Dec 8, 2013; Foxborough, MA, USA; A Cleveland Browns helmet sits on the sidelines during the fourth quarter of New England
The Cleveland Browns schedule has been released and the team will open the 2015 NFL season against the New York Jets on Sept. 13.
The NFL schedule makers put the Browns on primetime twice this season – a Thursday night game at Cincinnati and a Monday Night Football game at home against Baltimore, both in November.
For the Browns to have a chance to improve on their 7-9 finish of a year ago, they need to start winning games within the AFC North Division. Since returning in 1999, the Browns are 27-69 against the Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cincinnati, and have never won more than three games in a single season against those teams.
Let’s take a look at the highlights of the schedule, month by month.
September
The Browns carry an all-time winning percentage of .513 (99-93-2) in games played during the month of September.
This month they will take on:
Sept. 13 at NY Jets: The Browns will face former starting cornerback Buster Skrine, who will be looking for revenge against the team that him walk in free agency. The Browns have lost 10 consecutive opening games – an NFL record for opening-day futility.
Sept. 20 home to Tennessee: The Titans may come to town for the home opener with rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota on the roster. The Browns won their home opener last season, breaking a streak of eight consecutive losses in the season’s first home game.
Sept. 27 home to Oakland: The Browns will face running back Trent Richardson (if he makes the Raiders) for the second consecutive year in a home game.
October
October is the most-successful month for the Browns, as they have an all-time winning percentage of .594 (160-108-2) during the month when fall fully hits Northeast Ohio.
This month they will face:
Oct. 4 at San Diego: The Browns have only traveled to San Diego twice since returning to the league in 1999, losing both of their previous trips to the West Coast.
Oct. 11 at Baltimore: The Browns have not won in Baltimore since 2007.
Oct. 18 home to Denver: This may be the last time to watch Peyton Manning play in person in Cleveland. Manning is 5-0 in his career against the Browns.
Oct. 25 at St. Louis: The could mark the last time the Browns travel to St. Louis for an NFL game. In addition, the Browns will get a look at quarterback Nick Foles, a player that some believe the Browns should have pursued in the off-season.
November
The winds off Lake Erie may blow harder during November, but the Browns have still historically played well, with an all-time winning percentage of .560 (150-117-7).
This month they will face:
Nov. 1 home to Arizona: Since joining the NFL in 1950, the Browns are 33-13-3 against the Cardinals. The Browns haven’t hosted Arizona since 2003, when they beat the Cardinals by the score of 44-3. At quarterback for the Cardinals that day? None other that Josh McCown.
Nov. 5 at Cincinnati: The Browns make their first primetime appearance in Cincinnati against the Bengals, the very team the Browns beat last season on the road on a Thursday night. The Browns have won their Thursday night game two years in a row.
Nov. 15 at Pittsburgh: The Browns have not won in Pittsburgh since Oct. 5, 2003.
Nov. 30 home to Baltimore: The Browns make their return to Monday Night Football against the Ravens, a team the Browns are just 1-13 overall against in their previous 14 meetings.
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December
The Browns will be looking to break a 12-game losing streak in the month of December, with their last December win came on Dec. 9, 2012, against the Chiefs. That streak has helped make December the cruelest month in franchise history, with the team posting a winning percentage of just .447 (105-129-2) over the years, including playoff games.
This month they will face:
Dec. 6 home to Cincinnati: The Browns have won two of their last three home against the Bengals.
Dec. 13 home to San Francisco: The return to Cleveland of former Browns head coach Eric Mangini, now the defensive coordinator in San Francisco. Mangini was a forgettable 10-22 in two seasons with the Browns.
Dec. 20 at Seattle: The Browns haven’t played in the Pacific Northwest since 2003, and are just 3-7 all-time vs. the Seahawks on the road.
Dec. 27 at Kansas City: Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe returns to Arrowhead Stadium, where he played eight seasons with the Chiefs before signing as a free agent with the Browns.
January
The Browns don’t play often in January, but counting playoff games they have an all-time winning percentage of .467 (7-15) in the month.
Jan. 3 home to Pittsburgh: The Browns have won two of the last three in Cleveland against the Steelers.
As it stands right now, the Browns will play the ninth-hardest schedule next season as the teams they will face posted a combined .543 winning percentage in 2014. But we know that number will change dramatically during the course of the upcoming season.
Now that you’ve seen the full schedule, how do you think the Browns will do in 2015?