If the Cleveland Browns are going to make back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time in 35 years, it’s not going to be easy, and that’s because they’ll be facing the NFL’s most difficult strength of schedule in 2024.
The Browns haven’t made two consecutive playoff appearances since all the way back in 1989, which also happens to be the last time they won a division title. Their playoff appearance that year capped a streak of five straight postseason berths that ran from 1985 through 1989. The Browns will be looking to end that drought in 2024, but based on this year’s strength of schedule, it’s not going to be easy.
Cleveland has a strength of schedule of .547, which not only gives them the most difficult schedule for the upcoming season, but it makes them one of only two teams in the NFL — along with the Baltimore Ravens — that will have a strength of schedule above .535.
Cleveland’s rough schedule includes 12 games against teams that finished with a winning record last season, which is tied for the most in the NFL. The Browns’ home schedule is especially brutal with five of their eight games coming against teams that made the playoffs last year (Pittsburgh Steelers, Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys). Not to mention, they also have a home game against the Cincinnati Bengals, which means six of Cleveland’s eight home games will come against teams that finished 2023 with a record of .500 or better.
The second-most difficult schedule belongs to the Ravens, who will face a brutal road schedule this year with games against the Chiefs, Bengals, Browns, Steelers, Houston Texans, Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who all finished the 2023 season with a winning record (the Ravens will also play road games against the New York Giants and Jim Harbaugh’s Los Angeles Chargers).
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints ended up in a tie for easiest strength of schedule at .453 (the Falcons and Saints are the only two teams facing a strength of schedule under .465). The Falcons will only play six playoff teams from 2023 while the Saints will play eight, which makes New Orleans’ schedule feel slightly tougher.
The good news for the Saints and/or the Falcons is that in each of the past seven years, at least one team playing one of the two easiest schedules has finished with a winning record. Also, in six of…
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