In a year infested with things ruined by the coronavirus, the Browns, who were relatively unscathed at this point, finally got bit.

Bad.

The Browns got word mid-way through last Saturday that their entire wide receiver core, 1-4, would be out due to close contact protocols. That meant the likes of Jarvis Landry, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Rashard Higgins, and Khadarel Hodge would all be watching the game from the sidelines.

Other notables included starters Jedrick Wills Jr., linebacker Jacob Phillips, and B.J. Goodson.

In essence, the Browns offense and most of their defense would be severely undermanned. And when you’re that depleted, even a team like the New York Jets can get you. And they did.

Cleveland dropped their most win-friendly matchup of the season, losing 23-16 to NY. Now standing at 10-5 with 4 other AFC teams, the Browns are now in dire need of some good luck if they want to make the postseason.

The simplest solution to get into the playoffs would be to beat the Pittsburg Steelers Sunday afternoon, a classic win-and-win situation. They’ve already announced that Big Ben Rothlisberger is sitting this one out, with Mason Rudolph replacing the star quarterback. This is good news for Cleveland, but the Steelers will still defend at a high level as they always do, and we all know how much Pittsburg loves to torture the Browns, so expect no favors.

Should the Browns lose to their division rivals on the final day of the regular season, their tiebreakers over the Colts and Titans would require them to lose as well, both unlikely feats as they’ll face the Jaguars and Texans, respectively.

In the event the Browns tie the Steelers, things get really complicated, but in short, they would need virtually every team the currently share a 10-5 record with to lose. There is also an outside scenario in the event of a Browns-Steelers tie, if Titans tie with the Texans, and the Dolphins and Ravens win, the Browns would be in this way.

Again, the obviously least stressful way in is to beat the resting Steelers, otherwise the Browns’ destiny would lie in the hands of others, which is never the way to go.

Let’s dive into how we got here.

Without any of their first four wide receivers and Jedrick Wills Jr. helping man the middle, the Browns offense was crippled from start to finish. Baker Mayfield tried to get his hapless practice squad replacements involved early with no avail. Austin Hooper stepped in as Mayfield primary target early with success, and it looked like the Browns might have enough to squeak out this essential win.

But credit the Jets, they shut down Cleveland’s run game all day, and once they took a lead into the 4th quarter, the Browns were forced to retire their dynamic running back tandem and just didn’t have enough offensive weapons to mount a comeback.

Mayfield had one of his worst games statistically since Week 11 against Philly, even though that game both ended in a win and was a product of some horrid weather conditions. If not that, then its his worst since the loss to Las Vegas in Week 8.

Either way, Mayfield could not cut his team enough slack without his entire box of tools, and withered late. Austin Hooper, again, was good early, but was seen much after that. Fellow TEs Harrison Bryant and David Njoku also could not cover the spread either.

The criticism fell heavy on the Browns QB after the game, although I’ll put on my Baker Truther hat once more and say this was a combination of some interesting play-calling and the aforementioned decimated roster.

Yes, you can’t run when you’re down. But in the second half, I think they still threw way too many times for my liking, especially considering guys off the street were running routes. When the broadcast relayed that one ran a straight line downfield, and looked to the sideline with his hands up in confusion on what he was supposed to be doing, I knew it was going to be bad.

I would’ve rather lived or died by what’s made this Browns offense so lethal all season, no matter the time or score. But head coach Kevin Stefanski and/or Mayfield went the other way. In their defense, some key drops aided the insufficiency of the passing game.

And not for nothing, but if I hear about whatever tight end award Harrison Bryant won in college, and proceed to watch him drop frozen ropes from Baker that screw over drives one more time, I might lose it.

So in a game we penciled in for months as a victory, the Browns came up on the losing end. They essentially must beat a team they’ve been tortured by for decades in a game that looks bleak ,with or without Ben starting. The Browns, after all their success this season, are set up for another classic Cleveland finish, filled with heartbreak and misery.

But, you’ve listened to me go on and on about how the Browns had finally turned things around, that these weren’t the same old lovable losers you’ve known for years.

We’ll find out Sunday whether any of that coddling was worth it.

Pray for me.

Cheers.