The Cleveland Browns have the toughest strength of schedule for the 2024 season

The Cleveland Browns have been tapped as the NFL team with the toughest strength of schedule for the upcoming 2024 season.

Football fans going through withdrawal during the lull in the NFL calendar created by a delay in the release of the NFL team schedules are digesting this information.

How significant is strength of schedule? Opinions vary because it is based on the collective win-loss percentage of the Browns' opponents in the 2023 season (.547). The historical calculation is viewed as meaningless by some because players change teams each year, and injuries change the trajectory of a team's performance from one year to the next.

Who are the Cleveland Browns 2024 opponents?

One team making the Browns' strength of schedule calculation high is the two-time defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. The Browns are slated to host the Chiefs at Cleveland Browns Stadium, a coming home event for Chiefs star tight end and Ohio native Travis Kelce.

Another tough team on the schedule that the Browns play on the road is the Philadelphia Eagles. They are a year removed from their Super Bowl defeat against the Chiefs. Playing in front of a hostile crowd at Lincoln Financial Field is never easy, but even more challenging when the Eagles are loaded with talent and among the best teams in the NFL.

The Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys, playoff contenders last season, are also on the Browns' list of opponents in 2024. Both are going to be home games.

Given the competitiveness of the AFC North, the Browns automatically have a built-in tough schedule every year because they face the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers for four games each season. Both teams were playoff contenders last season. The Cincinnati Bengals are a couple of years removed from their Super Bowl runner-up season, and with a healthy Joe Burrow back in the mix, the Browns have arguably six of the toughest division games in the NFL.

For those curious about the team with the easiest strength of schedule, it is a tie between the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons; both teams' opponents come in at .453.

The strength of schedule is an interesting barometer but is not in any way a predictor of how the season will go. Learn more about the Browns 2024 schedule when the NFL releases the complete schedule for each of the 32 teams on Wednesday, May 15 at 8 PM EDT.

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