Cleveland Browns: FanSided win/loss projection for 2017
The Cleveland Browns enter every game this season as underdogs meaning the win/loss projections for the season are a bit tough on the eyes.
The Cleveland Browns open training camp in less than ten days and fans are already looking ahead to the start of the regular season, which begins September 10. Can you believe it?
The long offseason filled with very little drama has been a nice change from the usual hectic nature of being a Browns fans from January through August, but the games will bring back both the stress and the excitement.
A new season means predicting the record, which we have been doing here periodically throughout the offseason.
The Dawg Pound Daily staff may be a bit biased so it is interesting to see how those outside of the loyal fan base think the team will do in 2017.
A recent FanSided article broke down predictions for all 32 teams, pegging the Browns to finish with a record of 3-13.
"However, they still play in the same AFC North with the likes of the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cleveland is good enough to win a game, maybe both, over the reeling Cincinnati Bengals, but until the Browns start winning games over Baltimore and Pittsburgh few outside of Northeast Ohio are going to take them seriously.Expect Cleveland to play hard under head coach Hue Jackson this year. He seems to be the right guy for the job. The Browns have drafted better these last two years. Frankly, they are still a year away from even considering being mediocre, but progress is progress."
Three wins would indeed be progress after a 1-15 season, but that would still be a major disappointment and mark the third year in a row in which the team failed to win more than three games.
Winning three games would do nothing to inspire confidence. The problem with the Browns in the recent past has been closing games. Rare leads dissipate quickly and games are lost at the end. Changing a few of those outcomes can be the difference between finishing 3-13 and 7-9, so another 3-13 year would mean fans were in for 13 rough viewing experiences.
Next: Is the 53-man roster already established?
Predicting the final record is tough to do with a team coming into each game as an underdog, but it is fair to believe the Browns must eclipse the three-win mark for the season to be considered remotely successful.