It's hard to recover when your starting quarterback goes down with a season-ending injury. That's why the New York Jets have mostly gotten a pass.

Maybe we shouldn't give the Jets a pass. They could have been the Cleveland Browns.

The Browns and Jets had similar stories during this season. They both have fantastic defenses. They both lost their starting quarterback for the season, and tried multiple options afterward. Here's the difference: The Browns didn't roll over and allow the excuses to define their season.

Cleveland is going to the playoffs despite using four starting quarterbacks this season. Their 37-20 win over the Jets on Thursday clinched a berth. The Jets are 6-10 and on Thursday it looked like they gave up. You can't entirely blame giving up 34 first-half points on losing Rodgers almost four months ago.

Cleveland lost Deshaun Watson, but they found Joe Flacco. Flacco was unemployed in November, having last played for ... the Jets, who never answered their quarterback conundrum after Aaron Rodgers' injury. The Browns are going to the playoffs because of excellent coaching, a remarkable defense and a front office that signed Flacco, who revived his career and Cleveland's offense.

The Jets are going home soon, and they'll be happy to push the narrative that their problems were because Rodgers wasn't on the field. The Browns are a good example of what the Jets could have been with better management. It's possible to be a competitive team with a backup quarterback.

Browns blow out Jets

The advantage the Browns had over the Jets this season is Watson was around for five wins. Rodgers was on the field for just four plays. Still, Thursday's win pushes the Browns' record to 4-1 in Flacco's starts.

Cleveland has adjusted very well to life without Watson, and Nick Chubb as well. Thursday night was an impressive night for a Browns team that continues to look like a sleeper Super Bowl contender. Flacco had 296 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone. Jerome Ford continued a strong season filling in for Chubb, scoring two receiving touchdowns before halftime. Tight end David Njoku continued his late-season surge with 128 yards in the first half. The offense blew up despite No. 1 receiver Amari Cooper being inactive due to injury. The Browns' offense slowed down in the second half, but it's not like the Jets could take advantage.

The Jets are just a sloppy, bad team. Down 13-7, they fumbled a kickoff return. The Browns failed to turn that into any points, going for it and missing on fourth down, but Jets quarterback Trevor Siemian immediately threw a pick six on their next possession. Early in the third quarter, the Jets had a field goal blocked, just to get the special teams in on the embarrassment.

The Browns were cooking on offense. Their defense scored a touchdown. It was an impressive performance for the Browns, who have been playing as well as anyone in the NFL since Flacco took over the starting quarterback job. It was the second-most points in a first half at home in Browns franchise history, and the record came back in the 1954 NFL Championship Game against the Detroit Lions, according to Amazon Prime Video. But it's impossible to credit the Browns without acknowledging how bad the Jets were.

Jets owner Woody Johnson has already said coach Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas will return in 2024. That's fine, but it ignores that the Jets could have had a Browns-like story this season, and didn't come close. This season was a failure, even while accounting for the Rodgers injury.

Browns get rare playoff berth

The Browns making the playoffs is a great story this season. It might result in Kevin Stefanski winning NFL Coach of the Year. The Browns are 11-5 and will go into the playoffs with momentum.

Thursday night was worth a celebration in Cleveland. It's just the third time the Browns have made the playoffs since coming back to the NFL in 1999. The first time came at the end of the 2002 season and the second time happened in 2020. Their only playoff win since 1994 came at the end of that 2020 season. Cleveland has a good shot at winning a playoff game this postseason as well.

The Browns and Jets had parallel stories earlier this season. Cleveland figured out a way to overcome its adversity and get in the playoffs. The Jets were too stubborn with QB Zach Wilson replacing Rodgers (and were too comfortable with Wilson as the backup to Rodgers all offseason) and that's a big reason they're nowhere near a playoff spot. Maybe New York shouldn't have been so hasty in announcing everyone will return next season.