To contend in 2016, the Cleveland Browns will need to win difficult games on the road. Which of these games will be the toughest for the Browns to win?
Unlike in any other professional sports league, winning in the National Football League is truly a challenge. Any team can win any game on any given Sunday, making every moment of football unpredictable and rewarding. This is true when speaking of any time an NFL team takes the field; but it is magnified significantly for a team on the road.
The Cleveland Browns have an uphill climb in 2016 on the road, as the schedule has dealt them five very difficult road games out of the eight they play. For this Browns team to contend this coming season, they will need to find ways to snatch victory away from the hands of defeat away from FirstEnergy Stadium.
Winning any of these five games will be an extreme challenge, as these matchups serve as giant obstacles over the course of the 2016 schedule. Ranked from fifth to first, these are the five most difficult road games of 2016.
Next: Week 4
5. Week 4: Washington Redskins
An early test for this young Browns team will be one of the most over hyped games of the season, when quarterback Robert Griffin III returns to Washington, the place where he resided for the first four years of his career. Despite the coverage Griffin will get for facing his former team, the significance of Week 4 is far beyond this. The Browns may be in position to close out a solid opening portion of the season, and prevail in a true hurdle against a defending division champion.
The matchup between these two teams is intriguing even besides the Griffin factor. The Redskins run a very methodical offense, and don’t blow anybody away statistically. Still however, they find ways to win games, which is why they emerged as NFC East champions a year ago.
Though the Redskins will be favored in this one, it will likely come down until the last few possessions, in which the Browns will need to execute at a high level to match a team who plays very well in the fourth quarter, especially at home. Winning this game would be a huge boost for Cleveland, as it is one of the more important games they will play.
One aspect of Week 4 which makes it so critical is that it follows three games in which the Browns may very well have a good chance to win. If the Browns can take two of the first three contests, this Washington game will prove to be the difference between 3-1 and 2-2. If they take one of three, this game will determine whether the Browns begin 2-2 or 1-3.
In NFL history, 63% of teams who start the season 3-1 make the postseason, while only 36% of teams who begin 2-2 do the same. What this study proves is that early season NFL games are most indicative of those who will earn playoff appearances.
If the Browns want to contend, they will need to gain an edge early in 2016. This is especially necessary due to the way this season’s schedule is structured, with the more winnable games mostly in the earlier portion. This game in Landover, Maryland may appear to be a monumental upset if the Browns can pull it off. But it would certainly be rewarding, as Cleveland needs to overcome difficult road obstacles placed in their way if they wish to succeed in 2016.
Next: Week 1
4. Week 1: Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles finished 7-9 in 2015, drafted a quarterback in the first round, and were one of several teams who replaced their head coach in the offseason. Their 3-5 2015 home record does not make Lincoln Financial Field appear overly menacing. So why does the Eagles game appear in the top five most difficult road games of 2016?
Week 1’s game in Philadelphia seems like a legitimate opportunity for the Browns to win, if it wasn’t a season opener. After all, the Browns broke an NFL record for most consecutive opening day losses in 2014, and are currently holding on to this record, with 11 consecutive Week 1 defeats.
It may seem like superstition or a silly way of analyzing a football game, but this lingering epidemic of opening day losses is truly a factor in this season’s game. This game isn’t so much about the matchup at hand, though it may be captivating in certain ways. The Browns will undoubtedly be excited for this game, although this unrelenting aspect of it will be at the forefront of conversation surrounding the game once again. It will be a challenge for the Browns to be prepared and overcome such a unique challenge, one that may be mostly mental.
If the 2016 Cleveland Browns truly believe they have overcome the history most often associated with the franchise, an effective way to convince holdout fans of this is to win their opening game. Emotions will be through the roof for all involved in this opening week matchup, and under a new regime, this Browns team will need to overcome a lot to emerge victorious in their opening game. This alone makes Week 1 in Philadelphia one of the most cumbersome battles the Browns will participate in this season.
Next: Week 7
3. Week 7: Cincinnati Bengals
There may not be anything more overwhelming to any NFL team than facing an in-state, in-division foe on the road during a critical part of the season. This momentous matchup for the Browns comes in Week 7, when they travel to Paul Brown Stadium.
The Bengals invest the most pride in their defense, who ranked second overall in points allowed in 2015, surrendering only an average of 17.4 a game. There is no specific defensive juggernaut on Cincinnati’s team, but as a whole, the unit has given the Browns’ offense loads of trouble. The Bengals only gave up 13 points total to the Browns offense in their two meetings in 2015, and home-field advantage will only perpetuate this strength.
