5 biggest games on the Cleveland Browns 2023 schedule

Every game matters in the grand scheme of things and that's the case for the Cleveland Browns and their recently released schedule. While they need to focus on winning one game at a time, it's fun for us to start the speculation and predictions on the season.

The analysis and breakdown of the schedule has already begun in full force. Cleveland opens their season by playing all their divisional foes within the first four weeks of the season. Speaking of divisional opponents, the Browns open and close the season against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Cleveland has two prime-time games as was previously predicted. They take on the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets on alternate ends of the season under the bright lights.

They'll be going up against the Jets and their new quarterback Aaron Rodgers. I'd also discussed in that previous article that all-important bye week and this year the Browns get their break very early in Week 5 which hasn't happened since 2014 when they had a Week 4 bye.

With those nuggets of the schedule, let's now look a bit more closely at five games on the Browns schedule that will take on a bit more meaning for a variety of reasons.

5. Browns vs. Steelers on Monday Night Football, Week 2

Playing the Pittsburgh Steelers is always one of the most important games of any season for Cleveland. Even when the Browns struggle, which has been a lot over the past 25 years, getting any win over the Steelers is considered a big deal.

Cleveland has the early season opportunity on the national stage to beat their long-time rival. The two squads will face one another in Week 2 — on Monday Night Football.

While the Browns have had a better team on paper in most recent seasons, Rod Bluhm of our Fanatical Elfz Network podcasting group for the Browns noted that when the team travels to Pittsburgh, they struggle most times to the point that you could put anyone from the crowd out there and the Browns might still lose. Sometimes that far-fetched idea isn't too far from the truth.

Back to reality, this game will have a bearing on any early season momentum for either team. This will also be the first time that Deshaun Watson will be on the big stage in front of a national audience for Cleveland. If he can step up and play well, that could go a long way for the season.

The fact that because divisional games are so important in determining the postseason in the NFL this game being played on the heels of the Week 1 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals is overly important.