DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum 2019 NFL Schedule

It's always games and not weeks.

Thanks.

IMO the Titans and Jets games are huge for us ... if we'd start 0-1 and, gasp, 0-2 ... then have the Rams/Ravens/Pats/Broncos on the horizon .... not a good recipe

I think starting 2-0 would literally make our season go in the right direction

how about that we never have more than 2 consecutive 1:00PM start times haha

Hope we get out of the gate. Tough go of it before the BYE, same with Pittsburgh though. I can easily see us at 3-3 with fans screaming "we should be 5-1!"... and we come out of the BYE traveling to NE and DEN. The Thursday Night game, hosting the Steelers on Nov 14 (week 11), may just be the biggest regular season games for our franchise in decades.

Some observations...


Division rivals / UNcommon opponents (2018 WINS)

CLE: @ DEN (6) / TEN (9)

PIT: @ LA CHARGERS (12) / INDY (10)

BAL: @ KC (12) / HOU (11)


Misc notes:

CLE @ NE: Cleveland coming off BYE, NE on short week (Mon, Oct 21 @ JETS)

PIT hosts RAMS after LA's BYE

BAL schedule is backloaded, PIT and CLE play much tougher competition before BYE week.
BAL plays three playoff teams in four weeks after BYE (including both Superbowl participants)
Week 9, Nov. 3 New England Patriots 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Week 10, Nov. 10 @ Cincinnati Bengals 1 p.m. (CBS)
Week 11, Nov. 17 Houston Texans 1 p.m. (CBS)
Week 12, Nov. 25 @ Los Angeles Rams 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)


Wierd:

RAIDERS have toughest schedule... RAMS and PATRIOTS tied for 2nd easiest.

I would imagine that the Rams are happy to come in week 3 vs. say, week 14 in CLEVELAND. Somewhat of a break for the L.A. sunshine boys. Whatever, GAME ON!

I think the scenario of being 3-4 and then finishing the season 8-1 is very plausible. 5 of those final 8 are vs divisional opponents. We could be hitting our stride which could be very very good.

Patriots have the easiest schedule I thought I saw.... ours is 5th easiest.

From sportingnews.com:

Rank Team Opponents' win % last season
1. Oakland Raiders .539
2. Denver Broncos .537
3. Jacksonville Jaguars .531
4. Houston Texans .527
5. Chicago Bears .520
6. Kansas City Chiefs .520
7. Indianapolis Colts .518
8. Atlanta Falcons .518
9. Tennessee Titans .514
10. Minnesota Vikings .512
11. San Francisco 49ers .510
12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers .508
13. Arizona Cardinals .508
14. Green Bay Packers .504
15. Dallas Cowboys .504
16. Carolina Panthers .502
17. Los Angeles Chargers .502
18. Miami Dolphins .500
19. Pittsburgh Steelers .496
20. Baltimore Ravens .496
21. Detroit Lions .496
22. New Orleans Saints .488
23. Cleveland Browns .484
24. Buffalo Bills .480
25. Seattle Seahawks .479
26. Philadelphia Eagles .477
27. Cincinnati Bengals .473
28. New York Jets .473
29. New York Giants .473
30. Los Angeles Rams .473
31. New England Patriots .473
32. Washington Redskins .469

I would have liked if we had faced the Steelers for the 2nd time later in the season last year. When Kitches and Mayfield were clicking.

I don't usually get too into the schedule, either. I know it's fun to just guess on things, but we all know how teams that get a lot of hype fall apart and teams that no one expects suddenly turn it around.

From a selfish standpoint, I hate night games because I'm old and like getting to bed at a regular time.

All I know is that it's a really nice feeling to be excited again. These past few years, the schedule release was "oh good, I get to see when the bye week is so I know when I can feel happy for an entire weekend."

For many years I've complained that the Steeelers ALWAYS have a backloaded EASY 2nd half of the year with more home games against easier opponents ... but it seems like WE have benefited this year

Gotcha... the one I saw was this... Didn't really pay attention to how they were derived however. I'll agree with your posted one.

40 yrs old, old?


Between playing the Steelers twice, we get one of the leagues predicted worst teams at home (Dolphins).

The Steelers play at a divisional opponent (Bengals) despite them probably being predicted to be the worst in the division. It'll still be tough...

advantage us?

Annual reminder that the previous year’s opponents winning percentage is a horrible predictor of schedule strength.

Yeah, but I've been a Browns fan for all 40 years, and that ages you exponentially.

For the 1st time in forever I am thinking bring on the best and let's just see how we stack up.

There truly isn't a game on our schedule that I don't think we can't win and that isn't homer crap either.

If there was ever a time to put your feet up and enjoy the ride this is it. That doesn't mean I won't be chewing my nails screaming at the TV or concerned at times it just means I feel good about this team. And I think its time to enjoy the ride we have endured so much over the past nearly 25 years finally we have arrived and I intend to enjoy every moment.

My one regret is we didn't get the Steelers week one every year we have had them to start our year or theirs really it would have been nice to exact some revenge and to give them a classic beat down to start the year.