It may be one of the more difficult games for the Browns to stay in and compete for late, but Cleveland can do it if they stop a mediocre Cincinnati offense. Slowing the pace of the game down neutralizes many of the advantages Cincinnati possesses over the Browns, and it may make the game close.
The Browns will be heavy underdogs in this one, and may possibly be over matched in many areas. The game will be a possibly insurmountable hill to climb for Cleveland, even if it is a critical game. The talent the Bengals have alone will make this a tough game, one of the toughest of the season, especially on the road.
Next: Week 15
2. Week 15: Buffalo Bills
What most often comes to the average football fan’s mind when the Buffalo Bills are mentioned is all sorts of history. Their infamous four consecutive Super Bowl defeats is what many will think of, in addition to the current longest playoff drought, which was extended to 16 straight seasons in 2015. But all history aside, the Bills rebuilding process is in the rear view mirror. This is a dangerous team, and a group who is ready to contend this season.
With one of the better running backs in all of football, an improving offensive line, and a dominant, complete defense, Buffalo has instituted a winning formula. This is far from good news for the Browns, who travel to Orchard Park, New York in mid-December.
Not only do the Bills have the pieces to win, as the Browns are still going through a lengthy rebuilding process, the Bills will likely gain an extra advantage in this game. The conditions in western New York during mid-December can be brutal, favoring a team like Buffalo who runs the ball effectively and plays solid defense. Depending on how poor the weather becomes, the Browns may be forced out of their comfort zone offensively. If this is the case, expect a long afternoon for Cleveland.
Adapting to conditions like these may be a challenge in itself, but staying in a game against a team like Buffalo will be hard enough even under ideal conditions. They match up well with the Browns, and have won three out of their last four against Cleveland. In addition to all of this, Buffalo is a very difficult place to play, especially for the offense’s communication, which will be paramount for the Browns. The field is buried deep into the ground in Ralph Wilson Stadium, manifesting the sound on the field.
As the season winds down, this Week 15 matchup may have critical playoff implications. If the Browns were to still be in the Wild Card chase, they would quite possibly be in direct conflict with their Week 15 foe, the Buffalo Bills. For a franchise who has endured so much, home-field advantage may make all the difference in a game of this proportion.
Even if the Browns were out of contention though, the Bills would quite possibly be fighting for that elusive postseason spot, energizing their fans and making matters miserable for Cleveland. Due to the implications, the matchup issues, and the raw talent of the Buffalo Bills, the Browns will have a very hard time stealing this late season contest. All of these factors join together, and make Week 15’s game the second most difficult road game for the Browns in 2016.
Next: Week 11
1. Week 11: Pittsburgh Steelers
If there was one game on the Browns schedule in 2016 that may be safe to chalk up as a defeat, it would be the Sunday before Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh. The Steelers went the furthest in the 2015 postseason out of every AFC North team, nearly knocking off the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos. They have the tools offensively and defensively to compete with any NFL team, and contend for a championship this season.
The Browns, on the other hand, are still in the midst of a rebuilding process which may not provide the immediate results against an opponent like Pittsburgh that the fans would like it to. Either way, the mid-November matchup between the Browns and Steelers will be very indicative of the progress of Cleveland’s rebuild, being a seemingly impossible game to win.
The Browns face two very potent offensive threats in this matchup, a running back and a receiver who will give Ray Horton and Cleveland’s defense a headache. Pittsburgh’s Le’veon Bell is the top rusher Cleveland will face in 2016, while Antonio Brown is the toughest receiver on the schedule. Each will contribute to a Steelers offense who has rolled over Cleveland in recent years, dominating the Browns in every facet of the game.
Plus, if history is any indication, the Browns’ chances are very slim at best. Cleveland has defeated Pittsburgh only 3 times in their last 25 meetings. None of these came on the road, as the Browns have lost 15 straight contests in Pittsburgh. To put this shockingly dismal run into perspective, the Browns haven’t won a game in Pittsburgh in this millennium.
Chances may be low, but the Browns feel that this streak will come to a crashing halt eventually. When it does, however, the rebuilding process will likely be over. It will be a tall order for the Browns to compete in Pittsburgh this season, given the many strengths of this Pittsburgh team, and the difficulties the Browns have had in division road games, especially in Pittsburgh.
It seems very clear that this Week 11 game in Pittsburgh is the most unlikely road game for the Browns to win. While it may also be the most rewarding, it seems unwise to muster up a great deal of excitement for this one. Either way, the challenges the Browns face this season will be learning experiences, so that someday under this regime, Cleveland can once again walk out of Pittsburgh victorious.