Cleveland Browns: 5 Bold predictions after the bye

The Cleveland Browns have nine more games to play after their bye week and here are five predictions for the final stretch of games

Things feel much different for the Cleveland Browns following their win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Halloween night. 3-5 might not be that impressive of a record but they’re 2-1 in the AFC North now and have three more games against their rivals — plus they’ll have Deshaun Watson active for those contests.

There’s still a lot of work to do and they have to carry the positive momentum to their final nine games, especially considering how tough the next three matchups will be. With that being said, we look ahead to the remainder of the season and make five bold predictions for the Browns.

Cleveland Browns: 5 Bold predictions after the bye

5. The defense stays on task

When the season began, many of us expected the defense to be the strength of this team. Offensively, they were supposed to keep from losing the game while counting on Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney, Denzel Ward, and the rest of the defenders to keep the scores low.

After eight games, that’s been anything but the case. Jacoby Brissett has been a steady force during much of the year and the offense overall has been very efficient. Unfortunately, the defense has been a problem — and when the offense has made mistakes, it’s been magnified since the defense is very unforgiving.

With all that being said, the defense looked vastly improved in Week 8 and this prediction is that this will be the norm going forward. Sione Takitaki has stepped up as a MIKE linebacker and the defensive line has been playing better. That will be huge down the stretch as they finally help the offense out.