Cleveland Browns second half look ahead: positive and negative outlooks

What are the best and worst-case scenarios for the 2020 Cleveland Browns?

The 2020 NFL season, for the Cleveland Browns, has been filled with super high highs as well as some super low lows. From 30+ point losses to division rivals to four-game win streaks, the emotional state of Browns fans is in a constant state of flux. Let’s take a look at both the best-case scenario and the worst-case scenario when it comes to nine games that are remaining this season.

Worst-Case Scenario

It’s initially difficult to come up with a worst-case scenario for the Browns this season. If you told the majority of Browns fans that they would be 5-2 heading into Week 8 they would take it in a heartbeat. This has been, by far, the best Browns season I have personally been able to witness in my life. But there are still many causes for concern that should not go unnoticed.

We cannot go any further into this analysis without mentioning the injury that wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. sustained last week against Cincinnati. He has been diagnosed with a torn ACL and will miss the remainder of the season.

This is going to create a huge void in the offense’s production. Beckham has yet to achieve the statistical prowess of his days in New York but that doesn’t mean that he hasn’t been productive for the offense. Most of what Beckham does for Cleveland is without the ball. He’s often used as a decoy to attract the attention of the defense, opening up avenues for Baker Mayfield to get the ball to other receivers in single coverage.

Beckham is the fastest and most athletic player in the Cleveland offense and the way that defenses play him proves it. Without Beckham on the field, it will hurt the offense’s production as a unit, as defenses will not have to worry about his blazing speed and shifty double moves.

Another point of concern is the two terrible losses the team has sustained so far this season. In Week 1 the Browns lost in Baltimore by a score of 38-6. This smackdown at the hands of Lamar Jackson and the Ravens left many Browns fans wondering if we had another long, sad season ahead of ourselves. Fast forward to the Week 6 matchup with Pittsburgh where the Browns lost 38-7, you can see a similar result.

These two losses are concerning because they came against the best opponents, the Browns have faced so far this year. It has to bring you to question if this Browns team is able to hang with the big dogs. Four of Cleveland’s wins so far this year have come against subpar opponents with losing records. The only semi-noteworthy win came against the Colts with a struggling Phillip Rivers at quarterback. The losses have been bad, and the wins have been relatively unimpressive.

With these things in mind, Cleveland’s hot 5-2 start takes a turn for the worst as the Browns lose four of their next five games crashing back down to .500. Even in a worst-case scenario projection I still cannot project a loss to the Giants and Jets. But the Browns get destroyed again by Baltimore and Pittsburgh in the final quarter of the season leaving them with a record of 8-8.

An 8-8 record is still most likely a playoff team given the NFL playoff has expanded from 6 to 7 teams per conference, but it is far from guaranteed. The AFC is highly competitive and the Wild Card slots are going to be hard to come by. Even in the worst-case scenario, it’s hard to see the Browns missing the playoffs this year since they started off so hot, but it is also hard to imagine them making it anywhere past the first round as well.

Best-Case Scenario

This is the section where Browns fans go to die. The place where you go to get your hopes and dreams crushed just as it has happened time and time before this. Regardless of the past performance and let-downs of Browns teams, there is much to be excited about looking forward to the second half of the season.

The Kevin Stefanski offense has been in large part a success. Cleveland has had a ton of success marrying the run game with the play-action. Between the two tackles acquired during the off-season and the hiring of Bill Callahan to coach the offensive line, it has been a dramatic and quick improvement. The quick growth of the offensive line has been one of the great “worst-to-first” stories so far this year.

Mayfield seems to have all of the time in the world to get the ball to his stout group of receivers, especially on those play-action bootlegs. He has definitely had the most time to stand in the pocket since he was drafted to Cleveland in 2018 and it shows in his production as his TD-INT ratio has doubled what it was last year.

Running back Kareem Hunt has also played a significant role in the offense since Nick Chubb went on IR. Hunt hasn’t missed a beat and has been able to keep the defenses honest with his powerful running and his receptions out of the backfield.

The defensive side of the ball is a bit of a concern as it tends to be pretty leaky in the back 7 but defensive end Myles Garrett is applying almost constant pressure on opposing quarterbacks making up for the lack of coverage downfield.

Not to mention the schedule is also relatively easy for the rest of the season. The Browns are 4-0 against teams at or below .500 up to this point this year. If that trend continues, Cleveland will be able to add six more wins to their resumé giving them a final record on the year of 11-5. That record includes losses to Tennessee, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh during the final nine games.

The Browns offense is for real and it is here to stay. With many inferior opponents coming up on the schedule it is hard to see them being able to keep pace with the Kevin Stefanski offense. A Browns season that finishes 11-5 would have people dancing in the streets in late December. It’s time for Cleveland fans to get their hopes up because this is a real possibility.

This performance to end the season will make Cleveland in the hunt to win the division, and even if they are edged out by Baltimore or Pittsburgh, they will receive a top wild card slot with a ton of momentum heading to their first playoff game in over a decade.