Cleveland Browns 2024 Opponent Preview

Ranking the Browns' 2024 regular season opponents from easiest to most difficult using data and other information.

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Predicting a team’s schedule difficulty is not a simple task. However, we can use the best available information to make informed predictions about which opponents are likely to be the biggest challenges.

We can rank the Cleveland Browns’ 2024 opponents from easiest to hardest, using a collection of benchmarks and data. For our purposes, the primary data points are the implied win totals from Vegas Insider, the prior year’s DVOA rank, as well as roster changes and Expected Points Added.

The perceived opponent difficulty is divided into four tiers, with Tier 4 being the easiest and Tier 1 the most difficult. Of course, these rankings could change due to injuries to key players or other factors, but this is where I believe things stand as of today.

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Tier 4

Denver Broncos (Week 13)

Implied Win Total: 5.5

DVOA Rank: 24th

Notable Additions: QB Bo Nix

Notable Departures: QB Russell Wilson, WR Jerry Jeudy, S Justin Simmons

Statistics to Know: Passing offense had the 2nd-longest time to throw (3.03 seconds), i.e. the time elapsed from snap to pass forward (excludes sacks) and were bottom-6 in sack rate (9.2 percent) and quarterback pressure rate (42.8 percent) allowed. Defense surrendered the 6th-most points per game (24.3).

Analysis: Given the difficulty of the Browns schedule on paper, the team must win the against the “easier” opponents like the Broncos. Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz should do his best to have rookie quarterback Bo Nix seeing ghosts via simulated pressures and blitzes that force him to get rid of the ball quickly and make mistakes.