CHICAGO — There are three games remaining in what has become yet another lost Browns season.
Cleveland is once again looking toward the top quarter of the draft after their 31-3 loss at the Chicago Bears. They were looking at it before that loss, but that loss simply reinforced again that another dismal December is here.
The Browns are 3-11 with home games left with playoff contenders in the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers, two teams that could each have 20,000 to 25,000 of their own fans in the stands. Then there will be the most meaningless Battle of Ohio in recent memory waiting the final week of the season in Cincinnati.
So what could there be left to ask about this season other than, “When will it end?” and “What changes are going to made to fix things?” Well, the NFL will answer the first question somewhere around 11 p.m. Dec. 28, and owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam should answer the second in the hours after the season ends in Cincinnati.
Until then, let’s look at three questions the Browns could actually try to answer in the final three weeks of the season.
Can Shedeur Sanders show the consistent growth to be QB1 in 2026?
Whatever blame you want to spread around to other individuals (Jerry Jeudy) or position groups (offensive line), there’s no denying Shedeur Sanders took a step backwards in Chicago from the performance he had the week before against the Tennessee Titans. That’s not entirely surprising considering how well he played, especially in the fourth quarter, against the Titans and how good a pass defense the Bears had. Progress isn’t linear, especially for a rookie playing the most important position in the sport. The thing is, Sanders only has these three final games to make the case that he should go into the offseason as the organization’s QB1. There’s also the looming decisions at the top, which could create a need to really put out a strong argument for the next regime.
How many sacks will Myles Garrett actually get this season?
Just because the season’s been dismal doesn’t mean you can’t look at one of the very few silver linings, which has been the level to which All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett has climbed this season. Garrett is just two sacks from breaking the single-season NFL sack record, something he could do against Buffalo’s Josh Allen, who has been sacked 33 times this season, which is tied for the sixth-most in the league. After that will be Pittsburgh’s Aaron Rodgers, who Garrett still hasn’t, in his own words, “put in the graveyard.” Of course, Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow has been sacked by Garrett more than any quarterback in the league. So the 25 sacks Garrett put as a goal years ago very much could be a realistic accomplishment.
Can the Browns rediscover their running game at some point?
This may just be a lost cause at this point considering how beat up the offensive line is at this point in the season. That and the fact the Browns find themselves in deficits almost immediately has created game-flow circumstances which have cut out the running game, specifically rookie Quinshon Judkins. Judkins is sitting on 805 rushing yards this season, 17th in the league but No. 1 among all rookies. Getting Judkins to 1,000 yards as a rookie would be a solid goal, because it would mean the Browns got their running game going well enough over the final three games that it made a difference.
