Cleveland Browns have a clear headache to deal with right out of the gates for the 2025 NFL season
The Cleveland Browns learned their 2025 schedule on Wednesday evening, and it’s shaping up to be a tough one for a team coming off a 3-14 season. Cleveland heads into an intriguing year with multiple quarterbacks in the mix and a depth chart still to be figured out. When it comes to the schedule, the […]
The Cleveland Browns learned their 2025 schedule on Wednesday evening, and it’s shaping up to be a tough one for a team coming off a 3-14 season.
Cleveland heads into an intriguing year with multiple quarterbacks in the mix and a depth chart still to be figured out.
When it comes to the schedule, the NFL did the Browns no favors with how they’ll start the season.
Browns Face a Tough Start in a Brutal 2025 Schedule
Cleveland opens the season with back-to-back AFC North matchups. In Week 1, Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals come to town. Although the Bengals have struggled with slow starts in recent years, they’ll be looking to kick off 2025 with a win. In Week 2, the Browns head to Baltimore to face the Ravens on the road.
The Browns return home in Week 3 for a strong test against the Green Bay Packers, kicking off a three-game stretch against top NFC North teams. In Week 4, they travel to Detroit to take on a talented Lions squad before heading to London in Week 5 to face the Minnesota Vikings. That matchup will be a meaningful one for Kevin Stefanski, as he goes up against the team he came up with.
Cleveland may opt to start the season with Joe Flacco under center, especially given the difficult early stretch. That would be my approach as well, considering it’s not an ideal situation for a rookie quarterback—especially one who wasn’t selected early in the draft. The Browns will weigh options like Kenny Pickett, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel, depending on how the depth chart shakes out. No quarterback has a guaranteed spot, making it a wide-open competition.
Flacco offers the benefit of experience and familiarity with the system. And the Browns will need that reliability as they begin what’s expected to be one of the league’s toughest schedules. According to Sharp Football, Cleveland faces the second-hardest schedule in the NFL, based on Vegas win totals for the upcoming season.
