Playing the schedule game for the 2020 Cleveland Browns, as the early predictions reveal whether or not the playoff drought ends!
Confession. When I wrote this column a season ago, I picked the Cleveland Browns to go 12-4. C’mon. We were all buying the hype and rightfully so. It had been so long since the Browns were expected to do anything.
It was exciting to think of the Browns as winners! So I picked them to win…a lot.
Of course, reality set in. Freddie Kitchens was a disaster. Baker Mayfield was one of the worst quarterbacks in the league. The offensive line was leaking. Myles Garrett missed the stretch run. The corners missed significant time with hamstring issues.
In summation, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.
And now here we are, with a do-over, so to speak. The guy they passed over to hire Kitchens, Kevin Stefanski, was correctly hired to lead the team. He’s talking a good game and the belief is that he can turn Mayfield around.
The Browns roster still has weapons, especially after free agency and the draft. Unfortunately, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati got better as well.
Now, with the release of the 2020 schedule, let’s see how the Browns might fare in what should be a unique season as the COVID-19 Pandemic continues to plague the world. Hint, the Browns will not go 12-4.
Weeks 1-2
Week 1 at Baltimore, Sept. 13: Shoot, the league stopped trying to do the Browns favors. Cleveland had been given some “winnable” games over the past few years, as the NFL seemed to be trying its hardest to help the downtrodden franchise get off on the right fit.
Now, the Browns go on the road to face the reigning division champs and the 2019 MVP, Lamar Jackson.
Could Baltimore be stunned? Sure. Even Freddie pulled this off, but I don’t see. The Opening Week losing streak continues.
Record: 0-1
Week 2 vs Cincinnati, Sept. 17: The Browns get Cincinnati at home in what should be Joe Burrow’s second professional game for Thursday Night Football.
Cincinnati basically has two first-round picks starting off this year, as 2018 first rounder, tackle Jonah Williams, is reportedly healthy and ready to go.
That said, the Browns should be the better team and Mayfield should be able to outduel a rookie quarterback. And if there’s doubt, just hand the ball to Nick Chubb.
Record: 1-1
Weeks 3-4
Week 3 vs Washington, Sept. 27: The Browns stay at home for the second straight week and their playoff chances improve dramatically with a win here.
This contest offers a look at what the Browns have in new left tackle Jedrick Wills, who will likely see plenty of matchups against No. 2 overall pick Chase Young.
Offensively, the Redskins have a quarterback who’s still finding his way and it’s unclear whether he has the confidence of the organization. Browns fans know all too well how that usually turns out. Browns win.
Record: 2-1
Week 4 at Dallas, Oct. 4: If you go by the theory that the better coach and quarterback win in the NFL, then this is a slam dunk for new hire Mike McCarthy and veteran Dak Prescott.
Stefanski is still unproven, but perhaps he pulls off a surprise here. Plus, Mayfield will be playing in his home state. With everyone doubting the former No. 1 overall pick after a lackluster 2018, perhaps the chip is back on his shoulder and he pulls off the upset.
I don’t see it.
Record: 2-2
Weeks 5-6
Week 5 vs Colts, Oct. 11: Thankfully, the Browns get a winnable game against a Indianapolis team that punted on the future by hitching their saddle toPhillip Rivers in the short term.
Was it smart? Sure. Rivers is a lot better than Jacoby Brissett. That said, they’re still beatable.
It will be interesting to watch second-round pick Jonathan Taylor, who was a legit Heisman contender for the first half of the 2018 college season.
If this one was in Indy, I’d worry. With it being in the friendly confines of Cleveland, Baker outshines Rivers.
Record: 3-2
Week 6 at Steelers, Oct 18: Many believe that winning in Pittsburgh against the Steelers is THE hurdle the Browns have to clear to finally trend toward a playoff spot.
It’s hard to argue this point, and it’s understood. With the Browns in contention a season ago, Cleveland couldn’t win a meaningful game going up against a third-string quarterback named Duck Hodges.
This one falls early on the schedule, so the impact won’t be immediately noticed, but it it does go down as a loss, it’ll stick with Browns fans for the rest of the season.
Unfortunately, I think Big Ben is going to bounce back for one more run at the playoffs and the Steelers is defense is ridiculously good. The Browns will compete, but fall short.
Record: 3-3
Weeks 7-8
Week 7 at Bengals, Oct. 25: This shouldn’t be an assumed victory. The Bengals were horrible last season, and the Browns managed to lose the season finale down on the Ohio River.
At this point, Stefanski should be settled in as coach and Mayfield’s resurgence should start making national news.
This should go down as a victory.
Record: 4-3
Week 8 vs Raiders, Nov. 1: One week before the Bye, and the Browns get to end their season at home.
Las Vegas went 7-9 a season ago, and they made some nice additions in the draft in the form of receiver Henry Ruggs and corner Damon Arnette. That said, the Browns roster has more talent and should win.
Record: 5-3
Week 9: Bye
The Browns at 5-3 halfway through the season? It’s really everything a long suffering Browns fan could ask for.
