CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Browns lost on the road to the Bengals on Sunday, 24-6. But there was more happening around the NFL than just the AFC North matchup in Cincinnati.

Every week, we’ll go through the biggest storylines and examine narratives from around the NFL.

To help us examine these storylines and narratives, we’re following in the footsteps of the 1990s show, “Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction,” which you may know better from the memes of host Jonathan Frakes.

In an homage to Frakes, we will decide every week whether several of the top storylines from around the league are fact or fiction.

Here are this week’s five biggest storylines:

Bengals get the end zone INT!

📺: #CLEvsCIN on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/3SCZdxSfoL

— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2024

1. Kevin Stefanski deserves a shot to fix the Browns offense next season

Verdict: Fact.

Sunday was yet another painful example of why the Browns are 3-12. While it’s not the biggest reason, the quarterback play simply wasn’t good enough.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw two more interceptions and doesn’t look like an answer for the future. It’s, unfortunately for the Browns, confirmation that any future at the quarterback position is not on the roster and likely not even in the NFL.

The other issue has been with the offensive scheme as a whole. The offensive coaching staff overhaul didn’t work.

The problems on offense point towards Kevin Stefanski. But is he really the only one to blame for 2024′s failures?

If the Browns truly mean what they say about the Deshaun Watson trade being a collaborative decision made by everyone important in the organization, then no one person can be held at fault more than anyone else. That includes Stefanski, general manager Andrew Berry and the Haslams.

It’s clearly failed. But Jimmy Haslam has said earlier this month that they feel the right pieces are in place, and those pieces at least deserve a chance to dig the Browns out of this hole.

Stefanski should have the chance to look at the best way to fix what has gone wrong on offense this offseason and to act on it. The changes might have to come both on the assistant coaching staff and on the roster.

However, to go wholesale and blow things up after one bad, albeit a very bad one at that, season feels very rash.

Obviously, a Commanders-esque turnaround feels unlikely simply because there really isn’t any quarterback in this draft outside of maybe Shedeur Sanders capable of that kind of turnaround.

That said, Stefanski and company need to have some kind of plan to at least get things back on track. If nothing else, the plan should involve at minimum signing a veteran quarterback and completely rebuilding the running game.

Moving on from Stefanski might make sense in most situations considering the bad record. But when you consider what he’s done in his previous seasons in Cleveland, he should be allowed a chance to fix this broken offense in 2025.

2. The Steelers blew their best shot at winning the AFC North

Verdict: Fact.

For at least one day, Lamar Jackson conquered his demons from Pittsburgh. Jackson threw for 207 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Ravens past the Steelers, 34-17, in a must-win game on Saturday for Baltimore.

The win keeps Baltimore’s chances of a division title alive. It also shifts the pressure back on the Steelers because their golden opportunity to win the AFC North might be gone.

The reason?

Kansas City.

The Chiefs come to Pittsburgh on Christmas Day needing a win to lock up the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Pittsburgh is great at home, but the Steelers have not been the same team since George Pickens suffered his hamstring injury.

The good news for the Steelers is Pickens has a “real chance” to return according to Mike Tomlin.

But trying to knock off a team like the Chiefs who just can’t seem to lose close games is a tall order. It also doesn’t help that the Steelers play the explosive Bengals in Week 18.

While the Ravens don’t have an easy game in Houston on Christmas, they do close out the season at home vs. the Browns. So any Steelers slip-up could prove costly, especially if the Ravens do what is expected and they take care of business.

Saturday was Pittsburgh’s chance to end things in the division, and losing in Baltimore might have cost the Steelers a shot at an AFC North crown.

MAHOMES TAKES IT HIMSELF FOR THE TD 🔥

📺: #HOUvsKC on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/soKpySTT8L

— NFL (@NFL) December 21, 2024

3. Houston is the division leader most likely to lose in the wild card round

Verdict: Fiction.

The Houston Texans were expected to be the team that vaulted into the same tier as the Chiefs and Bills in the AFC. But Saturday’s 24-19 loss in Kansas City along with the inconsistency they’ve shown all season are reminders of how far the Texans still have to go.

C.J. Stroud has taken steps back this season, throwing just 19 touchdowns to 11 interceptions after having just five picks in all of 2023.

They look very vulnerable in the AFC playoff picture. But they are probably not even the most vulnerable division leader in the upcoming playoffs.

It’s easy to look in the NFC at the Rams and whoever wins the NFC South between the Buccaneers and Falcons and think they could be in real danger of being one-and-done. All three NFC wild card teams — the Vikings, Packers and Commanders — each have 10 wins and are more than capable of winning in Los Angeles, Tampa Bay or Atlanta.

It all comes down to matchups, of course. The Texans might not be the division leader most likely to lose in the first round, but by no means are they safe considering how up and down they’ve been.

Vikings PICK to seal the game! #MINvsSEA pic.twitter.com/DAJnsq7TA2

— NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2024

4. Minnesota is the most dangerous wild card team in the NFC

Verdict: Fiction.

The Vikings will go more than two months without a loss after a 27-24 win in Seattle to keep pace with the Lions for the best record in the NFC. They have now won eight straight and still have a chance to win a division title with two weeks to go.

Despite being 13-2 on the season, they still don’t seem like the most dangerous of the wild card teams in the NFC.

This isn’t meant to be a slight to Sam Darnold. But if you were to pick a quarterback to win a playoff game for you tomorrow, odds are you’d probably want to take either Jordan Love of the Packers or Jayden Daniels of the Commanders before Darnold. Love already has a playoff win on his resume and Daniels just overcame five turnovers to beat the Eagles on Sunday.

None of this is to say that any of the three NFC wild card teams can’t win, because they’re all capable of pulling off road wins. But history has shown you typically need great quarterback play to win on the road in the playoffs. We don’t know what Darnold is in the playoffs, so it makes it a little harder to trust in the Vikings even though they’ve had an amazing season.

The @Raiders retake the lead on this Ameer Abdullah TD!

📺: #JAXvsLV on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/ESvkbuY7ey

— NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2024

5. Beating the Jaguars did the Raiders more harm than good

Verdict: Fact.

The Raiders went through October and November without a win, turning a 2-2 start into a 12-loss season.

But they finally got a taste of victory on Sunday when they defeated the Jaguars, 19-14. Aidan O’Connell threw for 257 yards and the Raiders were plus-2 in turnover margin.

The win snapped a 10-game losing streak for Las Vegas. But the benefit of winning may have come at the cost of missing out on a shot at Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward.

The Raiders fell to sixth in the 2025 NFL Draft order with the win according to Tankathon, meaning as it stands, they would be picking after three quarterback-needy teams in the Giants, Titans and Browns.

Las Vegas might need a quarterback as much as anyone outside of the Giants. Players don’t tank, but wins like this are ones that fans look back on months later if they miss out on big time draft prospects.