As if you would need an entire article to tell you this, but the 2024 Cleveland Browns are statistically as bad as you feel like they are, unfortunately affirming what the eye test can tell any Browns fan this season.
There are always a few stats you can farm for that confirm your biases or what you already know as a football watcher. You can look to EPA, or expected points added per play, to measure how well a team's quarterback or other pieces on offense are playing. Jameis Winston, for example, had a 5.7 EPA in Week 11 - good for 12th overall.
But, the Browns are more than their signal caller this season. Between some disappointing effort from their defense in Week 11 and a complete lack of diversity in their offense and run game specifically, Cleveland is in a total rut. They don't seem primed to be crawling out of that rut any time soon, either, considering their payroll.
Read more: It sure sounds like the Deshaun Watson contract will haunt the Browns for years
When looking at team DVOA, or defense-adjusted value over average, you're looking at how successful each team is on each down of a game, and comparing that success against other teams in the league. It's an excellent measurement to determine, regardless of record, just how great or terrible a team is - for the Browns, it's just another way to see just how poorly the team has performed as a whole.
Here is the NFL ordered by team DVOA through 11 weeks of action.
Team DVOA through Week 11
Team | DVOA |
|---|---|
Detroit Lions | 49.8% |
Baltimore Ravens | 35.7% |
Buffalo Bills | 24.4% |
Minnesota Vikings | 22.9% |
Kansas City Chiefs | 21.4% |
San Francisco 49ers | 21.1% |
Philadelphia Eagles | 18.0% |
Green Bay Packers | 15.5% |
Los Angeles Chargers | 14.2% |
Denver Broncos | 14.0% |
Houston Texans | 13.3% |
Arizona Cardinals | 13% |
Washington Commanders | 12.6% |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 11.4% |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7.7% |
Cincinnati Bengals | 2.1% |
Seattle Seahawks | 2.0% |
Los Angeles Rams | -0.1% |
Atlanta Falcons | -2.6% |
New Orleans Saints | -2.9% |
Indianapolis Colts | -5.1% |
New York Jets | -12.2% |
Chicago Bears | -16.1% |
Miami Dolphins | -17.1% |
New York Giants | -19% |
Jacksonville Jaguars | -19.1% |
Dallas Cowboys | -21% |
Tennessee Titans | -28.4% |
Las Vegas Raiders | -30.5% |
New England Patriots | -35.5% |
Carolina Panthers | -41.8% |
Cleveland Browns | -44.2% |
The Browns have to win Week 12 against Steelers
The Browns' game against the Pittsburgh Steelers might be the most important game of Kevin Stefanski's tenure with Cleveland. If the Browns can pull it out, he can likely live to see another game. But, with a loss in primetime to a divisional rival during a season in the gutter, Stefanski might find himself off the team by Thanksgiving.
Stefanski is far from the reason for this team giving up. Between terrible QB play from Deshaun Watson to open the season and now the defense beginning to fall apart, the Browns were set up for failure. However, potentially going 2-9 is a tough look for Stefanski, and with another former Coach of the Year lurking on the sideline in Mike Vrabel, Browns ownership might be fine with pulling the plug on his time with the team.