The Cleveland Browns being a playoff contender during the 2026 season isn't on most football fans' bingo cards. The Browns have a first-time NFL head coach in Todd Monken, are coming off of a dismal five-win season in 2025, and still don't know who their starting quarterback is going to be.
So it's understandable that most experts aren't expecting much from the Browns this year.
Recently, Bleacher Report discussed five teams that weren't serious playoff contenders last season but have a good shot at making the playoffs in 2026. The Browns, however, were left off the list. That's not a big surprise to Browns fans. But some of the teams listed by B/R writer writer Alex Kay certainly don't have much more of a chance.
The Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders, and Tennessee Titans were all listed as potential surprise playoff contenders. Kay threw in the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings, too, for good measure.
I'll give the Vikings a fighter's chance, but the remaining four squads have no more chance than the Browns to make a legitimate run to the playoffs in 2026.
The Browns' schedule offers a more realistic path to the playoffs than many realize
Cleveland plays the Falcons, Raiders, and Titans in 2026 and will have a lot to say when it comes to the final count in the win column. When breaking down the Browns' upcoming schedule, it's easy to see a potential path to success.
While I'm still reluctant to put Cleveland on this list as a playoff contender, its chances of making the postseason is more doable than some want to believe.
The Browns, thanks to one of the NFL's most favorable schedules, have a path to nine or 10 wins. Will that be enough to clinch a playoff berth? It just might be, depending on how competitive the AFC ends up being.
Cleveland opens the season on the road in Florida for the first two weeks of the season to face the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They come home to play the Carolina Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers over the next two weeks. They could easily have a record of 2-2 or 3-1 through those first four games.
Then they get away games against the Titans and Saints. A four-game homestand follows in the heart of the schedule, which could propel Cleveland to even more wins because it includes games against the Raiders and Falcons.
Kay discussed the Falcons' chances of making the playoffs following the hiring of new head coach Kevin Stefanski, who the Browns fired in January. Kay suggested Stefanski has a history of getting off to a good start as a head coach because he took the Browns to the playoffs in the 2020 season, which was his first season with Cleveland.
That's just a ridiculous reason to give the Falcons a better shot at the playoffs than the Browns. Kay also suggested that the Falcons picking up quarterback Tua Tagovailoa after his release from the Miami Dolphins also made them better. However, it's created a quarterback competition between Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr.
Browns fans all know how poorly Stefanski ran a quarterback competition in the past, and it's definitely not going to give the Falcons any more of a chance at the playoffs.
The Raiders have a new quarterback in Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft. While he will certainly help the Raiders, he can't change the team's path in a day, as Kay suggested.
The Titans beat the Browns last season, and in my book, have the best chance at getting to the playoffs. They have a second-year quarterback in Cam Ward returning, a new wide receiver in Carnell Tate from Ohio State, and a strong defense.
While being on a projected list of NFL teams to make a run to the playoffs is nice to read about now, it's nothing but speculation at this point in the season. It's simply sad that some who don't follow the team in depth continue to overlook the Browns and their chances at being an improved team.
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