The Browns are mathematically in the playoff hunt in the AFC North, even though they are 3-9 and last in the division. They are still in the race because the Ravens and Steelers are tied for the division lead at 6-6. Every other division leader has at least eight wins, except for the 7-5 Buccaneers atop the NFC South. The game Dec. 7 against the woeful Tennessee Titans could be an important one for head coach Kevin Stefanski. Frustrated fans want him fired. The chorus will get louder if the 3-9 Browns don’t beat the 1-11 Titans. A strong case can be made for keeping Stefanski regardless of the final record. He is the only coach in the league with two rookies as the only quarterbacks on his roster, and on top of that, one (Dillon Gabriel) was picked 96th, and the other (Shedeur Sanders) was picked 144th. Check out the record of the other teams starting rookie quarterbacks. The Titans are 1-11 behind Cam Ward, chosen with the first pick in 2025. The Giants are 2-11. Jaxon Dart, picked 25th in the first round, is 2-6. Tyler Slough, taken by the Saints in the second round with the 40th overall pick, is 1-3 as a starter. The Saints are 2-10. The Browns were 3-14 last season. Somehow, Stefanski has kept his players from turning on each other, which at this time of year takes more leadership than calling a successful play on fourth-and-1. Stefanski handed over play-calling to Tommy Rees a month ago. They are 1-3 since the change. “He’s a great coach,” veteran cornerback Denzel Ward said. “He knows how to connect with us, connect with each other. We have his back and he has our back. We’re all in this together. “It’s not one person or one coach. Our record is all of us. The head coach usually takes all the blame, but we all have our issues and problems and things that we have to work on and get better at and we’re going to continue to do that. Things are going to change at some point.” The more pressing question centers around whether the Browns will be able to keep defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz when current NFL head coaches get fired next month. The Browns’ defense ranked first overall in 2023 in Schwartz’s first year under Stefanski. It ranks second in 2025, first in rushing yards per attempt (3.7 yards), first in sacks per pass play (43 sacks), second in first downs allowed per game (14.6) and third in net yards passing per game (169.9) Schwartz, 59 years old, was head coach of the Lions from 2009-13. The Lions were 29-51 under him. ...read more read less