Each NFL team’s most important game in 2019

Cleveland Browns: Week 8 at New England Patriots

Simply put, there hasn’t been this much preseason excitement surrounding the Cleveland Browns since the team re-entered the league as an expansion club back in 1999. Of course, those early years were not filled with a lot of success, although a team led by head coach Butch Davis did reach the playoffs in the reincarnation’s fourth campaign (2002).

Since then, there’s been one winning season. That came back in ’07, when quarterback Derek Anderson enjoyed a big year and Romeo Crennels’ squad finished with a 10-6 mark and no postseason appearance. And over the past 11 NFL campaigns, seven different sideline leaders have led the Browns to a combined 45-130-1 record. But there were huge signs of life in 2018. After a 1-15 showing in 2016 and a 0-16 disaster one year later, Cleveland finished 7-8-1 in ’18.

Of course, it’s been an offseason of huge changes. Freddie Kitchens was promoted to head coach, Todd Monken was hired as offensive coordinator and the newcomers include wide receiver Baker Mayfield, pass rusher Olivier Vernon and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson. There’s talk by some of the Browns winning a division title for the first time since 1989.

So what about an acid test against the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots in late October at Foxborough? It’s an opportunity for Kitchens, Mayfield and the rest of this newest regime to show how far it has come in a relatively short time.

Next: Dallas Cowboys