Off a playoff appearance in 2020, the Cleveland Browns disappointed a year ago. It’s been quite the offseason for the franchise. What’s on the horizon?
It has been a tumultuous couple of months for one of the league’s more maligned franchises. The track record of the Cleveland Browns dating back to 1999 shows that the team is posted just three winning seasons and reached the playoffs only twice. They come off an 8-9 showing in 2021 and now will be trotting out some new starting quarterback(s).
Of course, the last few months have been riddled with news about new Browns’ quarterback Deshaun Watson. He will be suspended for the 1st 11 games of the season
Still, this is a very talented team on both sides of the ball and more than capable of returning to the postseason for the 2nd time in 3 years. So what can we expect in terms of predictions for Kevin Stefanski’s club?
3. Browns bold prediction: Cleveland wins in Week 1 for first time since 2004
It has been nearly two decades since this franchise opened a season with a victory. Dating back to 2005, the Cleveland Browns own a 0-16-1 record in Week 1. This year, Kevin Stefanski’s squad travels south to Charlotte to face the Carolina Panthers and their new starting quarterback in Baker Mayfield.
For what it’s worth, Cleveland is listed as an underdog in this contest. Perhaps that’s not surprising considering that dating back to 1999 — when the Browns rejoined the NFL as an expansion team — this club owns a 0-6 record when opening on the road. Still, all bad things must come to an end, so…
2. Browns bold prediction: Team finishes with a positive scoring differential
This sounds so simplistic, especially if you have had some success. But harken back to the 2020 season and the Cleveland Browns’ first postseason appearance since 2002. Led by NFL Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski, the team finished 11-5. It was the most wins by the franchise since rejoining the NFL as an expansion team in 1999.
But it’s also worth noting that the Browns scored a solid 408 points that season – 11 fewer than they allowed that year. It’s not that uncommon for teams to make the playoffs with a winning record and yet own a negative scoring differential. In 2021, both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders reached the postseason as wild card team but gave up more points than they put on the scoreboard.
As for those 2020 Browns, they were just the second team since the NFL merger in 1970 to win 11 games, reach the playoffs and own a negative scoring margin. The only other club to manage that feat were the 2012 Indianapolis Colts.
A year ago, Stefanski’s club finished 8-9 and scored 349 points and allowed 371 points. Not a surprise. But you have to go all the way back to 2007 to see the last time the Browns outscored their opponents on the season. Ironically, that club finished 10-6 and missed out on the postseason.
1. Browns bold prediction: QB Deshaun Watson does not play in 2022
When the Browns kick off this season Sunday afternoon at Charlotte against the Carolina Panthers, Jacoby Brissett is expected to line up behind center for Kevin Stefanski’s club.
The team currently employs five quarterbacks, none of which has ever played for this organization. Behind Brissett on the depth chart is fellow newcomer Josh Dobbs followed by former Vikings’ third-round draft choice Kellen Mond. Josh Rosen is a member of the practice squad. And Deshaun Watson is currently serving an 11-game suspension.
The latter is eligible to return to the field in Week 13. One of the points here is that Brissett will become the Browns’ 33rd different starting signal-caller dating back to the team’s return to the National Football League in 1999 as an expansion team. And that number will grow if any of the other aforementioned players wind up in the starting lineup this season.
Again, Watson can return and play in Week 13 when the Browns visit the Houston Texans. A lot has been made about the irony of the three-time Pro Bowler facing the team that dealt him to Cleveland.
But depending on how the Browns’ season unfolds, is it possible that the club activates Watson but he doesn’t take the field? If Kevin Stefanski’s team is in playoff contention, would the club sit Brissett in favor of Watson? It’s just a hunch but the 26-year-old performer may not see any playing time in 2022.