CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland’s 2024 schedule is not just difficult — it’s potentially season-defining before Halloween even arrives. On the latest Orange and Brown Talk podcast, Mary Kay Cabot, Ashley Bastock, and Dan Labbe didn’t mince words about the brutal path facing the Browns, particularly in the opening weeks.
The schedule makers handed Cleveland one of the NFL’s most punishing early slates: vs. Cincinnati, at Baltimore, vs. Green Bay, at Detroit, vs. Minnesota (in London), and at Pittsburgh. Not only does this stretch include plenty of road games in six weeks (counting London as a road game), but it pits the Browns against multiple Super Bowl contenders from both conferences.
“So by the time they get through that grueling, grueling road stretch, they might not be relevant anymore in the NFL. It could be over by then,” warned Mary Kay Cabot on the podcast. “And that’s not going to be good for anybody if they’ve got veteran Pro bowl players who don’t have much to play for in the second half of the season.”
This front-loaded schedule creates an immediate urgency that most NFL teams don’t face until November. There’s no grace period, no time to find rhythm — just an immediate plunge into the deep end against elite competition.
“And right away you’re playing games that count for two essentially in your standings,” Bastock pointed out about the early divisional matchups, highlighting how the schedule structure removes any margin for error.
The quality of these opponents compounds the challenge. These aren’t just teams that had lucky stretches last year — they’re established powerhouses.
“I mean those are like legit teams. Those aren’t just teams that were hot last year,” Labbe emphasized. “Baltimore is a legitimate super bowl contender again. Green Bay is a really good football team. Detroit is an absolute wagon.”
This brutal opening stretch is precisely why the podcast hosts believe the Browns’ quarterback decision takes on even greater significance. Throwing a rookie like third-round pick Dillon Gabriel into this gauntlet could be disastrous, potentially burying the team before they’ve found their footing.
“This is one of the reasons why I have been advocating that they need to hurry up and figure out who their quarterback is going to be at the start of the season. And I think it should be a veteran,” Cabot stated firmly.
The schedule doesn’t ease up on the back end either. The Browns close with Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati — all potential playoff teams that might be fighting for their postseason lives in those final weeks.
Navigating this schedule will require experience, poise, and consistency at quarterback — qualities veterans like Kenny Pickett or Joe Flacco are more likely to provide than a rookie still learning the professional game.
The psychological impact of a poor start cannot be understated either. If the Browns stumble early, the locker room could lose faith before the season reaches its midpoint, making veterans less invested in the team’s success.
Want to hear more about how the Browns can survive this schedule gauntlet and why a veteran quarterback might be their best chance at staying relevant? Listen to the full Orange and Brown Talk podcast for an in-depth breakdown of Cleveland’s 2025 schedule challenges and how they might overcome them.
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Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from the Cleveland Orange and Brown Talk Podcast by cleveland.com. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions.