The Browns Have Created A Golden Opportunity
Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
In life, conquering an extremely difficult challenge often leads to great opportunity. The same is true in the NFL. When the league schedule was released back in April, Cleveland Browns fans scrolled through their screens to Week 1 only to find Joe Burrow and his AFC powerhouse Cincinnati Bengals staring them in the face. Cleveland would be underdogs in their own building to begin the year. Their prospect of starting 2023 on the right note immediately became daunting.
But thanks to some offseason changes, Kevin Stefanski’s group walked into Cleveland Browns Stadium on Sunday and dropped a dominant 23-7 victory over the reigning AFC North Champions. The Week 1 upset puts the team in position to capitalize on a unique early schedule and launch their 2023 in a big way.
Cleveland didn’t just draw the Bengals, they drew all three divisional opponents in the first four weeks of the season. The Browns will see the Pittsburgh Steelers, who will likely be without all Cam Heyward and Diontae Johnson, this coming Monday night, and then after a game against the Tennessee Titans they’ll host the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4.
With a much-improved defense and an offense that should only get better from here, this team is built for an early divisional schedule. A 4-0 start with a 3-0 divisional record is legitimately in the cards. If Stefanski’s new-look Browns can pull it off, they can stake an early claim to an AFC North that most anticipated would be a season-long bloodbath.
After Week 4, the Browns have one of the toughest tasks of their season when the San Francisco 49ers come to town. But then, in Weeks 6 through 8, things really lighten up. Matchups against the Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks, and Arizona Cardinals present an excellent opportunity to put together a winning streak that could legitimately leave the team at 7-1 heading into Week 9. And then guess who’s back? The Steelers and Ravens.
I know, we’re playing a giant game of what-ifs and pondering the best-case scenarios with a homer’s enthusiasm. But, let’s be honest, being a Cleveland Browns fan has been absolutely brutal for almost the entirety of the modern organization. Enough of this sitting back and waiting for the other shoe to drop. Sunday was a monster victory. With all the organization-wide changes, there’s reason to believe that the win over the Bengals is the start of a trend, as opposed to an outlier.
Jim Schwartz is bringing tenacity to the secondary, who had their best game in recent memory on Sunday. Schwartz’s two new studs, Za’Darius Smith and Dalvin Tomlinson, are looking as advertised as they elevate one of the best players in the league, Myles Garrett. Yes, Burrow was hobbled on Sunday to a certain degree, but this defense came to play in a way they hadn’t in years.
On offense, Elijah Moore showed glimpses of what everyone, including Greg Newsome II, believes he can be. A 33-yard touchdown showed off the speed and ability that the Browns believe Moore can bring to the table. His presence will be a game-tape nightmare, not just in the passing game but also the ever dangerous jet-sweep game. If Watson wears the rust off and Nick Chubb continues to be Nick Chubb, watch out.
If you want to sit back and think that all these things happening against one of the best teams in the league deserve a wait-and-see approach, go ahead. We’ll be over here having fun and going all-in.
At 7-1, Weeks 9 and 10 would represent an opportunity to put the AFC North out of reach for Tomlin and Harbaugh. A chance to develop a killer instinct against your biggest rivals as you prepare for the stretch run of the season. From Week 11 on, it’s a laughably light schedule, with the exception of the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New York Jets before the Browns close the season against the team they opened it with.
Perhaps that game ends up having a lot of meaning and the Browns have a chance to button both ends of a magical season by beating their in-state rival. Perhaps, given the way things could go, the Browns are resting starters and don’t have to think twice about Joe Burrow.
Or perhaps we are insane to be discussing any of this after a simple Week 1 victory, and this year will turn into a classic Cleveland disaster. But when you’ve lived through Tim Couch, Johnny Manziel, Hue Jackson and the rest of the nonsense and you see preseason hype materialize into Week 1 reality against one of the league’s best we say have at it. Enjoy imagining and prognosticating Browns fans, you’ve earned it ust like the team has earned the opportunity they’ve created.
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