3 reasons to pump the brakes on Cleveland Browns hype

1. The schedule get immensely tougher after October

As mentioned earlier, the Browns had four games they were supposed to win out of the gate. So far, they dropped one which means they’re going to be 3-1 at best in September. Then, things get tough for them.

After Atlanta, they play the Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before Watson comes back to face the Texans.

It’s likely they find a couple of wins in there, especially with Brian Hoyer starting for the Pats and Justin Herbert playing with a rib injury, but Cleveland will surely be the underdog in almost every one of those games.

In that stretch, they play the defending AFC Champions (who are better than their record indicates even if we don’t want them to be), as well as the Super Bowl winner from the 2020 season in Tampa Bay. There’s also the Bills led by Josh Allen who is one of the early favorites for MVP while the team is a popular pick for the Super Bowl this year.

Throw in the undefeated Dolphins and the Ravens — who have always been an issue with Lamar Jackson under center — and this will be a massive test. Again, enjoy the early success but don’t buy the hype that this team is ready to compete for a title just yet — and Brissett isn’t taking a job from their $230 million quarterback that could turn them into contenders.