Cleveland Browns schedule 2026: Takeaways, predictions
BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns‘2026 schedule was launched together with the remainder of the NFL slate Thursday.
After being shut out of the primetime slate in 2025, the Browns will host a Week 4 “Thursday Night Football” matchup towards the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s Cleveland’s lone primetime sport in a schedule that opens with a pair of highway video games in Florida and in addition contains three consecutive highway video games adopted by 4 residence video games.
First-year coach Todd Monken will make his residence debut in Week 3 towards the Carolina Panthers after which return to Baltimore, the place he spent the earlier three seasons because the Ravens’ offensive coordinator, in Week 16.
Here’s what’s in retailer for the Browns:
Browns 2026 regular-season schedule
Week 1: Sept. 13 at Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 2: Sept. 20 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 3: Sept. 27 vs. Carolina Panthers
Week 4: Oct. 1 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (TNF)
Week 5: Oct. 11 at New York Jets
Week 6: Oct. 18 vs. Baltimore Ravens
Week 7: Oct. 25 at Tennessee Titans
Week 8: Nov. 1 at Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 9: Nov. 8 at New Orleans Saints
Week 10: Nov. 15 vs. Houston Texans
Week 11: Bye week
Week 12: Nov. 29 vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Week 13: Dec. 6 vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Week 14: Dec. 13 vs. Atlanta Falcons
Week 15: Dec. 20 at New York Giants
Week 16: Dec. 27 at Baltimore Ravens
Week 17: Jan. 3 vs. Indianapolis Colts
Week 18: TBD at Cincinnati Bengals
* Dates for Week 18 are to be decided
Strength of schedule: The Browns have the No. 1-easiest schedule within the league (opponents had a .429 successful share in 2025).
DraftKings over/underneath win whole: 6.5
ESPN analyst Mike Clay’s projected win whole: 6.1
Biggest takeaway
The Browns have the best schedule within the NFL based mostly on their opponents’ win share final season. The Monken period will start with two consecutive highway video games towards the Jaguars and Bucs, and 6 of their first 10 video games earlier than their Week 11 bye are away from Huntington Bank Field. Cleveland, although, will host 4 consecutive residence video games for the primary time since 1990 and shall be at residence for 4 of its last seven video games.
Circle this date
Dec. 13 vs. the Falcons. In Week 14, the Browns will host former head coach Kevin Stefanski, who was fired and shortly hired as Atlanta’s coach in January, on his return to Cleveland. Stefanski led the Browns to a pair of postseason appearances and received two NFL Coach of the Year awards in six years, however he was fired after compiling a mixed 8-26 file within the final two seasons. Cleveland employed Monken, partly, to carry an offense that had failed underneath Stefanski’s watch.
Bold prediction
The Browns will go undefeated of their four-game homestand to get again into the AFC playoff hunt. Between Cleveland’s unsettled quarterback state of affairs and as many as 5 new beginning offensive linemen, it may very well be a bumpy begin for an offense that must go on the highway a number of instances within the season’s first half. The offense, although, ought to get their footing a bit after their Week 11 bye and can rack up some wins at residence with an elite protection.
How may the opening slate impression Monken’s dealing with of the quarterback state of affairs?
The Browns are in the course of a quarterback competitors between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders. Regardless of who begins the season underneath heart, Monken may very well be compelled to offer that participant an extended runway, given the litany of highway video games within the first half of the season and the acclimation interval wanted for a brand new offense. Week 1 can be Watson’s first NFL sport in virtually two years later tearing his Achilles in October 2024, and the opening sport can be Sanders’ eighth profession begin.
