The Cleveland Browns entered the 2024 NFL season with aspirations of making a second consecutive playoff berth with a roster returning most of their core players from a year ago.
Their season has been anything but one that those dreams consisted of as the Browns have limped to a 2-6 start.
Still, Cleveland is a team that could determine who makes the postseason, according to “Breakfast Ball” analyst Danny Parkins.
On the popular morning TV program, Parkins said he believes the Browns will surprise teams down the stretch as Cleveland hopes to continue winning with quarterback Jameis Winston taking the snaps from center in the second half of the season.
“They’re not as bad as people think they are,” Parkins said, later adding, “They’re going to play spoiler and impact the AFC playoff picture.”
"The Browns are actually an above average offense with anyone not named Deshaun Watson."@DannyParkins thinks the Browns could play SPOILER in the AFC North 👀 pic.twitter.com/f4T78rchQM
— Breakfast Ball (@BrkfstBallOnFS1) October 31, 2024
Parkins pointed to Winston’s arrival as the turning point for the Browns in 2024.
Winston is replacing injured starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, a player who was lost for the season due to an Achilles rupture in Week 7.
Four quarterbacks since 2022 have averaged more than 23 points per contest as the starting quarterback, and Watson – who was fifth on the five-person list – is leading his team to only 18.8 points per outing in his 19 career Cleveland starts.
Parkins said the other four quarterbacks have led the Browns to become “an above-average offense” in the NFL while suggesting Watson had held them back from reaching their potential.
The analyst added that the defense has come alive over the past three weeks, harkening back to the squad’s dominant version in 2023.
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