Cleveland Browns 2020 Schedule Release Top 10 Takeaways
The National Football League has finally released the NFL schedules and the Cleveland Browns can finally begin their week one preparations at the Baltimore Ravens. First time head coach Kevin Stefanski will be thrown directly into the fire against the Browns toughest division rival and the AFC’s reigning number one seed.
The season opener will be a great matchup for Stefanski and staff to establish the team’s ability to be competitive on a weekly basis. In 2019, the Browns were embarrassed at home against the Tennessee Titans after an offseason filled with hype. This offseason has been quieter compared to last year and general manager Andrew Berry has done an immaculate job of building an improved roster. Boasting an improved roster and a condensed offseason program, the regular season will be the best evaluation of the roster’s cohesion and discipline.
1. Week Two – Home opener versus the Cincinnati Bengals
This is a Thursday night game against a weaker division opponent and the first prime time game of the season. Somewhat dependent on week one’s outcome this is likely to become a must-win game. The Bengals are in an obvious rebuild after taking LSU quarterback Joe Burrow number one overall. It is also unlikely they turn around the franchise’s misfortunes this season. The Browns have won three of the last four matchups and they also gave the Bengals only their second win of the season last year in week 17 to finish the season 6-10. Kevin Stefanski needs to win this game to start off 2-0 within the division or get to .500 after dropping the first matchup in Baltimore.
2. Week Four – Roundtrip to Jerry World
Two back-to-back games against NFC East opponents and the Dallas Cowboys will surely test the Browns front seven. The Cowboys are notorious for pounding the rock on the legs of Ezekiel Elliot and the Browns have struggled at stopping the run in recent seasons. The first test of defending the run already happens in week one against Baltimore and this is another road matchup battling a run-heavy offense. This matchup will challenge Sheldon Richardson’s, Larry Ogunjobi’s and Andrew Billings’ ability to operate in the trenches. The key player to watch within this trio is Larry Ogunjobi as he enters a contract year. If he is able to string together some strong performances early in the season it could help his case for a contract extension.
3, Week Six – Sea of Yellow Terrible Towels
The highly anticipated return of Myles Garrett against the Pittsburgh Steelers since his helmet bashing incident with Mason Rudolph. In his last matchup, Garrett was constantly disrupting the pocket and being a menace with his pass rush. This matchup will be different with Ben Roethlisberger returning from injury and the Steelers having more competent quarterback play. Beating the Steelers has always been extremely important to Browns fans and given the related story lines the tensions will be high. If Kevin Stefanski wants to change the narrative about the Browns in the AFC North this is a key opportunity to do so.
4. Week Five – Joint Practice Reunion
To start the second quarter of the season the Indianapolis Colts travel to Cleveland. The Colts have a talented team but still have questions at quarterback even with Philip Rivers taking over the helm. There will be great talent on both sides of the ball for both teams and this screams shootout. Each team is setup to run the ball effectively and a few playactions combined with blown assignments could turn this game into a high scoring affair. Indy and the Browns are kinda similar being that they have talent on their roster but are held back by quarterback play, maybe this could be a marque game for Baker Mayfield.
5. Week Nine – The Perfect Bye
Eight games in and eight games left! This bye week is great for the team’s mid-season evaluation and rest period for the players. The first eight games are split evenly with four home and away games. Thus, Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry can accurately evaluate what has worked well and what needs to improve for the remaining eight games. Also, this helps the players get adequate rest and limit injuries because the bye is not too early nor too late. The extra week of preparation could make a big difference against a talented Houston Texans squad in week ten.
6. Three Home Game Stretch
The Browns will host three straight home games from week eight to week eleven. It starts with the newly founded Las Vegas Raiders, the aforementioned bye, Houston Texans, and concludes with the Philadelphia Eagles. This also includes six straight weeks of playing in Ohio and limited needs to travel during game week. Winning at home is extremely important and if the Browns do not perform that well on the road then winning at FirstEnergy Stadium keeps playoff hopes alive. None of these opponents are a cakewalk but playing well could help build momentum for playing on the road.
7. Road Warriors
After six weeks in the great state of Ohio, the Cleveland Browns are set for an extended road trip. From week twelve to week sixteen, four of their five games are in opposing territory. Kevin Stefanski will have two stints of back-to-back games on the road. Being the visitor for any game in the NFL is tough and strong performances on an opponent’s home turf makes the difference between a decent team and a great team. If Stefanski and company have true playoff aspirations, then beating under and/or evenly matched teams (Jacksonville, NY Giants, NY Jets) on the road is a must.
8. Week Fourteen – Dirty Birds in Primetime
Thirteen weeks since the first matchup and this game has much higher stakes. A divisional rival in primetime on Monday Night Football, it doesn’t get any bigger than this! Barring any injuries to key players, the teams will have established their on-field identities and expectations of the matchup will be relatively accurate. Given that this is the second to last home game and another division matchup against a hard opponent that stakes increase. A matchup of the stature could play huge dividends in the Browns location in the playoff hunt. It’s unlikely the Ravens win fourteen games again this season, but they are still the favorite to win the AFC North. In order for Stefanski and Berry to establish a new culture, beating the Ravens at home is vital because the roster has already shown they can win in Baltimore last season.
9. Week Seventeen – Season Finale
The Cleveland Super Bowl before the actual Super Bowl. This is arguably the biggest game on the schedule and if the playoffs hinge on this final matchup then I would fully expect a schedule change. Any football knows about the Browns and Steelers rivalry especially given what happened last season. There is a high probability the franchise will know its playoff hopes or nightmare by this point but winning must happen at all costs. For nearly a decade the Browns have been bullied by the Steelers and Stefanski has to win a home matchup against Ben Roethlisberger. This game is bigger than the franchise. This is revenge for solidification of the 0-16 record in their last week seventeen matchup and the city of Cleveland needs this.
10. Record Prediction
WK1: @ Ravens (L)
WK2: vs Bengals (W)
WK3: vs Redskins (W)
WK4: @ Cowboys (L)
WK5: vs Colts (W)
WK6: @ Steelers (L)
WK7: @ Bengals (W)
WK8: vs Raiders (L)
WK9: BYE
WK10: vs Texans (W)
WK11: vs Eagles (L)
WK12: @ Jaguars (W)
WK13: @ Titans (L)
WK14: vs Ravens (W)
WK15: @ Giants (W)
WK16: @ Jets (L)
WK17: vs Steelers (W)
Record: 9-7 (Wildcard Spot #3)