Nah....bring on the teams that give us the best shot at making the playoffs.

Derrick Henry in week one is a sneaky tough draw. Hopefully our tackling is honed in from the jump. Early season tackling can be sloppy.

Corbett or whoever starts at G is also not getting eased into things with Jurrell Casey on tap.

My feeling about the schedule is this:

These is the schedule. Don't worry about it, just work to win them all.

If the schedule doesn't wear brown and orange it doesn't matter, right? Does the schedule wear brown and orange? I don't even know.

So you're saying that Chubb is going to have a great game?

I will be at the opener Section 120 Row 9 Seats 4-7

Cleveland Browns schedule and the reasonable path to 12-4: Doug Lesmerises - cleveland.com
https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2019/04...lesmerises.html

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The idea germinating in December as the 2019 opponents became known, and crystallizing in March as Odell Beckham Jr., Olivier Vernon and Sheldon Richardson arrived in Cleveland, should have been brilliantly illuminated with the NFL schedule release Wednesday night.

The Browns are going 12-4. No joke.

Maybe it took a week-by-week breakdown of middling opponent after middling opponent (like that Bengals-heavy December) for some fans to realize it. But the expectations are real. Couple the Browns talent influx with one of the league’s 10 easiest schedules featuring the beatable AFC East (Bills, Jets, Dolphins) and AFC West (Cardinals, 49ers) and a slowly crumbling AFC North, and you can get to double-digit wins for the Browns easily. Effortlessly even.

I’ve been on 12-4 for over four months. My first pass at the actual schedule when it became public gave me 14-2. So I’m backing off to 12-4. But here’s how it’s going to work.

Week 1, Tennessee: A home opener against an opponent whose big offseason move was signing receiver Adam Humphries, who would be the fifth-best skill position player on the Browns. Easy 1 p.m. start to the season. Win. 1-0.

Week 2, at New York Jets: The Jets added Le’Veon Bell. Great. The Browns have four receivers better than any Jets receiver. New York will pine for Baker Mayfield on a Monday night. Win. 2-0.

Week 3, L.A. Rams: The defending NFC champs are the franchise that should help the Browns believe, after they went from 4-12, to 11-5 and the playoffs, to 13-3 and the Super Bowl. The Rams will be coming off a week two NFC Championship rematch at home against New Orleans, and will either be flying too high or wallowing in disappointment. The Browns could absolutely win this. Lose. 2-1.

Week 4, at Baltimore: Ticked they let a winnable game get away, the Browns latch onto the idea that the AFC North belongs to them. That begins with winning on the road here. If you want to give them a win against the Rams, maybe this is a loss. Win. 3-1.

Week 5, at San Francisco: Long trip. Jimmy Garoppolo looks good, Baker Mayfield plays great in the second Monday game in three weeks. San Francisco could make its own leap in 2019. But the Browns are further down the path. Win. 4-1.

Week 6, Seattle: This makes for a really short week flying cross-country in the wee hours Monday night/Tuesday morning. Prepping to host Russell Wilson and his new contract is a tough ask. This is the game most affected by the actual schedule, coming off that Monday, and I think the Seahawks roll here. A dose of reality won’t be so bad. Lose. 4-2.

Week 7, bye: This is big, because of week eight.

Week 8, at New England: The schedule made Seattle more difficult and New England easier. The Patriots were 8-0 at home last year, and 6-2, 6-2, 7-1 and 7-1 the previous four years. They’re good at home, but not usually perfect. And guess what ... not only are the Browns off a bye, the Patriots play Monday night at the Jets the week before. The Patriots could definitely be 7-0 going into this one. And the Browns could definitely win. Win. 5-2.

Week 9, at Denver: The Browns will be the talk of the football world. Then Joe Flacco, that big galoot, will beat them. Life doesn’t make sense. The Broncos won’t be good. But the Browns will suffer a bad loss somewhere. Loss. 5-3.

Week 10, Buffalo: The Bills don’t scare me. They scare you? Get ready for this run over the second half of the season, which will include the return of Kareem Hunt if things go as planned. Win. 6-3.

Week 11, Pittsburgh: It’s a Thursday nighter. The Steelers could be 5-4 or 4-5 entering this one and in desperation mode coming off a home game against the Rams. That would make this the game of the season to this point. Say with a win the Browns take a two-game lead on the Steelers -- 7-3 to 5-5 -- and with a loss, they’re tied at 6-4. Intestinal fortitude time. You like your team’s chances? Win. 7-3.

Week 12, Miami: The Dolphins are tanking. They want to lose. The Browns are in the playoff hunt. They don’t want to lose. Win. 8-3.

Week 13, Pittsburgh: Could be a last gasp for the Steelers, who should get to stomp the Bengals in between Browns games. Do Big Ben and the boys have anything left? Barely. Lose. 8-4.

Week 14, Cincinnati: The first win over the Bengals. Win. 9-4.

