Cleveland Browns : Cleveland Browns School Timetable Notebook NFL Fan Essential Cleveland Browns Fan Appreciation #63

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The NFL released the full 2021 regular season schedule on Wednesday night. It’s the first season with 17 games and 18 weeks, an adjustment that will take some getting used to for sure. Of course, Watson also could face his former team on the road. The Texans are in full rebuild mode, and they were 2-7 at home last season. If the Browns can sweep those four games, then they should at minimum be in the AFC playoff hunt late in the season. The Browns have the 15th-easiest schedule in the NFL. Their 2022 opponents finished with a 142-145-2 record, a winning percentage of .495. Toughest tests: Four teams on Cleveland's schedule – Cincinnati, New England, New Orleans and Tampa Bay – had at least six road wins in 2021. The Patriots beat the Browns 45-7 last season, andTom Brady is 7-1 as a starter against the Browns with the only loss coming in 2010. Cleveland has eight home games in 2022, and the teams visiting FirstEnergy Stadium had a combined record of 36-34 on the road last season.

Watson did not play in 2021 while facing sexual misconduct allegations, and with the Browns trading Baker Mayfield earlier in the offseason, the team will turn to Jacoby Brissett to start in the meantime. The AFC North features two playoff teams from 2021 in Cincinnati, which reached Super Bowl 56, and Pittsburgh. The Ravens had an 8-9 record, same as Cleveland. The other returning playoff teams on the schedule are Buffalo, New England and Tampa Bay. Cleveland is playing a third-place schedule in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL. The Browns play the AFC East and NFC South in this year's playoffs, and the extra NFC game is on the road at Washington. The third-place slot landed games with the Texans and Chargers. Cleveland still had a 6-3 home record in 2021, too. Watson changes the dynamic of the offense, and despite the risks and a possible suspension he comes to a talented football team capable of winning the division and returning to the playoffs.Road trips to Buffalo and Miami won't be easy, either. Those teams were a combined 13-6 at home last season.

Bottom line: It comes down to success within the AFC North. The Browns were 3-3 in divisional games last season, and that included a sweep of the Bengals. Stefanski is 7-6 (including playoffs) the last two seasons against Baltimore (1-3), Pittsburgh (2-3) and Cincinnati (4-0). Joe Burrow, for all his success in two seasons, has yet to lead the Bengals to a victory against the Browns. Those games will be testy this year. The Cleveland Browns are coming off the most successful season for the franchise in over 25 years. That building momentum now has a schedule for the upcoming season.