This has been a remarkable season for the Cleveland Browns, and it’s the type of season practically no one could’ve seen them having last summer.

They lost star running back Nick Chubb and quarterback Deshaun Watson to season-ending injuries, yet they continued to win games with regularity. Recently, 38-year-old Joe Flacco took over under center, and he has commanded the Browns to four straight wins, which has miraculously earned them the fifth seed in the AFC.

Even though they should have a winnable wild-card round playoff matchup against the winner of the AFC South, they have only a 2 percent chance of reaching the Super Bowl, at least according to ESPN.

For decades, the Browns have had a dismal reputation as a hard-luck franchise that cannot build a winning roster or ever catch a break. It has become a part of the mindset of their fans, who are some of the most devoted and loyal in the NFL.

NFL News & Rumors: Cleveland Browns Updates

This season, with Watson’s 11-game suspension behind him and some nice additions on the defensive side of the football, many figured they had at least some shot at making the playoffs. But no one could’ve predicted that they would not only survive a rash of key injuries but thrive in spite of them.

With an 11-5 record, the Browns must be taken seriously by whichever team faces it in the playoffs, even if it has the NFL’s equivalent of a senior citizen at quarterback. It has been winning the old-fashioned way — with a defense that is first in total yards allowed and with grit and resourcefulness.

Northeast Ohioans think of themselves as being blue-collar, and they finally have an NFL team that seems to embody that image they can be proud of. At the very least, that team has set itself up for a serious run at something special next season.

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