting for the Tennessee Titans to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars for more than one reason next weekend. A Titans win would give the Browns the No. 5 overall pick if Cleveland falls to Cincinnati next week. A Jaguars loss would also help the first-round draft pick that Cleveland owns from Jacksonville.
The win in Week 17 was a needed one for the Browns in terms of the overall current team and locker room. But Cleveland likely lost out on a shot at landing either of the top two quarterbacks as a result next April, and that could be a tough pill to swallow down the road for a franchise that has been starved for a long-term answer at quarterback.
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