The Cleveland Browns need to establish a home-field advantage

The Cleveland Browns are limping back to FirstEnergy Stadium to face the Seattle Seahawks in a pivotal matchup. Already at 0-2 at home this season, the Browns need to stop the bleeding and establish a home-field advantage.

Rewind to the Cleveland Browns season opener, the atmosphere at FirstEnergy Stadium was absolutely electric. The excitement was palpable. You could literally feel the optimism in the air. During the player introductions before kickoff, the crowd was deafening. It almost didn’t seem real.

I distinctly remember thinking, this is what a Cleveland Browns home game is going to be like from here on out. How could any visiting team even stand a chance…Then the game happened.

The 67,000+ fans in attendance could not have been more ready for the game, but unfortunately the team did not follow suit. Short of the opening drive touchdown, the fans were not given anything to cheer for. The raucous crowd kept it up for as long as they could. But eventually the reality of the situation set in.

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The Week 3 Sunday Night Football matchup with the Los Angeles Rams was much of the same. It was an unbelievable environment leading into kickoff. The defense held up their end of the bargain and kept the crowd in the game until the bitter end. But thanks to the offense, the game did end quite bitterly.

Now the Browns make their return to FirstEnergy Stadium after Jekyll and Hyde performances on the road. The one thing that is known for sure is that the stadium will be packed. So far, the stadium being sold out is the only positive that can be drawn from all the off-season hype.

The fans have absolutely no way of knowing which Browns team they will be cheering on. But if the stars align and the football gods are feeling generous that day, and the competitive Browns show up for kickoff, the fans will be there to properly greet them.

If the Browns are able to get off to a fast start on Sunday, the stadium will be at a fever pitch instantaneously. FirstEnergy Stadium is a proverbial powder keg just waiting for something to ignite it. At this point in the season, it’s up to the Browns’ offense to light the fuse. If Nick Chubb were to break off a long run or dare I say, Baker Mayfield connects with Odell Beckham on an opening drive touchdown, the eruption from the stadium would register on the Richter scale.

The Browns desperately need to establish a home-field advantage. The groundwork has been laid for the Browns to have one of, if not the most, difficult stadiums for visiting teams to play in. Everything they need is already in place: A sold-out stadium, a passionately rabid fanbase, and a city hungry for success. All the Browns need to do is perform and the rest will take care of itself.

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Before the last home game in 2018, Baker Mayfield called out the fans to sell-out the stadium so they could feed off the energy. Well, the tables have turned and now it’s the fans’ turn to call out the team out for not giving them anything in return. The fans will show up on Sunday. Will the Browns return the favor?

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