CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Browns majorly impacted the AFC North on Sunday.

The problem was, it wasn’t in any way that actually had any impact on them.

The Browns were eliminated from postseason contention in Week 14 when they lost to the Tennessee Titans, but by beating the Steelers on Sunday 13-6, they assured that the division race continues on to Week 18.

It will officially be decided next week when Pittsburgh (9-7) and Baltimore (8-8) play one another in Pittsburgh.

But not even two weeks ago, I wrote that the real tragedy of the 2025 season was the fact that the Browns couldn’t get it together in a year when everything felt wide open — not just in the division, but in the AFC in general.

That still feels true today.

The Chiefs were eliminated weeks ago, and the teams at the top of the AFC are the Broncos with 13 wins and the Patriots with 12. The Ravens stayed in the hunt with a 41-24 win over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night.

On Sunday against Pittsburgh, the Browns did just enough to come out on top and get their fourth win. The offense held it together to overcome two Shedeur Sanders turnovers. The defense prevented any points off either and did not allow a Pittsburgh TD all afternoon.

What if the Browns had figured it out like this, however imperfect, just a few more times this year?

I’m reminded of this quote from Wyatt Teller from a couple weeks ago: “The AFC’s — yeah, it’s upsetting because seven games could have given you a chance and 10 games would have won you the thing. So it just sucks.”

Also juxtaposing the Browns’ standing in the division on Sunday was the fact that Myles Garrett continued his pursuit of the NFL’s single-season sack record.

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Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, December 28, 2025

Entering this game, Garrett was just one takedown away from the 22.5 record that was set by Michael Strahan in 2001, and then matched by Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt in 2021 (Watt was out for this game as he continues to return from his partially collapsed lung).

Every Steelers snap, the stadium watched with bated breath.

Would this be the play that is immortalized in history, shown in NFL Films packages for the rest of time?

With 2:16 left in the game, the Browns fans who braved the rain and wind at Huntington Bank Field broke into a “Myles Garrett” chant, with Garrett encouraging them right back and asking for more noise.

In the end, Garrett failed to record a sack. His pursuit of the record will go to the season finale too, just like the division race. Alex Wright and Grant Delpit each recorded sacks against Rodgers instead.

But use your imagination for a second — imagine what the suspense in this game would have felt like with Garrett chasing history if he and the Browns were actually playing for something.

Unfortunately, that’s all it is — a thought experiment.

Another turnaround too late, a Super Bowl-caliber defense and history wasted, the Browns already left behind.

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