Cleveland in the Postseason Picture?

Before the season we didn’t how long it would take before the Browns threw in the towel and declared Brady Quinn the team’s starter. Now we can legitimately question the odds they make the playoffs, thanks to some great offense.

Derek Anderson? Who saw this coming? He couldn’t even beat Charlie Frye out for the starting job before the start of the season and now he’s a big reason the team sits at 5-3 right now, one game behind the Pittsburgh Steelers and one game ahead of the Baltimore Ravens. He has a 91.7 quarterback rating and he’s why the Browns have one of the NFL’s most prolific offenses, putting up more than 28 points per game, most of which through the air.

Of course, he’s had some help on offense. His two favorite targets, Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow, have combined for 84 catches, 1393 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. Each is averaging at least 15 yards per catch and both top the charts among their peers.

And Jamal Lewis, he’s re-energized his career in Cleveland. He’s averaging 4.2 yards per carry and he’s plowed his way to the endzone on 6 occasions. This is coming off two seasons when he barely averaged 3.5 yards per carry and scored a total of 12 times on the ground.

The most amazing thing when you look at Cleveland is this: they have a horrible defense. It’s ranks 30th in points allowed, 32nd in passing yards allowed, and 32nd in total yards allowed. The Browns have actually been outscored this season, 233-227. It’s unbelievable, but the Browns are winning their games this season with a dynamic offense, a playoff-caliber offense.

Will they make the postseason?

Hey, if they win Sunday’s game against the Steelers they’ll move into first place in the division. Also, considering the competition they have in terms of making the Wild Card, they need only compete with Tennessee, Jacksonville, and Buffalo, teams that also have obvious problems.

It’s going to be a fun second half, Cleveland will make sure of that.