If the Browns hit this mark, it probably means the Browns are running the ball a ton, the line is holding up and Mayfield has improved his accuracy just by being of a professional offensive put together by Stefanski.
Hopefully, their losses are at least competitive. Mostly, that wasn’t the case last season.
Weeks 10-11
Week 10 vs Texans, Nov. 15: Everyone’s going to be itching for this game as everyone will be talking playoffs if the Browns really are 5-3 at the midway point.
Unfortunately, this game screams let down. How many Browns teams have we seem come out of a Bye looking crusty and unprepared? Perhaps and hopefully Stefanski changes that.
Even if Cleveland does play well, the Texans promise to be too much behind quarterback Deshaun Watson. He’s really, really good and more than capable of pulling out a close on on the road. Unfortunately, this goes as a loss for the Brownies.
Record: 5-4
Week 11 vs Eagles, Nov. 22: So many storylines in this one, as the Browns play Carson Wentz for just the second time, with the first meeting coming in a loss during his rookie season.
The storyline here will be how Paul DePodesta didn’t even consider Wentz one of the best players in the draft. Unfortunately, when healthy, Wentz has proven DePodesta wrong.
Additionally, Andrew Berry will go up against the team that paid his salary a season ago.
The pressure will be on the Browns to win this one, as sliding back to .500 would be a massive letdown. The Browns have put a lot of effort into stocking their secondary the past two seasons, and hopefully that makes the difference against Wentz (hopefully a three-sack game from Myles Garrett plays a part as well).
Record: 6-4
Weeks 12-13
Week 12 at Jaguars, Nov. 29: These two teams were rumored to be on the docket for London before the NFL cancelled its international series. Instead, Cleveland goes to Jacksonville to play a team with no real home field advantage.
At 6-4, the Browns better be thinking playoffs. A loss here will have everyone asking what’s going on with the team.
Record: 7-4
Week 13 at Titans, Dec. 6: When you think about it, the Titans were the team we wanted the Browns to be a season ago. They ran into the playoffs on the back of Derrick Henry and let the defense take care of everybody else.
Tennessee also resurrected the career of Ryan Tannehill, who turns out he’s not as bad as everyone thought after watching for years in Miami.
If this one were stated for FirstEnergy Stadium, I might be convinced to change my opinion, but for now, this goes as a Titans win.
Record: 7-5
Weeks 14-15
Week 14, Monday Night Football, vs Ravens, Dec. 14: In what will be the most highly anticipated matchup of the season, the Browns will get another crack at Lamar Jackson, who many believe is capable of winning his second-straight MVP award.
This game is particularly interesting because this is a rematch from Week 1. Which team won the war of attrition and staved off the most injuries?
If the Browns are healthy, and with the playoffs on the line in front of their home crowd, Cleveland could absolutely win this game.
Unfortunately, I forecast a similar result as to what happened in Week 1. The Browns lose, and a heartbroken city wakes up late to go to work Tuesday morning.
Record: 7-6
Week 15 at Giants, Dec. 20: This contest sets off an intriguing part of the schedule in which Cleveland will travel to the Meadowlands on back-to-back weeks to face the Giants, and then the Jets.
The Giants are in a better place with the hiring of Joe Judge, but Danny Dimes has more non-believers than Baker Mayfield. A win here really has Cleveland’s playoff hopes looking good.
Record: 8-6
Weeks 16-17-18
Week 16 at Jets, Dec. 26/27: Remember how horrible the Browns played against the Jets last season, and they still managed to win the game pretty convincingly? I know, New York didn’t have Sam Darnold, but I don’t see the USC product making all the difference unless he takes a MAJOR leap in his third year.
Record: 9-6
Week 17, vs Pittsburgh, Jan. 3: The playoffs could be on the line for both teams, as the Browns should be in great shape, especially since the league expanded it’s format to include seven teams per division.
This one really could go down as a class, with the Browns prevailing, of course.
Record: 10-6
Recap
Surprisingly, I’ve got the Browns going 10-6. It easily could’ve been 9-7. I mean, go ahead and flip a coin on how that finale against Pittsburgh would’ve played out. I’ve just watched too much losing not to pick Cleveland in that scenario.
Plus, I’m a believer in Stefanski and Berry and truly believe these are the guys to get the organization turned around.
Most importantly, this record revolves around my belief that Stefanski can get Mayfield going. We all want the former Heisman winner to be Pat Mahomes, dropping dimes from the 50. Unfortunately, it’s just not his game and Stefanski, if he’s as smart as they say he is, recognizes this and will find the offense best suited to Mayfield’s talents.
The record also reflects the Browns strength of schedule–one of the easiest in the league. If you’re keeping count, I’ve got Cleveland going 3-3 within the division and still winning double-digit games.
The Jets, Giants, Jaguars, Raiders and Reskins? The Colts and 60-year old Phillip Rivers? These teams aren’t just beatable, they stink. Go get ’em, Brownies!