The Cleveland Browns are coming off a three-win season, their worst since going winless in 2017.
Will they be able to improve on that record? An uncertain quarterback situation at this point makes everything a big question mark.
There may be a path to some improvement, however. It comes in the form of some good health, players playing to potential and, of course, navigating the schedule the Browns found out about on Wednesday, May 14.
So, with the benefit of no crystal ball into how these teams will all actually look once the season begins, here are way-too-early game-by-game predictions from Akron Beacon Journal.
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Week 1: vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m. Sept. 7, Fox
Joe Burrow against Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders. Can Myles Garrett’s past success against Burrow and the Bengals, plus a home crowd, provide an edge? This pick falls completely in the “Week 1 produces weird results” category. Pick: Win
Week 2: at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. Sept. 14, CBS
The schedule makers did the Browns no favors, jumping right into the teeth of the AFC North. Lamar Jackson in Baltimore’s home opener is not the ideal spot for an upset. Pick: Loss
Week 3: vs. Green Bay Packers, 1 p.m. Sept. 21, Fox
If there was a division as tough or tougher than the AFC North last year, and will likely be the same this year, it’s the NFC North. And after seeing the top two favorites in the AFC North in the first two weeks, how about the first of three in a row against arguably the best three NFC North teams. Pick: Loss
Week 4: at Detroit Lions, 1 p.m. Sept. 28, Fox
The Lions may not be what they were a year ago, when they were the No. 1 seed in the NFC. They still will be very, very, very good. Pick: Loss
Week 5: vs. Minnesota Vikings (in London), 9:30 a.m. Oct. 5, NFL Network
The Vikings will have already been in the United Kingdom for a week before the Browns even get over there. Again, consider this a pick based on weird things happening at times in these international games. Pick: Win
Week 6: at Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m. Oct. 12, CBS
This may be the worst Steelers roster, at least right now, of the Mike Tomlin era. The game’s still in Pittsburgh, though. Pick: Loss
Week 7: vs. Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. Oct. 19, CBS
The Dolphins struggle with good teams, but consistently beat up on the bad ones. Mid-October isn’t exactly the time for the coldest of weather in Cleveland, either. Pick: Loss
Week 8: at New England Patriots, 1 p.m. Oct. 26, Fox
Mike Vrabel spent last season in the Browns facility as a consultant. He knows what he’s facing, just like he knows who his quarterback is going to be going forward. Pick: Loss
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Week 9: Bye week
It’s awfully tough for any team to lose the bye week. At least for football reasons.
Week 10: at New York Jets, 1 p.m. Nov. 9, CBS
The Browns come off the bye refreshed. One thing they’ve not been good at under Kevin Stefanski? Winning coming out of the bye week. Pick: Loss
Week 11: vs. Baltimore Ravens, 4:25 p.m. Nov. 16, CBS
The Browns sprung the upset a year ago against the Ravens in a similar spot. Could it happen again? Pick: Loss
Week 12: at Las Vegas Raiders, 4:05 p.m. Nov. 23, CBS
The Raiders know who their quarterback is — Geno Smith. The Browns may have an idea of who it is by this point in the season. The NFL can be weird at times. Pick: Win
Week 13: vs. San Francisco 49ers, 1 p.m. Nov. 30, CBS
There’s a real chance there are 20,000 49ers fans in the stands, at least, for this game. They did it two years ago when the Browns were on their way to an 11-win season. Pick: Loss
Week 14: vs. Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. Dec. 7, Fox
Cam Ward vs. Shedeur Sanders? It might be by this point in the season. Pick: Win
Week 15: at Chicago Bears, 1 p.m. Dec. 14, Fox
The Bears might be the NFL’s surprise team of the season. The weather in Chicago on Dec. 14 wouldn’t be a surprise if it’s snowing. Pick: Loss
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Week 16: vs. Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. Dec. 21, CBS
The Bills could be playing to secure the top seed in the AFC playoffs. Will the Browns be playing for the top pick in the NFL draft? Pick: Loss
Week 17: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m. Dec. 28, CBS
Remember what it said about the first game in Pittsburgh? It may still hold true by the next-to-last game of the season. Only the game will be in Cleveland this time. Pick: Win
Week 18: at Cincinnati Bengals, Time TBD, Date TBD, Channel TBD
There’s no guarantee the Bengals aren’t already locked into the playoffs. The better bet is that they’re going to be playing this game with all sorts of playoff and/or AFC North ramifications. Pick: Loss
Browns record prediction 2025
We’ve got the Browns finishing, in this way-too-early projection, the 2025 NFL season at 5-12.
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Browns 2025 game-by-game predictions after schedule release
Reporting by Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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