Are the Cleveland Browns Ready To Be AFC North Contenders?
Mandatory Credit: Jessica Rapfogel-USA TODAY Sports
In today’s NFL, there is no such thing as an easy win. Looking back to all the years when the Cleveland Browns were dreadful, most of the precious few games they did win were because better teams overlooked them. And they were facing a lot of better teams.
Every year it feels like the Browns receive a stacked schedule with no hope. Isn’t that just how it feels for everyone? Yes and no. Sure, the Browns get the same treatment as every other team in the league on schedule rotation and matchups, but they also get six games per year against an always-tough AFC North. 28 other teams get to avoid that.
No, not saying every other division is a cakewalk, but it would certainly be nice to be in the NFC South, or even the AFC South, although CJ Stroud does appear to be the real deal. The Browns instead get Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson four times a year, and now they get Justin Fields or Russell Wilson on top of that.
But as Cleveland heads into this 2024 season with high expectations after making the playoffs last year, one must ask if the Browns are even in the top half of the AFC North. Let’s take a look.
Low Hanging Fruit:
Let’s start with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who will always be scary because Mike Tomlin is one of the best coaches in the world. Still, it’s clear that the Browns are better than the Steelers right now. Cleveland took care of business against Pittsburgh in Week 11 last year, and may have been able to do the same thing in Week 4 if not for catching a bad break in losing Nick Chubb to an early injury on the road.
Tomlin and the top brass were tired of watching bad quarterback play, and have brought in both Fields and Wilson for 2024. Both have had plenty of highs in the NFL, and came to Pittsburgh for cheap prices. Still, there is no doubt that the Steelers bought them at low market value for a reason.
Wilson could easily have success in the Steelers offense, the Browns clearly are the better team on paper, at least right now.
Up For Debate:
The biggest wild card right now is the Cincinnati Bengals. Yes, the Browns have all but owned them during the Burrow era with a 6-2 record against them since 2020 (5-1 in Burrow starts). But will that continue, or will the Bengals take the next step?
The city of Cleveland should send a Thank You card to Bengals ownership for doing their part to ensure that won’t happen. Given their lack of effort in spending money, the Bengals will continue being the mediocre franchise they’ve always been, even with Burrow at the helm. Their only hope is having a great draft and hitting on a few mid-level free agents. If everything comes up Cincy there, sure, they could make a Super Bowl run like we saw a few years back. But everything has to go right.
Without a change in ownership, they’ll struggle to stay ultra-competitive year after year, which makes it feel right to put them a half peg below the Browns in the AFC North pecking order. On top of all this, there are also still a lot of questions on if Burrow can stay consistently healthy. Their starting quarterback has missed a ton of time over the last few years, and this team has no chance without him.
Still the Clear Leader:
The Dawg Pound won’t like this, but John Harbaugh and the Ravens are still the team to beat in the AFC North until proven otherwise. Although they have struggled in the playoffs the last few years, they’re easily one of the best regular-season teams in the last decade.
What’s so bizarre about this team is how they consistently rally. The Browns have faced a ton of injuries in the last few seasons, but the Ravens have had just as many if not more. It doesn’t matter, they keep winning. No team better represents the “next man up” mentality more than Baltimore. Half the time it feels like they just end up finding a new Pro Bowl-caliber starter when someone gets injured.
Lamar Jackson is by no means an elite thrower of the football, but until the day he isn’t the most athletic guy on the field (which won’t happen anytime soon), he’s going to be a problem. Now that Jackson is paired with a legit running back for the first time in his career, now that Derrick Henry is in the fold, Jackson and the Ravens saw their ceiling raise again.
With all that being said, this doesn’t lock the Browns out of winning the AFC North in 2024. They absolutely can, and that is the next curse they need to break. They’ve sniffed the playoffs, are bringing back a strong roster, and now it’s time to win that division title. Everyone wants to talk about the Super Bowl, but it feels like wrenching a Division Title from the grasp of Pittsburgh and Baltimore is a necessary first step.
This team now has an elite coaching staff, an elite quarterback (on paper), and two of the best defenders in the league in Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward. If they can avoid the injury bug and keep Watson protected in the pocket, this is an 11-plus-win team that even has a shot at a playoff bye. But as we sit here in June and look at the still-loaded AFC North, it’s not nearly soon enough to crown Cleveland as the best team just yet.
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