Browns full season prediction post-53-man roster
By Randy Gurzi
The Browns have their roster set as well as their 16-man practice squad. With that behind us, we predict how the 2022 season will unfold.
The roster is set and we know how long the Cleveland Browns will be without Deshaun Watson. For a while, it felt as though there would never be any clarity, but we finally have plenty of it for the Browns.
Now, with the initial team set, we look ahead to the coming season and predict each game’s outcome.
Browns full season prediction post-53-man roster
Week 1, Sept. 11: Browns at Panthers
It’s going to be an interesting battle in Charlotte to kick off the 2022 season. Cleveland will face off with Baker Mayfield and the Carolina Panthers. While Mayfield has said the right things since heading to his new team, he did slip up recently and give Cleveland some bulletin-board material.
To his credit, he might not have meant the conversation to go public, but that won’t matter. The Browns defense will be fired up. Even so, we all know he’s an emotionally-driven player, so this will probably be his best outing of the season. It’s going to be closer than many think, but the running attack should keep the orange and brown in the lead.
Prediction: Cleveland 20, Carolina 17
Week 2, Sept. 18: Browns vs. New York Jets
After facing off with the Panthers in Week 1, it’s back home for Cleveland. They finally got their first opening-day win since 2004 and now look to add a home-opening win as well.
The Jets aren’t a great team yet and Zach Wilson might not be at 100 percent just yet after having arthroscopic knee surgery on Aug. 16 to fix a meniscus tear. Look for the Browns to take advantage and win one at home.
Prediction: Cleveland 24, New York 16
Week 3, Sept. 22: Browns vs. Steelers (TNF)
It’s a short turn-around, which might not be good for Cleveland considering their offense is still learning to work together. On top of that, the Steelers are always a problem and shouldn’t be counted out yet. They steal this one at FirstEnergy, but a 2-1 start to the season is just fine.
Prediction: Pittsburgh 27, Cleveland 19
Record in September: 2-1
Overall Record: 2-1