Browns Digest

A Way Too Early Browns Record Prediction Following 2024 Schedule Release

With the release of the 2024 NFL Schedule, the Browns now know all the details of their path back to the postseason.

Spencer German, Anthony Moeglin, Cole McDaniel

Oct 31, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; A Cleveland Browns fan reacts to the action late in the game
Oct 31, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; A Cleveland Browns fan reacts to the action late in the game / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
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After earning a postseason berth for the second time in four seasons, the Cleveland Browns hope to make it back-to-back trips to the playoffs in 2024.

It won't be easy, as Cleveland's upcoming schedule is considered the hardest in the NFL, based off of the 2023 win percentage of the teams that they play. Right out of the gate, the Browns will welcome an NFC contender in the Dallas Cowboys to town. They round out the 17-game slate with a tough final seven weeks of the season that includes four AFC North games and a showdown with the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs.

After breaking it down in the hours since it was released, our staff is ready to submit their way too early 2024 Browns season predictions:

Anthony Moeglin: 12-5

This schedule shapes up really nicely for Cleveland and they have chances at a handful of nice stretches where they can build themselves into a winning program. I see the first four weeks of the season going very well for Cleveland. You get a marquee matchup against the Cowboys at home followed by the Jaguars, Giants and Raiders. A 4-0 start will have the city of Cleveland buzzing and dreaming about the Lombardi trophy.

After that opening stretch, I think they split the two road games against Washington and Philadelphia and come home for a pivotal three games against Cincinnati, Baltimore and the Chargers. They will go 2-1 in that section and enter the bye week at 7-2, one of the best teams in football.

In the four games after the bye week, I see them going 3-1 putting them in prime position for what will be an incredibly tough finish to the year. A 2-2 record over the final four games gets Cleveland to 12-5 and a nice playoff seed for what we all hope is a home playoff game.

Cole McDaniel: 11-6

Despite a tough schedule, especially in the second half of the season, the Browns have an opportunity to start on the right foot. The first five weeks are fairly favorable matchups and I expect the team to take advantage early. After wins against the Cowboys, Jaguars and Giants, I believe the perfect record will get snapped against the Raiders. Las Vegas is improving, yet the Browns should win this game. Cleveland seems to struggle when traveling west though and dropped multiple games out that direction last season. After faltering versus the Raiders, I have the Browns beating the revamped Commanders. A 4-1 start to the season certainly puts the Browns on the right track.

The next four game stretch, prior to the Bye Week, is certainly more difficult than the first five games. Even going 2-2 here is respectable. That's exactly what I foresee. Cleveland falls in Philadelphia to the Eagles, then returns to Cleveland Browns Stadium for a three game stretch, where they beat the Bengals, fall to the Ravens and beat the Chargers who probably won't have immediate success in the Jim Harbaugh era. The Browns would now be sitting at 6-3 come the Week Ten bye.

The second half of the season should get out the a good start for the Browns, barring any significant injuries. They should go down to New Orleans and beat the Saints and then defeat the Steelers at home. Playing the Steelers on Thursday night and then waiting to play the Broncos in Week 13 on a Monday certainly helps with time to rest and recover. Cleveland should get revenge from the embarrassing loss at Mile High Stadium last season.

As the Browns hit the most grueling stretch of the season, I wouldn't be shocked to see a couple game skid. I believe they split with the Steelers and a second physical Browns-Steelers matchup in three weeks may take a toll. After ensuing losses to the Chiefs at home and the Cincinnati Bengals on a short week, the Browns could end a three-game losing streak by stifling the high-powered Dolphins in a cold December game. To this point, the team would be sitting at 10-6 headed into the final week of the regular season. With a loaded AFC Conference and an AFC North division set to beat up on each other, 10-7 feels like the Wild Card bubble and 11-6 feels like potentially winning the AFC North. It's a fine line. By this logic, the Browns would likely not be able to rest starters in Week 18 and need to win in Baltimore in order to feel secure. Regardless of the Ravens' record and their approach, Cleveland can end the regular season on a two-game win streak.

Spencer German: 10-7

On top of having what appears to be on paper a really tough schedule already, I'm also anticipating some regression from what was the No. 1 defense in football last year. That said, so long as star quarterback Deshaun Watson stays healthy, the offense should be positioned to improve immensely.

It's that side of the ball that should help the Browns navigate their challenging schedule to reach the 10-win plateau and earn a wild card berth for a second consecutive season. Based on how the schedule sets up, it feels like Weeks 1-6 will be a crucial stretch for accumulating some wins. Matchups with the Jaguars, Giants, Raiders, Commanders and even the Eagles seem like a reasonable slate to establish a winning record.

It's the stretch after Cleveland' Week 10 bye that will be critical though. Cleveland plays the Steelers, Broncos, Steelers, Chiefs, Bengals, Dolphins and Ravens to finish off the season. That portion of the schedule will ultimately decide their fate, perhaps in the division, but at the very least in the wild card. I'll say they're 6-3 at the bye, but finish 4-4 down the stretch.

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Published
Spencer German
SPENCER GERMAN

Spencer German is a contributor to the Northeast Ohio cluster of sites, including Cavs Insider, Cleveland Baseball Insider and most notably Browns Digest. He also works as a fill-in host on Cleveland Sports Radio, 92.3 The Fan, one of the Browns radio affiliate stations in Cleveland. Despite being a Cleveland transplant, Spencer has enjoyed making Northeast Ohio home ever since he attended college locally at John Carroll University, where he graduated in 2013.

Anthony Moeglin
ANTHONY MOEGLIN

Anthony Moeglin is a northeast Ohio native, who most notably quarterbacked John Carroll University to the NCAA DIII National Semifinals in 2016 after beating the No. 1 team in the country twice in a 4-week stretch. He contributes written and video/podcast content for Browns Digest, as well as serving as the lead football analyst for BuckeyesNow on the FanNation network.

Cole McDaniel
COLE MCDANIEL

Cole McDaniel is a contributor to both Browns Digest and Cavs Insider. He is the Vice President of Operations for Kee on Sports, most notably serving as lead NFL Draft analyst and the play-by-play voice for high school football. He can also be heard on numerous Baldwin Wallace University athletics broadcasts and has served as Cleveland SC's color commentator since 2019. Cole is a 2019 graduate of Baldwin Wallace where he also played soccer.Β 

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