'TNF' preview: Browns seek to clinch rare postseason berth against Jets

The Cleveland Browns (10-5) are a 7.5-point favorite on Thursday night against the New York Jets (6-9) as they look to become the third AFC team to clinch a playoff spot.

Here's what to watch for in the kickoff to Week 17.

WHEN THE JETS ARE ON OFFENSE

Browns defensive end Myles Garrett: In what must be one of the year's biggest mismatches, Garrett gets to feast on New York's pathetic offensive line a day before his 28th birthday. The No. 1 overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft has 13 sacks this season, tied for the seventh most in the league.

Per Pro Football Focus, he has the highest win-rate in the league among edge defenders with at least 300 pass-rushing opportunities. Meanwhile, Jets left tackle Mekhi Becton has allowed 11 sacks, the most by any tackle in the NFL. Right tackle is just as bad, with Max Mitchell, Billy Turner and Carter Warren taking the most recent stabs at earning the starting role. All three have failed, combining to allow 14 sacks and 59 total pressures. 

Wide receiver Garrett Wilson: One of the lone bright spots of the Jets offense is second-year wideout Wilson, who already is the first receiver in franchise history with 2,000 receiving yards through his first two NFL seasons and is only 42 yards away from his second consecutive 1,000-yard season. He saw a season-high 15 targets in Week 16 and is New York's best vertical threat to prevent the offense from becoming one-dimensional. 

Running back Breece Hall: Second-year back Hall hasn't been as explosive in Year 2, but he's coming off his best performance since early October in Week 16 against the Commanders. He had a season-high 32 touches for 191 yards and two touchdowns, the first multi-touchdown game of his career.

Third downs and red-zone opportunities: The Jets are awful on third downs, converting 25.5 percent of their attempts. Per StatMuse, that would be the sixth-worst third-down conversion rate in NFL history. 

The Browns might make that number even worse. This season, Cleveland is first in third-down defense, allowing a 28.7 percent conversion rate. It's a different story in the red zone, where the Browns rank 30th in touchdowns allowed rate (55.6 percent). However, as you probably expected, the Jets offense struggles inside the 20-yard line, where it has scored only 12 touchdowns in 34 tries (35.3 percent). 

WHEN THE BROWNS ARE ON OFFENSE

Quarterback Joe Flacco: The Flaccossance is in full swing. We thought we left Flacco in the 2010s, but here he is leading the Browns toward their third postseason berth this century. He's 3-0 in his past three starts, and his streak of three consecutive 300-yard games is the longest of his career. Something must give Thursday night. The Jets rank second in pass defense and have yet to allow a 300-yard passer this season.

Wide receiver Amari Cooper vs. cornerback Sauce Gardner: The matchup between Cooper and Gardner will be fun to watch. Last week, Cooper set the Browns franchise record for receiving yards in a game (265) and is averaging 10.5 targets and 121.3 yards per game since Flacco became the starter. Per data from PFF, Gardner is only targeted once every 10 coverage snaps and has allowed 28 receptions for 243 yards (8.7 yards per catch) and one touchdown this season.

Tight end David Njoku: Cooper leads Cleveland in targets and receiving yards, but Njoku has a team-high 75 receptions for 748 yards, the most of his seven-year career. The Jets have allowed 644 receiving yards to tight ends this season, the eighth fewest this season, and their 6.25 yards per target allowed are the second fewest. However, Njoku might cause problems in the red zone. Only the Broncos (10) have allowed more touchdowns to tight ends than the Jets (eight) this season.

Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams: New York's highest-graded defender according to PFF, Williams has a tough matchup against the Browns strong offensive line. Williams is ninth in ESPN's pass-rushing win-rate rankings among defensive tackles, while Cleveland guard Joel Bitonio is the third-ranked interior pass-blocking lineman in the league.