The Cleveland Browns will be a dangerous team come playoff time for a variety of reasons. Let that sink in. 

Kevin Stefanski's first year as head coach in Cleveland couldn't be going any better. The Browns' Week 13 triumph over the Tennessee Titans gave them the third-best record in the AFC, a one-game lead over the Dolphins and Colts for the fifth seed and most importantly, legitimacy.

For the first time in 13 years, the Browns ensured they will have a winning season. A win this week would mark their best start in 51 years. 

Stefanski has brought an identity, stability and a winning mentality to this franchise, and while most of its wins have come against teams with losing records, Sunday's victory showed it's capable of beating a playoff team. 

The Titans not only lead the AFC South but went to the AFC Championship Game last year. As the playoff picture stands, the Browns would actually head back to Nashville for a Wild Card Round rematch. 

There are a lot of positive takeaways from this Browns season. For an organization that has rarely been relevant outside of draft time, the fact that Cleveland is in the same sentence as "playoffs" is an accomplishment unto itself. 

With a streaking quarterback and a duo of dynamic running backs playing behind an excellent offensive line, the Browns have the ability to make a run if they shore up a few things before Week 18.

Sign a Safety

There's no question the secondary is the Browns' biggest flaw. A 38-7 halftime lead should be a death sentence for opposing offenses. 

Against the Browns defense, it was an open invitation to mount a comeback. 

The euphoria of a big win doesn't overshadow the fact that Ryan Tannehill went 29-of-45 for 389 yards and three touchdowns in nearly leading the Titans to an improbable come-from-behind win. That's an offense doing everything it's supposed to do and a defense failing to hold up its end of the bargain. 

The linebacking corps could be better in coverage, but the answer to fielding the best possible postseason defense the Browns have to offer might not be on the roster. 

The Browns traded for safety Ronnie Harrison in September, which gave the unit a boost, but he suffered a shoulder injury that will sideline him for at least three more weeks. 

Free-agent acquisitions Andrew Sendejo and Karl Joseph have not been consistent in the back seven. Sendejo is especially a liability. Only Justin Simmons has given up more touchdowns than he has this season (six). He's the 86th-ranked safety out of the 90 that Pro Football Focus has graded this season. Joseph hasn't been that much better at 80th. 

Fortunately, there are some options who could be ready to contribute right away if the Browns want to look outside for help. 

Earl Thomas' stay with the Baltimore Ravens was short-lived, but he was cut for reasons that had more to do with his behavior off the field than his performance on it. He's 31 years old, which means he should have a little more left to give. 

28-year-old Eric Reid declined an offer in October to join the Washington Football Team's practice squad. Perhaps a role on a playoff team would sway his opinion. He started all 16 games for the Carolina Panthers last season. 

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is also available. The former Green Bay Packers safety was cut by the Dallas Cowboys earlier this year but started all 16 games for the Chicago Bears last season, holding opposing quarterbacks to a 67.0 passer rating. 

Any of the three would be difference-makers for Cleveland. 

Get Hunt More Involved in the Passing Game

The Browns' two-headed monster in the backfield of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt is one of the more unique pairings in the NFL. In a time when teams are moving away from valuing running backs, the Browns have built an offense around two dynamic ball-carriers. 

They could still be getting more out of their second option, though. 

The nice thing about the pairing of Chubb and Hunt is the differences in their styles. Chubb is an excellent one-cut zone runner who can earn hard yards between the tackles. Stefanski gives him plenty of opportunities to do that. 

But Hunt is the more versatile of the two, and he's at his best when utilized as a pass-catching back. The Browns are doing a lot of things right on offense, but Hunt could stand to see more targets. 

He's on pace for just under 1,000 rushing yards. That would be his best rushing production since his rookie season with the Chiefs in 2017, but he's also on pace for his worst season as a receiver. He's averaging a career-low 14.6 receiving yards per game. 

One successful element of the offense under Freddie Kitchens that has largely been missing from Stefanski's offense is the screen game. Last season, Baker Mayfield threw for the third-most yards on screen passes. 

This season, Mayfield has only thrown 37 passes behind the line of scrimmage. That's 27th in the league. 

Obviously, the team would take this offense over the Kitchens era, but it wouldn't hurt to borrow the concept of getting Hunt the ball, especially on screens. With games against the aggressive Steelers and Ravens defenses coming up on the docket, getting Hunt the ball in space would help negate the pass rush and give the Browns another dimension for teams to worry about.

Generate Pressure Outside of Myles Garrett

Many a magical playoff run has been built on a strong running game, a quarterback hot streak and an opportunistic defense. The Titans' run to the AFC Championship Game last season proved that runs like the Giants made in 2011 or the Ravens in 2012 can still happen.

The Browns have two-and-a-half of those.

The run game is strong, and Mayfield is having the best stretch of his career. The defense is all that stands in the way of the Browns being dangerous come playoff time. 

Myles Garrett has only gone two games without a sack this year. Considering what he has meant to the defense and his production despite missing two games, he's a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. 

The pass rush outside of Garrett has left a lot to be desired, though. Olivier Vernon is second on the team in sacks with five, but that's a bit deceiving. All five have come in two games. He had three against the Philadelphia Eagles and two against the Las Vegas Raiders. 

The Browns are fairly conservative when it comes to creating pressure. They are in the bottom third of the league in blitz percentage (22.4 percent). That's in line with the 49ers defense Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods was involved with a year ago. That group only blitzed 20.9 percent of the time. 

However, Woods' last defensive coordinator gig came in Denver, where his blitz rate was 31.3 percent in 2018. A move toward that number would be wise. 

Woods isn't dealing with the same personnel the coaching staff had in San Francisco, either. While the Niners were tied for fifth in the league in sacks in 2019, the Browns are tied for 12th with 30—with Garrett accounting for 10.5 of them.

Whether it's by way of Vernon increasing his production, utilizing more stunts with the defensive line or getting more aggressive with blitzes, the Browns' best shot at creating a playoff-winning defense is to generate more pressure.

Get Denzel Ward Healthy

The safeties have already been addressed in this space, but the truth is the Browns aren't much better off at cornerback, especially with Denzel Ward missing the last two games with a calf injury. 

Terrance Mitchell, who has started 12 games, joins Sendejo and Joseph among the four Browns defenders who have seen at least 20 targets and given up a passer rating over 100 to opposing quarterbacks. Kevin Johnson—who started for the injured Ward—is 90th among the 125 corners PFF has graded this season. 

The Titans' second-half surge was fueled by big days from Corey Davis and A.J. Brown. Davis cooked the secondary to the tune of 11 catches for 182 yards and a touchdown. Brown was more held in check but still wound up with four catches for 87 yards, including a 40-yarder. 

A healthy Ward would have made a big difference in those stat lines. The Ohio State product is holding opposing quarterbacks to a 50 percent completion rate when targeted and is second in the league in pass breakups despite the two missed games. 

The good news is it sounds like he'll be back sooner than later. When giving the media an update on the Browns' injuries, Stefanski said Ward was "day-to-day" after saying he was "week-to-week" prior to that. 

Ideally, Ward will be back in the lineup before this week's crucial game against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night. But the Browns can't rush him back to the lineup prematurely. 

For the first time in a long time, the Browns have more to play for than merely hoping to get a memorable regular-season win or two. They should have their eyes set on the postseason, and that means getting their lockdown corner ready to go and healthy.