Daily Dawg Tags: A tough schedule lies ahead in 2018
By Thomas Moore
The Cleveland Browns now know their schedule for 2018 and another rough season could be in store for the team.
The NFL’s regular season came to a close on Sunday, which means that the Cleveland Browns final two opponents for 2018 are now on the books.
And while much will change between now and opening weekend in September, a cursory look at the schedule shows that there should be at least a winnable game or two on the slate, which will be a nice change of pace from what Browns fans have the past two years under head coach Hue Jackson.
In addition to the annual home-and-home games with AFC North compatriots the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals, the Browns will host the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers and the New York Jets.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns will hit the road to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos and Houston Texans.
The division games are always a problem for the Browns, who are just 27-87 against the Steelers, Ravens and Bengals since 1999, a winning percentage of just .237. (Which is actually a number that Jackson is envious of after posting a winning percentage of .031 with the Browns.)
The home portion of the schedule could be problematic as well, as the Falcons, Panthers and Chiefs all made the playoffs this season, while the Chargers just missed out on a tiebreaker.
The road slate looks to be one that will be a bit easier to navigate as the Buccaneers (5-11), Raiders (6-10 and making a coaching change), Broncos (5-11 and in a quarterback mess under “football lifer” John Elway) and the Texans (4-12) are all coming off disappointing seasons.
Of course, nothing is ever easy for the Browns, especially with Jackson running the show, as Cleveland managed to lose games this season to the Texans, the 5-11 Jets, the 5-11 Chicago Bears and the 4-12 Indianapolis Colts.
There is a lot of work to be done before the Browns tee it up for real again this fall, but looking at the schedule today shows that if general manager John Dorsey truly believes that not winning the division is “unacceptable” then someone will have some explaining to do.
Cleveland Browns news:
Browns eyeing coaching, front office additions
The Cleveland Browns are embarking on an offseason that will see considerable change to the team. The changes may not be confined to just the field, however, as a pair of reports say the Browns are looking at candidates for the role of offensive coordinator and another body in the front office.
A look back at the defining moments from 0-16 (cleveland.com)
"The Cleveland Browns became a part of NFL history on Sunday afternoon when they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 28-24, at Heinz Field. They became just the second team in NFL history to finish 0-16, joining the 2008 Detroit Lions. Yes, the season lacked wins, but it didn’t lack interesting storylines and many of the games included some sort of moment that had everyone talking about what happened."
Browns parade organizer did not expect it to happen (ESPN)
"Chris McNeil may be the most disappointed of all the many thousands of disappointed Cleveland Browns fans. McNeil is the man responsible for the Perfect Season Parade that will take place around FirstEnergy Stadium on Saturday, a parade to acknowledge the Browns’ 0-16 season."
DeShone Kizer hopes to grow from rookie season (clevelandbrowns.com)
"The day after his rookie season came to an end, DeShone Kizer expressed disappointment in being unable to lift the Browns to a win in 2017. But the quarterback believes he’ll grow from a year of highs, lows and everything in between."
NFL news:
Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer retires after 15 seasons (azcentral.com)
"Carson Palmer never fully bought into the vision Bruce Arians shared in 2013 when he compared himself and Palmer with old cowboys looking for one last rodeo. But that’s how they ended up."
Bengals defy logic, sign Marvin Lewis to an extension (Cincy Jungle)
"Marvin Lewis has coached nearly twice as many games during his 15 years in Cincinnati as any other head coach in Bengals’ history. And, we now know he’ll be adding to that as the Bengals have decided to bring him back for his 16th season as head coach of the Bengals. The team announced on Tuesday that Lewis had been signed to a two-year contract extension."
Nick Foles will start Philadelphia’s first playoff game (phillyvoice.com)
"In Doug Pederson’s first press conference after having reviewed the tape of Nick Foles’ most recent dreadful performance, he confirmed that Foles would remain the starter in the Eagles’ first playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, or New Orleans Saints on December 13th. When asked if Foles would start, Pederson responded, “Yes. To be clear.”"