The Cleveland Browns have a shot at righting what’s been a lost century of football, beginning with the team’s AFC Wild Card Round showdown against the Houston Texans on Saturday afternoon.
That road to redemption sees the 11-6 Browns make their first trip to the postseason since 2020, seeking their first AFC Championship Game berth in their current form. At the moment, oddsmakers from ESPN BET Ohio currently have the Browns as a 2.5-point road favorite, with a moneyline of -145.
Utilizing NFL.com, BetOhio.com decided to further aid your Ohio sports betting this weekend by looking at how teams played in the NFL playoffs as the No. 5 seed in the AFC since 2000. The NFL Playoffs altered to include a seventh seed in 2020-21, which slightly alters the data.
Playoff Performance of AFC Fifth Seeds
Ohio betting apps list San Francisco as the Super Bowl favorite in advance of the NFL playoffs at +225. Baltimore is second at +325.
Can Browns Snap Fifth-Seed Blues?
Of the 23 teams that have been a fifth seed in the AFC bracket, only 10 (or 43.5%) made it past the Wild Card round, while one of those advanced past the Divisional Round.
For the Browns, the franchise’s last postseason victory came on Jan. 4, 2020, when they beat the Buffalo Bills, 22-19, in the AFC Wild Card round before falling to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, 51-31, in the Divisional round.
If the Browns can get through the AFC Divisional round, they’d join the 2009-10 New York Jets as the only fifth seed to reach the AFC Championship game. That year, the Jets went on to lose to the Indianapolis Colts, 30-17, with Indy eventually falling to the New Orleans Saints (31-17) in Super Bowl XLIV.
The Browns Super Bowl odds are +3000, which rank ninth among the 14 teams remaining.
