Cleveland Browns NFL Prediction: 2021 Season Betting Odds and Preview
Last season was a statement year for the Cleveland Browns. They finished the regular season with an 11-5 record, beat the rival Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs and narrowly missed a huge upset win over Kansas City in the divisional round. With Baker Mayfield under centre, a healthy Odell Beckham Jr. running routes and running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt rushing the ball, the Browns could one of the most explosives offences in the league. In year two under head coach Kevin Stefanski, can Cleveland live up to the hype?
Veteran Additions
DE Jadeveon Clowney, DE Takk McKinley, DT Malik Jackson, LB Anthony Walker, CB Troy Hill, S John Johnson
Notable Draft Picks
CB Greg Newsome, LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, WR Anthony Schwartz, OT James Hudson, DT Tommy Togiai
Offseason Losses
DE Olivier Vernon, DE Adrian Clayborn, DT Sheldon Richardson, DT Larry Ogunjobi, LB B.J. Goodson, CB Terrance Marshall, CB Kevin Johnson, S Karl Joseph, S Andrew Sendejo
Cleveland Browns Acquisitions and Moves
Cleveland prioritized defence in the offseason, making some notable additions in free agency and the draft. They boosted their secondary by signing cornerback Troy Hill, who is coming off a big year with the Rams. The Browns also used their first round pick in the draft to take another cornerback, Greg Newsome, who has impressed in the preseason.
Veteran defensive end Jadeveon Clowney was brought in to replace Olivier Vernon. Clowney hasn’t lived up to the hype of being the first overall draft pick in 2014, in terms of the pass rush at least, but he’ll be able to help the Browns in run support. Free agent signee John Johnson III is a huge upgrade at safety and should fit in well with Grant Delpit, who missed his rookie season last year with a torn Achilles.
Linebacker was an area of weakness for Cleveland last season. The Browns remedied that by using their second round pick on Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. JOK is incredibly fast and has looked like the team’s best blitzer in the preseason.
There wasn’t much tweaking that needed to be done with the offence. Beckham is healthy again and all five starters from the offensive line in 2020 are back, so Mayfield will be well protected. Cleveland’s speedy 2021 third round pick, Anthony Schwartz, will compete for snaps and could see some time on special teams in the return game.
Cleveland Browns 2021 NFL Schedule
After going 11-5 last year, the Browns were given the ninth-toughest schedule for 2021. It’s a difficult schedule right from the start as they’ll open the season in Kansas City. They’ve got a late Week 13 bye, which could be a nice break if they can get through the first three months of the season relatively healthy. Cleveland was gifted a home game against the Bengals to end the regular season, but they play in Green Bay Pittsburgh in Week’s 16 and 17.
Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 12 @ Kansas City Chiefs, 4:25 p.m
Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 19 vs. Houston Texans, 1 p.m.
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 26 vs. Chicago Bears, 1 p.m.
Week 4: Sunday, Oct. 3 @ Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m.
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 10 @ Los Angeles Chargers, 4:05 p.m.
Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 17 vs. Arizona Cardinals, 4:05 p.m.
Week 7: Thursday, Oct. 21 vs. Denver Broncos, 8:20 p.m.
Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 31 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m.
Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 7 @ Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m.
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 14 @ New England Patriots, 1 p.m.
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 21 vs. Detroit Lions, 1 p.m.
Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 28 @ Baltimore Ravens, 8:20 p.m.
Week 13: BYE
Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 12 vs. Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m.
Week 15: TBD vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Week 16: Saturday, Dec. 25 @ Green Bay Packers, 4:30 p.m.
Week 17: Monday, Jan. 3 @ Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:15 p.m.
Week 18: Sunday, Jan. 9 vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m.
Cleveland Browns NFL Betting Odds
The Browns are favoured at -250 to make the playoffs, which is a fairly safe bet in my mind. Their 2021 regular season win total is capped at 10.5 with identical -111 odds on the Over/Under. I lean more towards the Over because I think their roster is better than last season and I think they’ll continue to beat Pittsburgh.
If you’re looking for some better value, Cleveland is +138 to win the AFC North (just behind Baltimore at +110) and +724 to win the AFC Conference. They’re at +800 to make the Super Bowl and +1395 to win the Super Bowl, if you’re really feeling gutsy.
Cleveland Browns 2021 Season Prediction
After a big step forward last season and some valuable experience, the Browns look like a legit threat in the AFC North. There’s a good chance three teams from this division will make the playoffs for a second straight year, but if only two teams go through, Cleveland will be one of them. They’ll finish with a 12-5 record this year and compete for the AFC North crown.