Expectations were tempered for Cleveland Browns fans heading into the 2026 NFL season. While they made several moves that were said to be impactful on both sides of the ball, people were unsure if this offense would be able to hold up their end of the bargain.
After all, Deshaun Watson was named the Week 1 starter, and after seeing what he had done in his Browns career thus far, fans were less than enthused. After an impressive and certainly surprising 5-2 start, however, attitudes have quickly shifted for this team.
Fans are excited to watch the Browns every week, and considering they keep mounting fourth-quarter comebacks, these contests have been entertaining until the clock strikes zero. Things seem to feel different in Cleveland this year, and as analyst Daryl Ruiter pointed out, it’s largely due to their historic record to this point in the season.
“#Browns 5-2 start ties the 2020 season for the best through 7 games since the team returned in 1999,” Ruiter said.
#Browns 5-2 start ties the 2020 season for the best through 7 games since the team returned in 1999
— Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) October 25, 2026
Being 5-2 doesn’t mean that much in the grand scheme of things, and the season is far from over, but it’s hard for fans to temper their excitement. The Browns are tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers atop the AFC North, which is also something they haven’t accomplished in some time. The division is still ultra-competitive, even with Lamar Jackson sidelined for a few weeks, and if the rest of the season is anything close to what has happened to this point, fans are in for a real treat.
It will be interesting to see if the Browns can keep this momentum up in the second half of the season, especially considering they have the Steelers and Houston Texans on the docket over the next three weeks. Their record is impressive, and nobody can take that away from them. While the opponents they’ve beaten thus far aren’t in the upper echelon, they still pulled out wins when they needed them most.
Watson has pulled his weight on offense when called upon, and even though they’re without Myles Garrett, this defense hasn’t lost a step, making this a fun team to watch every Sunday at the very least.
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