The best teams sometimes get the breaks.

And the not-so-best teams sometimes don't get the breaks.

My NFL Nation colleague in Nashville, Paul Kuharsky, conducted an interesting study based on this premise: The best officials work the playoffs.

This year, those rewarded with playoff games for their in-season work include Brad Allen, Tony Corrente, Craig Wrolstad, Carl Cheffers, Ed Hochuli, Pete Morelli, Bill Vinovich, Ronald Torbert, Gere Steratore and Terry Mcauley. Mcauley worked the AFC Championship Game, which Browns fans may smirk at when they recall the "bottle game" against Jacksonville, which Mcauley refereed.

Regardless, Kuharsky then turned to ESPN Stats & Information to find out which teams had the top refs during the season.

The team that had them the least? The Cleveland Browns.

This group of 10 worked a total of six Browns games. That means, according to this premise, that for 10-of-16 games, the Browns did not have one of the 10 best referees working the game.

It didn't always mean that the best teams got the best refs. The 49ers had one of the 10 in 11 of their games, tied for second in the league. The team that had the top-10 refs the most was the Texans. The Giants, 49ers, Dolphins, Bengals and Chiefs were second.

Four were playoff teams, and their average win total was 8.3.

The Browns, Vikings, Saints and Panthers had them the least.

None went to the playoffs, and their average win total was 5.5.

This isn't to say that the Browns lost because of the quality of officiating. New England and Dallas had the best records in their conferences and got the best refs in 10 games each, just above the league average of 9.3. The Browns were well below the league, and that reflects where they are as a team.

Teams earn respect. Teams that win get the best referees because their games mean more. With playoff implications at stake, it's not likely the league or the teams involved would want a lesser referee.

When the Browns win some games, they will get better referees.