Cleveland, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Browns are loaded on both sides of the ball this season and big things are expected.
The defensive line is downright frightening.
Myles Garrett, Sheldon Richardson, Larry Ogunjobi and Olivier Vernon. Three of them have Pro Bowls on their resume. The fearsome foursome combined for 30.5 sacks, 81 quarterback hits and 33 tackles for loss in 2018.
The Browns offense is a powder keg and is expected to explode on the regular with quarterback Baker Mayfield surrounded by Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, Nick Chubb, and let’s not forget David Njoku.
So, let’s shake the magic 8 ball for some predictions for the upcoming season.
Mayfield will finish top-3 in the NFL MVP race. With that supporting cast and coming off a rookie season that saw him set franchise rookie records for passing and an NFL rookie record for touchdown passes, Mayfield is poised for a sensational sophomore campaign.
Chubb gets his 1k. Chubb was denied 1,000 yards in the season finale at Baltimore, finishing 4 shy despite not getting full-time carries until Week 9. He had it, and lost it, but that won’t be a problem this year.
Rashard Higgins leads the team in catches. With so much attention being paid to Beckham and Landry, Higgins will be Mayfield’s most frequent target.
The Browns will score the most points in a season in franchise history. In 2007 the Browns scored 402 points, averaging just over 25 points per game, a franchise record. They should have little problem eclipsing that mark in 2019.
Garrett will smash the franchise record for sacks. Granted, we’re not exactly going out on a limb on this one, but after tallying 13.5 sacks a year ago, and with the reinforcements added this offseason, don’t be shocked if Garrett approaches 20 setting himself up for a massive payday when his rookie deal gets extended.
Win some, lose some. In the NFL teams typically win a game they aren’t “supposed to,” and they also lose one they “shouldn’t” lose which means they’ll probably beat the Rams, Seahawks or Patriots and lose to either the Bills, Bengals or Dolphins. That’s life in the NFL.
They will beat the Steelers and Ravens. It's never been done before but the Browns will beat the Ravens and Steelers in the same season.
The Browns will finish 10-6. They have the talent to beat anyone on any given Sunday but going from 7 to double digit wins won’t be easy. Here’s how we arrived at 10-6: Sept. 8 vs. Titans – Win, Sept. 16 at NY Jets – Win, Sept. 22 vs. LA Rams – Loss, Sept. 29 at Baltimore – Loss, Oct. 7 at San Francisco – Win, Oct. 13 vs. Seahawks – Loss, Oct. 27 at New England – Loss, Nov. 3 at Denver – Win, Nov. 10 vs. Bills – Loss, Nov. 14 vs. Steelers – Win, Nov. 24 vs. Dolphins – Win, Dec. 1 at Pittsburgh – Loss, Dec. 8 vs. Bengals – Win, Dec. 15 at Arizona – Win, Dec. 22 vs Ravens – Win, Dec. 29 at Cincinnati – Win.
Slow start, strong finish. Don’t freak out if the Browns start slow, as in are 3-3 through 6 or 4-4 through the first 8 games. The schedule early is brutal, but it is set up for a strong finish which is why they’ll be a better second-half of the season team than the first.
Playoffs? And they’ll win a game. Not only will the Browns make the playoffs and end the longest drought in the league, but they’ll win a game in January as well. What happens after that is anyone’s guess. Maybe they’ll shock the world and make it to the AFC championship game or the Super Bowl. They have the talent to do it, we’re just not ready to step out on that ledge, yet.
