CLEVELAND — Football season never really ends in Northeast Ohio. From offseason workouts to roster moves, the Combine and the Draft, there's something to fill the void when the Cleveland Browns aren't on the field. That includes learning when they'll be on the field, with the highly anticipated schedule release.
After announcing the Week 1 opponent earlier in the week, the remainder of the schedule is finally here.
Below is who the Browns play in the 2024 season when they play them and a breakdown of each matchup:
Week 1: Dallas Cowboys— Sunday, Sept. 8, 4:25 p.m. (HOME)
For the second-straight season, the Browns open up the year inside Cleveland Browns Stadium. Cleveland will host the Cowboys in the home opener, which is always high-energy, but there might be a little extra juice in this matchup.
After Dallas linebacker Micah Parsons made a "Cleveland is Cleveland" comment to David Njoku at the Pro Bowl Games, Cleveland's tight end has been on a mission to defend the city and demand respect for the place he calls home.
RELATED: 'Respect the city bro': Browns TE David Njoku won't stand for Cleveland slander
Last year, the Cowboys clinched a spot in the playoffs with a 12-5 record. They lost to their rivals, the Green Bay Packers, in a Wild Card matchup.
Week 2: Jacksonville Jaguars — Sunday, Sept. 15, 1 p.m.
(AWAY)
Trevor Lawrence is a quarterback to always be mindful of, especially when he's given a player like Gabe Davis to make explosive plays with, but for the Jaguars, what might be truly bolstered this year is the defense. With new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen and the addition of Arik Armstead and cornerback Ronald Darby, needs have certainly been addressed.
Heading down to Jacksonville, the Browns will look to continue a recent winning streak in their meetings with the Jaguars, having won the last two in 2020 and last year—even if Dustin Hopkins needs another game-winning field goal to get it done.
Week 3: New York Giants — Sunday, Sept. 22, 1 p.m. (HOME)
The Giants are celebrating their 100th season, and they'll enter it having plenty of TV time. Selected for a special offseason edition of the HBO docuseries "Hard Knocks," by the time the Browns take on New York, we'll have a good idea of how the team has shaped up after a lot of shakeups on the roster.
The Browns will host the Giants under the bright lights of Cleveland Browns Stadium, looking for the same dominance they had upon their last meeting when the Browns took down New York 20-6 on the road.
Week 4: Las Vegas Raiders — Sunday, Sept 29, 4:25 p.m.
(AWAY)
The Raiders didn't gamble on their defense this season, adding Christian Wilkins to the interior of their defensive line to complement Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby. The Browns offensive line—which is now being coached by Andy Dickerson after the departure of Bill Callahan—will surely be put to the test.
Will the Browns be able to flourish in the desert? They don't play each other every year, but it's been a while since Cleveland has been able to hand the Raiders a loss, the last time back in 2014.
No better time to break a streak than this week.
Week 5: Washington Commanders — Sunday, Oct. 6, 1 p.m. (HOME)
The Commanders have been busy this offseason, adding talent to both sides of the ball. From the additions of running back Austin Ekeler and linebacker Bobby Wagner to the selection of quarterback Jayden Daniels with the second pick in the draft, Washington will look a lot different than they did last year. Cleveland beat Washington two seasons ago on the road. They'll look to have that same success this season on the road once again.
Week 6: Philadelphia Eagles — Sunday, Oct. 13, 1 p.m. (AWAY)
The Eagles started the 2023 season on a tear. Opening up the year with a 10-1 record, Philadelphia looked unstoppable. But the birds may have flown a little too close to the sun and soon fell to Earth. The Eagles lost five of their last six games, costing them their first seed spot and into a Wild Card position. Disaster continued from there, and the Eagles lost to the Buccaneers in a 32-9 blowout loss.
Philly not only lost in the playoffs, they lost their star center Jason Kelce and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, both retiring from the NFL.
As Cleveland travels to the City of Brotherly Love, they'll do so, hoping the Eagles look as they did at the end of last season. The last time the two teams met back in 2020, Cleveland got the win. Will they be able to repeat history, this time on the road? Perhaps the work in joint practices last season helps in some regard this year.
Week 7: Cincinnati Bengals — Sunday, Oct. 20, 1 p.m. (HOME)
The Battle of Ohio should be an exciting matchup this season. With Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow coming back from a wrist injury that ended his season last year, Cincinnati should have a high-powered offense complemented by the connection of Ja'Marr Chase. The Browns returning trio at cornerback—Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome II and MJ Emerson—should be chomping at the bit to go against them.
