Browns season preview: Will Cleveland make it to the playoffs?
The Cleveland Browns are coming off a euphoric season, leaving fans in shock and wondering if they are dreaming. A year after their first playoff season since 2002, the question is whether last season was a fluke? Many pundits are expecting another playoff appearance.
That said, if the Browns can do it for a second time, the era of pain will be over and an era of expectations will begin. Will the Browns make back-to-back playoff runs for the first time since the 1980s?
Will the Cleveland Browns make the cut in January?
Why the Browns will make the playoffs
The Browns have a roster good enough to make the playoffs, as many of the pieces are returning from last year's run. Odell Beckham Jr, Jarvis Landry, Nick Chubb, Kareem Jackson, Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, and Baker Mayfield are all back, among others.
Last season, the Cleveland Browns finished 11-5 with this squad. Baker Mayfield was still learning a few lessons in his third season. Entering his fourth season, he's now a qualified veteran and a true member of the NFL's long-term future.
Last season was Mayfield's best yet, throwing for 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions. If he can cross the mark of 30 touchdowns, the team will be in the conversation in January.
The Browns also have a few breaks going their way. Last season, they finished third in the division behind the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Baltimore Ravens, who finished one tie-breaker better than the Browns last season, have been decimated by injuries. Marcus Peters, JK Dobbins, Justice Hill and Gus Edwards all suffered season-ending injuries just days apart.
Meanwhile, the Browns have remained healthy. If the Browns remain healthy, they are more likely than ever to finish ahead of the Ravens this season. The Ravens are still a playoff-caliber team as long as they have Lamar Jackson, so if the Browns can get ahead of the Ravens, they are highly likely to land in the playoffs this season.
Questions and obstacles
The Browns have a great shot at the playoffs this season, but they are not immune. Baker Mayfield had a rough season in 2019, just two years ago. He threw for 22 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. If he has a season like that in 2021, the Browns will be missing the playoffs. Will Mayfield grow or regress this season?
The AFC North is still one of the best divisions in football. The Steelers, Ravens and Browns were all in the playoffs last year and remain strong in most of the same places, the Ravens notwithstanding. Heck, even the Cincinnati Bengals have an outside shot to surprise this year in Joe Burrow's sophomore season.
Basically, there are only three wild card spots and it is rare for two of them to be filled by the same division. It is even more rare for it to happen two years in a row. Could the Browns, who finished third in the division last season, be the odd-men out?