Fair is a funny concept in professional sports. Weather, luck, ownership, injuries and a variety of other variables lead to a level of unfairness. In the NFL, which division and conference you play in, specifically if you have to go through Patrick Mahomes, leads to a level of unfairness.
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For the Cleveland Browns, the 2023 NFL season was a combination of luck and unfairness. Injuries robbed Nick Chubb, Jack Conklin, Deshaun Watson and many others from a large number of games. On the other hand, facing fading teams late in the season like Jacksonville, Chicago and New York along with Houston without CJ Stroud allowed the Browns to run their record to an impressive 11-6 and a playoff birth.
Even earlier in the season, a missed field goal by San Francisco and a (seemingly) bad call against Indianapolis provided Cleveland with two wins they probably shouldn’t have achieved.
Heading into the 2024 NFL season, figuring out where the Browns will finish in the tough AFC North is difficult. Cleveland improved the roster slightly while keeping together a dominant defense. Given what looks like a loaded schedule, especially on the backend, the Browns could struggle to match last year’s record even if they play well.
While “sorting out the AFC’s middle class,” former NFL GM Randy Mueller (no relation) notes that Cleveland could play as well as last year but not end up with as good of a record:
Ultimately, the Browns might be as good or better than last season (when they went 11-6), but in this brutal division, it might not translate to results unless the QB takes a big step.
Mueller says what everyone has said this offseason: The Browns results fall directly into the hands of QB Deshaun Watson. If Watson takes a step up from last year, Cleveland has a strong chance to compete for the AFC North crown. If he doesn’t, the Browns will need more luck than they got last year.
