Dawgs By Nature
The NFL schedule release is right around the corner but Browns schedule looks pretty tough in 2025
The Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars do not play this season, but their fates are intertwined due to the Travis Hunter trade during the 2025 NFL draft. Cleveland already drafted Mason Graham and Quinshon Judkins with picks acquired from the Jaguars, but the 2026 first-rounder will create the most buzz.
With the NFL schedule release right around the corner, there are many ways to analyze a team’s opponents and schedule.
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Cleveland will fly to London for one of those home games.
According to Sharp Football, the Browns schedule is the second hardest in the entire NFL heading into the season:
They note that their metric is not based on last year’s results:
Basing strength of schedule on last year’s records is lazy, inaccurate, and inefficient.
NFL teams often undergo significant changes between seasons, including roster adjustments, coaching staff changes, and player development.
Sharp primarily uses betting win totals and reports success, including last year:
In 2024, just 2 of 10 teams with the toughest schedule made the playoffs (Lions and Rams).
Meanwhile, of the 10 teams with the easiest schedule, 7 produced winning records, with 6 making the playoffs.
Historically, trying to overachieve against a brutal schedule rarely happens.
Maybe Cleveland’s brass understood that leading to the Hunter trade to add more assets to build for 2026 and beyond. That leads to a look at Jacksonville’s schedule and why we will pay close attention to Duval this season. The Jaguars have the sixth-easiest schedule in the NFL, partially due to the low expectations around two of their division rivals.
In 2024, Cleveland and Jacksonville earned top-five picks in the NFL draft due to their poor play. In their trade down, the Browns are betting one or both of the teams will also struggle in 2025. Based on the difficulty of the schedule, that could be their own squad.
Do you think any metric accurately describes a strength of schedule in the NFL or are there too many variables? How hard do you think the Browns schedule looks?
Share your thoughts in the comment section below