Week 15, at Arizona: The Cardinals will be running out the string with rookie QB Kyler Murray while welcoming back beloved former assistant Freddie Kitchens. The Browns could clinch a playoff spot. Win. 10-4.

Week 16, Baltimore: The Browns could now be thinking about playoff positioning, maybe a first-round bye. Gotta have this one. In the end, I think they finish 5-1 in the division, with either the Ravens or Steelers getting them once. Win. 11-4.

Week 17, at Cincinnati: Win number two over the Bengals. Win. 12-4.

None of that is crazy. That’s a reasonable 12-4.

You want to give them splits with Baltimore and Pittsburgh? Want to give them losses to Los Angeles, Seattle and New England, the three best teams on their schedule? Want to throw in another bad week in a winnable game?

OK. That’s still 10-6.

Just 4-2 in the division plus wins over the Jets, San Francisco, Denver, Buffalo, Miami and Arizona, six teams projected among the bottom third of teams in the league, is 10-6.

I think the Browns are better than just beating bad teams. If you think that, you get to 12-4 ... and it makes sense.

I'll try to get to 3-4 games. I have a family member who gets one of the luxury suites and gives me half the home games to attend ... which ones should I try?

My early thoughts:

- Rams
- Seahawks
- Steelers
- Ravens

I jumped on that bet with the Browns at -5.

There is nothing optional in the schedule. It is all spelled out specifically under a given formula, as follows:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFL_regular_season#Current_formula

Currently, the thirteen different opponents each team faces over the 16-game regular season schedule are set using a pre-determined formula:[6]

• Each team plays twice against each of the other three teams in its division: once at home, and once on the road (six games).
• Each team plays once against each of the four teams from another division within its own conference, with the assigned division based on a three-year rotation: two at home, and two on the road (four games).
• Each team plays once against one team from each of the remaining two divisions within its conference, based on the final division standings from the prior season: one at home, one on the road (two games).
• Each team plays once against each of the four teams from a division in the other conference, with the assigned division based on a four-year rotation: two at home, and two on the road (four games).

Just with the formula for games, it seems lie we play the same teams way more frequently than others .. that may change if we begin to finish 1st/2nd in our division

Hadn't thought about it that way, but I suppose so

If the interior OL holds up, I could see Robinson burying Harold Landry, and I'd take the odds of Chubb vs their 2nd level.

I think we win 10 for sure. I'll be happy to take 14 though!

We will have to win the AFC title game in NE since the Pats schedule is very easy.

But if anyone can win it, it is Baker.

Sure, we're talented ... but AFC title game is a bit premature IMO ... there are A LOT of obstacles (for everyone, not just us) ... IF we are in the playoff hunt in December that's what we should aim for right now

2019 NFL schedule: Top 10 games include Browns-Patriots, Chiefs-Bears and Saints-Rams

Week 8
Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots
The Browns are the "it" team heading into this season, a trendy pick to be a playoff team, and maybe a lot more. But we know New England will be good and we know they like to slap potential contenders back to reality. Tom Brady vs. Baker Mayfield will be fun.

Week 13
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
The Browns are the Vegas favorites to win the NFC North. They are the hip team, while the perception is the Steelers are falling apart. But the Steelers have a lot of players who have won big games. The Browns have to learn how to do that. This will be big proving game for the Browns in their quest to win the AFC North.

Slow down Prisco, talk about expectations, we can only win one division at a time.

j/c

Only thing I care about is having more wins than our division rivals. I just want to win the division. Whether we're 8-8, 9-7, or 13-3.. I just want to win the division and ensure a playoff birth.

Homefield advantage is always a good thing in the playoffs, but based on our history, I just wanna see the playoffs. It's been wayyyyyyy too long.

This guy is a bozo. His articles always suck. Predicting 12 and 4 before both free agency and the draft is illogical. It's crap like this that brings unnecessary heat to the coaches.

If you want to consider yourself a good team, a deep playoff run worthy team... then the Jets are a team you MUST beat and the Titans are a team you SHOULD beat.

I am not at all happy about 3 of our first 5 games being on primetime.. glad for the exposure but for a young team with a lot of new pieces, it would have been nice to work our way into a rhythm...

Like the way the NFL built the schedule with the 100th year of the league in mind. That's why they have Packers/Bears on Monday night week 1, oldest rivalry.. and Jets/Browns week 2, first ever Monday night game... they sprinkled those "throwback" games all throughout the schedule.

But I do understand why the NFL would want us early/often ... strike while our hype is high, and if we flame out, then it won't hurt their ratings later

I hate when they rate how easy a schedule is. It's all hogwash. Every team changes year to year. Strength of schedule is a myth.

The real factors are when the bye week is, and who you play coming off of a bye. Also teams that get stuck on the road for weeks including a game in London. San Diego got that treatment last year.

I am not going to make any predictions on wins until I see this and the other teams on the field. Some of these teams people are saying are sure wins are nonsense. If we achieve a winning record I will be happy. The most important thing will be how we do in the division. If we can't beat Pittsburgh, then the season, at least in my eyes, will be disappointment.