The NFL is the master at creating drama and intrigue. The annual schedule reveal and leaks leading up to it are just one example. The other is the matchups created by the league that get fans excited months before the season begins.
We recently learned the Cleveland Browns will host the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 of the 2024 season at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
There are so many storylines associated with this game that we need a notepad to record them all. Here are some of the reasons why this game is so intriguing.
This game has national excitement written all over it because of three notorious personalities who will either directly or inadvertantly be involved with it.
First is LeBron James. James is a native Ohioan, but fans have been confused in recent years about who his favorite NFL team is. He has claimed the Browns and the Cowboys as his favorite teams (among others) over the years. In a head-to-head matchup to kick off the 2024 season, will King James weigh in on this game or better yet be at it with a bottle of wine similar to his appearance yesterday at the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA playoff game against the Boston Celtics?
Second is ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith who allegedly is a Cowboys fan who makes it his top priority to denigrate his so-called favorite team each week. Will Stephen A. suddenly start singing the Browns' praises leading up to the game?
Third is the rookie FOX broadcaster Tom Brady who will make his NFL broadcasting debut opposite partner Kevin Burkhardt at this game. Everything Brady does is closely scrutinized so he can expect to be critiqued as much as the teams on the field in this high-profile Week 1 matchup.
The Cleveland Browns lead the head-to-head series against the Dallas Cowboys with an 18-14 advantage. The last time these two teams met was in Dallas on October 4, 2020, and the Browns won the game 49-38. Amari Cooper was a Dallas Cowboy, and he had a good day recording 12 catches for 134 yards, one touchdown, and a two-point conversion. Will Cooper match or exceed those statistics when he meets his former team on September 8?
