The Cleveland Browns knew that they were going to have one of the more favorable schedules in the NFL this season, based on their opponents’ performances from last season. Now that the dates and order have been officially announced, at least one other advantage is evident.
Despite opening with two consecutive road games in Todd Monken’s first season as head coach, the first set of games is relatively favorable. The Browns do play six of their first 10 on the road, but several of them are against the weaker teams that they will face this year.
FOX Sports analyst Ralph Vacchiano has named the Browns one of the winners of the league’s schedule release, thanks to their lack of returning playoff teams in the first few weeks.
“The Browns will need some time to figure out who their quarterback is, and whether they have a capable one. And the schedule gives them some time. After a tough opener at Jacksonville, only two of their next eight games are against teams that made the playoffs last season. And the slate never really gets tough. They have the easiest schedule in the league based on last year’s record and the fourth-easiest schedule based on projected wins,” Vacchiano wrote.
The stretch of games before Cleveland’s Week 11 bye includes a Week 2 visit to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and former quarterback Baker Mayfield, which is seen as an important early-season contest. That is followed by the home opener against the Carolina Panthers, who, despite winning the NFC South, had a sub-.500 record last season.
Following a Thursday Night Football game against the defending AFC North champion Pittsburgh Steelers, the Browns will visit the New York Jets, host the Baltimore Ravens, visit the Tennessee Titans, host the Steelers, and visit the New Orleans Saints. Of that group, only the Steelers qualified for the postseason last year.
A very unique stretch of four straight home games follows for Cleveland, which includes its bye week. If the Browns can emerge from that stretch against the Houston Texans, Las Vegas Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals, and Atlanta Falcons (led by former head coach Kevin Stefanski), it could set them up for some very important games down the stretch.
Predictions for the Browns’ season range all the way from another five-win season to a potential AFC Championship Game appearance, so it will be very interesting to see if they land at either end of that wide spectrum, or, more likely, somewhere in between.
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