While Browns fans were holding out hope for even better playoff seeding, safety Juan Thornhill is ready to play anyone

While Browns fans spent New Years Eve not stressing over their team in an actual game, it was all eyes on the Ravens home meeting with the Dolphins.

A Ravens loss would have left the the door open just a crack for Cleveland to potentially overtake their division rival for the AFC North in Week 18. The No. 1 overall seed in the AFC would also have remained in play for the Browns.

Instead, the Ravens easily disposed of Miami, 56-19 clinching both the division and the top spot in the conference for themselves.

While the game was going on though, Browns safety Juan Thornhill was also watching and made it clear that no matter what the result was going to be, he’s ready for whatever team awaits them in the playoffs.

I really don’t care who we play or where we play them. 💯

— The Chosen Juan👑🙇🏽‍♂️ (@Juan_Thornhill) December 31, 2023

Given what the Browns have been through and overcome this season, Thornhill’s mentality is nothing new. Cleveland has survived an unruly number of injuries to get to 11-5 and into the postseason. They became the first team in NFL history to accomplish the latter of those things after starting four different quarterbacks in a single season.

They’re run has been truly remarkable, so for Thornhill and his teammates to believe they can win against anyone, anywhere shouldn’t come as a surprise.

The Ravens win does provide some clarity for the Browns in terms of what’s next. They now know they’ll be the fifth seed in the conference no matter what happens in Week 18.

That means they’ll likely be on the road for however long their trip to the playoffs lasts – barring all wild card teams advancing out of the first round.

As things stand right now, the Browns would be slated to travel to Jacksonville in two weeks. The Jaguars are the No. 4 seed at 9-7 and the current leaders of the AFC South, but the division is still up for grabs and they need a win in Week 18 to hold off both the Colts and Texans for the top spot. Ultimately, it appears Cleveland would face one of those three teams – all of whom its beaten this season – on Wild Card Weekend.