Has DeMeco Ryans lost his hold on the Coach of the Year Award after the Cleveland Browns' most recent win?
By Chad Porto
It's bad enough to lose to the Cleveland Browns when the playoffs are on the line, but it's even worse to lose to the Cleveland Browns when the playoffs are on the line and when they're going to take a major accolade from you. The Browns hold an edge over the Houston Texans in the playoffs right now and are actually angling for a top seed, assuming they can get some help from the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Miami Dolphins.
Both teams are taking on the Baltimore Ravens over the next two weeks and if the Ravens' lose both games, the Browns could take over first place in the AFC North and may have an outside shot at the top seed in the AFC. The Ravens hold that spot, and two losses by the Ravens, coupled with one more win from the Browns, would put Cleveland in the top spot - as well as a series of other events that would need to play out.
And while it's an outside shot at best, the fact that the Cleveland Browns, a team that this year alone has gone through four starting quarterbacks, has a shot at the division title speaks volumes to the coaching job of Cleveland Browns' head coach, Kevin Stefanski. The team is currently riding Joe Flacco as their starter, and to great results.
The Browns are 4-1 under Flacco and the journeymen quarterback has gotten a lot out of the offense, despite having mediocre numbers. The team is a whole new beast with him under center and is more dangerous now than at any point since they traded away Baker Mayfield.
Stefanski's coaching job, in spite of issues at quarterback and the mounting injuries, has made him the NFL Coach of the Year in the eyes of many. While DeMeco Ryans was the runaway coach of the year, for some time, losing C.J. Stroud, going 2-3 in their last five, and failing to secure the AFC South's title despite the Jacksonville Jaguars' current struggles have made it hard to argue for Ryans over Stefanski.
Both have done a good job, but only one has done a good enough job.