Cleveland Browns 2016 NFL schedule released

The Cleveland Browns will open the 2016 NFL season by playing five of their first seven games on the road.

The Cleveland Browns schedule has been released and the team will open the 2016 NFL season against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 11.

The NFL schedule makers put the Browns on primetime just once this season — a Thursday night game at Baltimore in November. That same month the Browns will play three of their four games at home.

In what should come as no surprise, the Browns will once again close out the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“Obviously, when you first look at the schedule there’s five road games in the first seven, so we’re going to be on the road and we understand this is the schedule we’ve been dealt,” head coach Hue Jackson said in a news release. “We’ve just got to have that mindset. We’re going to pack a good team and go on the road and play good games.”

“We’ve just got to have that mindset. We’re going to pack a good team and go on the road and play good games.” – Head coach Hue Jackson

The Browns are facing what is, for now, the 21st toughest schedule in the NFL as their opponents carry a .480 winning percentage into the season. That should give the Browns an opportunity to improve on last season’s 3-13 record, although it will still be tough for the club in head coach Hue Jackson’s first year in town.

For the Browns to any chance at reversing their fortunes, they need to start winning games within the AFC North Division. Since returning in 1999, the Browns are 28-74 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals, 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 (100-95-2) in games played during the month of September.

This month they will take on:

Sept. 11 @ Philadelphia Eagles: Once annual rivals before the NFL-AFL merger (the Browns hold a 31-16-1 advantage in the series), the Browns have only made one appearance in Philadelphia since 1999, losing 30-10 in the 2008 season.

Sept. 18 vs. Baltimore Ravens: The last time the Browns faced the Ravens at home, they lost on Monday Night Football on a walk-off blocked kick. Even for the Browns it was a sight to behold.

Sept. 22 @ Miami Dolphins: The Browns hit the road to take on the Dolphins for the first time in Miami since 2010. That year Cleveland won in Miami for the first time since 1970.

October

October is the most-successful month for the Browns, as they have an all-time winning percentage of .592 (161-111-2) during the month when fall fully hits Northeast Ohio.

This month they will face:

Oct. 2 @ Washington Redskins: Quarterback Robert Griffin III makes his return to the nation’s capital to take on the team that drafted him in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft. The only question is will he still be in the lineup?

Oct. 9 vs. New England Patriots: This may be the last time to watch Tom Brady play in person in Cleveland. Brady is 5-1 in his career against the Browns, with the most recent win coming in 2013 when the Browns blew a 26-14 in the game’s final two minutes.

Oct. 16 @ Tennessee Titans: The Browns beat the Titans in Cleveland’s home opener last season as they sacked quarterback Marcus Mariota seven times.

Oct. 23 @ Cincinnati Bengals: Browns head coach Hue Jackson makes his return to Cincinnati where, as offensive coordinator in 2015, he helped build a game plan that lead to a 37-3 win by the Bengals against the Austin Davis-led Browns.

Oct. 30 vs. New York Jets: The Browns dropped last season’s opening game against the Jets after starting quarterback Josh McCown was knocked out of the game with a concussion. New inside linebacker Demario Davis, who was one of the players that delivered the knockout hit on McCown, now has an opportunity to do the same to his former club.

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 .554 (150-121-7).

This month they will face:

Nov. 6 vs. Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys make just their second trip to Cleveland since 1991. The Browns are 0-3 against Dallas since returning in 1999, and dropped their lone home meeting in the 2008 season opener.

Nov. 10 @ Baltimore Ravens: The Browns won in Baltimore last season for the first time since 2007. They make their annual Thursday night appearance against an AFC North rival.

Nov. 20 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: The Browns have won two of the last four in Cleveland against the Steelers.

Nov. 27 vs. New York Giants: In one of the more surprising victories in recent years, the Browns rolled over the Giants in their last match-up in Cleveland, a 35-14 win over the defending Super Bowl champions on Monday Night Football in 2008.

December

The Browns finally broke a 13-game losing streak in the month of December last season as they downed the San Francisco 49ers. That streak helped make December the cruelest month in franchise history, with the team posting a winning percentage of just .438 (106-132-2) over the years, including playoff games.

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This month they will face:

Dec. 11 vs. Cincinnati Bengals: The Browns have won two of their last four home games against the Bengals, but those two losses have come by a combined score of 67-3

Dec. 18 @ Buffalo Bills: The Browns make their second consecutive trip, and fifth in their last seven meetings, to Buffalo to take on the Bills. Cleveland has split their last four road games against the Bills.

Dec. 24 vs. San Diego Chargers: Wide receiver Travis Benjamin, who spent his first four seasons with the Browns, makes his return to Cleveland after leaving for the Chargers in free agency.

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. 1 @ Pittsburgh Steelers: The Browns have not won in Pittsburgh since Oct. 5, 2003.

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