CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The dates and times for the Cleveland Browns are locked in for 15 of the 17 games after the NFL unveiled the full 2023 regular season schedule Thursday night.
Here’s a look at our top 10 Brownie Bites of what is on tap this fall.
1. The Browns will play five playoff teams from 2022 – home/road against the Bengals [Week 1 and 18] and Ravens [Week 4 and 10], at home against the 49ers [Week 6] and Jaguars [Week 14] as well as one the road at Seattle [Week 8].
2. The schedule features eight teams that finished with a losing record in 2022 – Titans at home [Week 3], at Indianapolis [Week 7], Cardinals at home [Week 9], at Denver [Week 12] and the Los Angeles Rams [Week 13], Bears at home [Week 15], at Houston on Christmas eve [Week 16] and the home finale against the Jets [Week 17].
3. Cleveland ranks 26th in strength of schedule based on the 2022 results of their opponents that went a combined 131-154-2 – a .469-win percentage. The Steelers are 25th [134-151-2 .460], the Ravens 21st [138-147-2 .484] and the Bengals 17th [146-140-2 .510] on the strength of schedule scale.
4. The Browns will open and close their season against the Bengals, marking the fifth time in team history they’ve opened and closed a season against the same opponent – 2017 [Pittsburgh Steelers], 1963 [Washington], 1957 [New York Giants] and 1956 [Chicago Cardinals].
5. A heavy dose of AFC North football kicks off the season as all three division foes are on the docket within the first four weeks – Bengals [Week 1], at Pittsburgh [Week 2] and the Ravens at home [Week 4]. This year marks the third time in the expansion era the team opens with back-to-back divisional opponents joining the 2017 and 2020 campaigns.
6. There’s no question the fate of the Browns in 2023 rests on health and then the arm of quarterback Deshaun Watson, which if he plays as well as expected should provide marquee QB matchups almost weekly – Joe Burrow [Bengals], Kenny Pickett [Steelers] and Lamar Jackson [Ravens] twice plus Gardner Minshew/Anthony Richardson [winner of the Colts QB competition], Russell Wilson [Broncos], Geno Smith [Seahawks], Kyler Murray/Colt McCoy [depending on the health of Murray for the Cardinals], Matthew Stafford [Rams], Trevor Lawrence [Jaguars], Justin Fields [Bears], CJ Stroud [assuming he wins the job with the Texans] and Aaron Rodgers [Jets].
7. The Browns have three trips west but will travel 14,792 miles – the ninth fewest miles in the NFL for 2023 but the bulk of their travel will come later in the season because four of the first five games are at home. The Seahawks, Dolphins, Rams, Chargers, Ravens and Cardinals will travel over 25,000 miles this coming season.
8. The Browns are a Prime pick for Thursday night football. They have won five straight on Thursday nights and are 8-2 overall, including a seven-game home winning streak.
9. A total of 10 games are slated to be 1 p.m. kickoffs. Two are a 4:05 kick and there is one 4:15 kickoff in addition to the two primetime games, which both kick off at 8:15.
10. Eight games will be broadcast by CBS, five by Fox, one by ABC [Monday Night Football] and one by Amazon Prime [Thursday Night Football]. Two games – Week 15 against the Bears at home and the Week 18 finale in Cincinnati – are “To Be Determined” on date, kickoff time and networks thanks to NFL flex scheduling.
