BEREA Browns believe playoffs possible

Cleveland trails Pittsburgh by a half-game in the AFC North.
BEREA (AP) -- By beating the NFL's sorriest team, the Cleveland Browns got back to .500.
They also moved back into contention in the AFC North, and jumped back into the playoff picture.
Along with just about everybody else.
"I think we're in it," coach Butch Davis said Monday. "We have every reason to believe it. We have as good a chance as anybody else in this league. We have a chance to win the division. This is going to come down to survival of the fittest."
The Browns (5-5) survived a potentially disastrous loss at Cincinnati on Sunday with a 27-20 victory over the pathetic Bengals (1-9), who lived up to their Bungles' nickname and seemingly discover a new way to lose every week.
Cleveland's win wasn't pretty, for sure. But after losing one game on a thrown helmet and another in overtime earlier this season, the Browns will take it.
"I think we're right back in the thick of things," quarterback Tim Couch said. "We've got to finish strong. We've got some tough games, but we're capable of winning every game."
Close race
The win moved the Browns within one-half game of the first-place Pittsburgh Steelers (5-4-1), who lost 31-23 at Tennessee and will be without starting quarterback Tommy Maddox for several weeks or more because of a spine injury.
Cleveland is one of six AFC teams at 5-5, and among 11 with five or six wins. The playoff race is on.
"We're right where we want to be," wide receiver Kevin Johnson said. "We're a part of the mix. It's the NFL; anything can happen in this league."
With six weeks remaining, the Browns do have a realistic shot at making the postseason. That didn't seem possible a month ago, after a 17-3 rout at Tampa Bay dropped Cleveland to 2-4.
Davis decided then it was time to wipe the slate clean and shorten the season to 10 games in order "to create clarity with the football team."
By doing so, the Browns were able to distance themselves from the two heartbreaking losses, and it allowed them to refocus on goals. The new season is going pretty well so far.
On the upswing
"The way we're looking at it, we're 3-1," tight end Mark Campbell said. "Pittsburgh kind of shot themselves in the foot. It's a shame what happened to Tommy Maddox. But that could change the chemistry of their team.
"We're right in the thick of things. We're on the upswing here. We feel pretty good about the playoffs right now."
They're also feeling pretty good about their running game -- at last.
For one of the few times since they returned to the league four years ago, the Browns were able to run the ball effectively against the Bengals.
After entering Sunday's game averaging an NFL-low 72.3 yards per game, the Browns nearly doubled that by busting out for a season-high 140 yards on 35 tries.
It was the second-highest team rushing total in Davis' two years in Cleveland, and the Browns' ability to run the ball opened up their passing game.