The entire Browns' defense should be tested well, and the new additions—including Quinton Jefferson, Jordan Hicks and the rookies who earn a spot on the roster—will look to put the pressure on Burrow and add more wins to the 6-2 record the Browns have over the Bengals under head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Week 8: Baltimore Ravens — Sunday, Oct. 27, 1 p.m. (HOME)
Lamar Jackson can throw the ball well. He can run the ball well. And now he has Derrick Henry in the backfield to create more explosion on offense. The defense in Baltimore took a hit this season, though, with the loss of linebacker Patrick Queen and defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. It's been a back-and-forth recently for the Ravens and Browns with Cleveland getting the most recent win last season. Can they make it two in a row this week?
Week 9: Los Angeles Chargers — Sunday, Nov. 3, 1 p.m. (HOME)
If there's no rivalry between the Browns and Chargers, there's one many football fans in Ohio might be motivated by in LA's new head coach, Jim Harbaugh. After leaving that team up north, Harbaugh's new team will go head-to-head against the Browns.
Cleveland has struggled against the Chargers for some time, last beating them in 2016—an iconic Christmas Eve victory that saved the Browns from going winless that year. Can the Browns turn their luck against the Chargers around at home? They'll find out this week.
Week 10: Bye Week
Week 11: New Orleans Saints — Sunday, Nov. 17, 1 p.m. (AWAY)
There's a new pass rush in NOLA this year after the Saints added former Ohio State defensive end Chase Young this offseason. There are also familiar faces in this matchup, including backup quarterback Jameis Winston, who now wears orange and brown.
The Browns' last time winning in the Big Easy was 2010. They'll hope to change that here.
Week 12: Pittsburgh Steelers — Thursday, Nov. 21, 8:15 p.m. (HOME)
The rivalry. The game that is circled twice on Browns fans' calendars every year. Pittsburgh made some changes offensively, firing coordinator Matt Canada and trading Kenny Pickett while adding two strong quarterbacks to the roster Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Defensively, Baltimore's loss of Patrick Queen was the Steelers' gain, as he now dons black and yellow. Those were just a few of the changes Pittsburgh made.
Will that help them increase their record this year from 10-7? Will the Browns be up for the challenge Pittsburgh is aiming to present? Fans have to be eager to find out and see who gets the bragging rights this year.
Week 13: Denver Broncos — Monday, Dec. 2, 8:15 p.m. (AWAY)
It'll be the first time wide receiver Jerry Jeudy sees his former team since being traded to Cleveland this offseason, and he'll likely want to show them all they lost. He has his fresh start with Cleveland and while there might not be bad blood between the two, it would certainly feel good for the Browns offense to light it up in the AFC matchup.
The Browns will look to get their first win at Mile High since 2018.
Week 14: Pittsburgh Steelers — Sunday, Dec. 8, 1 p.m. (AWAY)
See Week 12.
Week 15: Kansas City Chiefs — Sunday, Dec. 15, 1 p.m. (HOME)
There are a lot of tough matchups on the schedule this season. Perhaps none more difficult on paper than this week against the reigning, and back-to-back, Super Bowl champs. Even through some offensive struggles last season, the Chiefs pulled through and brought home another Lombardi. With Patrick Mahomes under center and Travis Kelce at his disposal, the offense is always poised to be a threat. Add into that receivers Marquise Brown and Xavier Worthy; there's an even bigger threat.
What can combat that offense is a high-powered defense, which the Browns proved they had last year. It should be a rewarding task for the engine of the defense to shut down Mahomes and the company. It's been a long time since Cleveland beat Kansas City, 12 years to be exact, but streaks were meant to be broken.
Week 16: Cincinnati Bengals — Thursday, Dec. 19, 8:15 p.m. (AWAY)
See Week 7.
Week 17: Miami Dolphins — Sunday, Dec. 29, 8:20 p.m. (HOME)
Several familiar faces will return to Cleveland Browns Stadium for this matchup. Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who played for the Ravens last season, joined the Dolphins offense this offseason. On the other side of the ball, former Browns linebacker and team captain Anthony Walker Jr. returned home to Miami, but this week, he and Beckham will return to Cleveland.
The last time the teams met was in 2022, down in the heat of Miami, and the Browns took a loss. This year, Cleveland plays host, where the majority of the heat will be felt on the field, not in the air.
Week 18: Baltimore Ravens — TBD
See Week 8.
The Browns will play the following preseason games:
- On Aug. 10, they will play the Green Bay Packers at home at 4:45 p.m.
- On Aug. 17, they take on the Minnesota Vikings at home at 4:45 p.m.
- On Aug. 24, they will travel to Seattle to play the Seahawks at 7 p.m.
The Browns are scheduled for four total prime-time games—Thursday Night Football against the Steelers in Week 12 and against the Bengals in Week 16, Monday Night Football against the Broncos in Week 13, and Sunday Night Football against the Dolphins in Week 17.
