Cleveland Browns Face Make-or-Break Games in Next 2 Weeks

Overreaction is the name of the game in the NFL. Each time a team loses, it seems as though the world is going to come to an end for six whole days. That is the nature of the league. For the Cleveland Browns, however, the uneasy feeling is warranted.

It is not because the Browns are all of a sudden terrible again. That’s not it at all. Yes, they lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. And yes, the Jaguars were one of the worst teams in the NFL. But it was an NFL road game, and the Browns are a young team trying to rise in the ranks.

Those types of losses can happen to anyone. Quarterback Brian Hoyer was due for a bad game, and the offensive line had to scramble to adjust after losing center Alex Mack for the year.

It also seems like relief is just around the corner. The winless Oakland Raiders and their rookie quarterback come to town next Sunday. Following that, the one-win Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their -84 point differential come to town. These should be easy games.

Then again, Jacksonville was supposed to be an easy game too. And while one side of the coin says these easy teams are just what the doctor ordered, the other side of the coin says that losses to these teams could put the Browns on life support.

If the Browns were to lose three straight games to quite possibly the three worst teams in the NFL, then all hell would break loose in Cleveland. Hoyer’s job would be in grave danger, and head coach Mike Pettine might not be far behind.

If the Browns split these two games then they would have finished the first half of the season 4-4. That is not a bad place to be except for the fact that they would have just lost two of three games to the worst teams in the NFL. They then travel to Cincinnati for a Thursday night prime-time showdown.

Road teams are just 2-4 on Thursday Night Football this season. If the Browns fall to 4-5, they may find themselves quite irrelevant once again.

First of all, the national spotlight the team has earned through their solid start will go away quickly. There will be no more national reporters in Berea or SportsCenter highlights for them. They would be approaching the toughest stretch of their schedule and likely be in last place in the AFC North. Right now their division has the highest combined winning percentage in the league.

The national spotlight is the least of their worries, however. If the Browns find themselves at the bottom of the AFC North on November 7, they will also find themselves out of the spotlight in their own city.

Cleveland is a football town through and through, but there is an unprecedented amount of anticipation for the start of the Cleveland Cavaliers season. With LeBron James returning to Cleveland and the addition of Kevin Love, the Cavs have the town buzzing. Their season begins October 30.

The Browns are no stranger to half-empty stadiums down the stretch, but that problem could rear its ugly head sooner than usual if they cannot stay in the playoff race. A 4-5 record would not have them completely out of the race, but having lost three of four games at that point would force the fans down E. 9th Street to Quicken Loans Arena. People would believe the Browns had no shot, and perception is reality.

Week 10	@ Bengals (Thurs Night)	3-2-1
Week 11	Texans	3-3
Week 12	@ Falcons	2-5
Week 13	@ Bills	4-3
Week 14	Colts	5-2
Week 15	Bengals	3-2-1
Week 16	@ Panthers	3-3-1
Week 17	@ Ravens	5-2

The Browns' final eight opponents have a combined 30-22-2 record. There are three division leaders, and only one team is under .500. That is the Falcons, and the Browns will face them in Atlanta, where they are currently 2-1.

Yes, 4-5 is not mathematically eliminated, but the circumstances surrounding that record would be as good as a death sentence.

There is no grace period for the Browns anymore. People in this town do not have patience for a rookie head coach and a struggling team. They have seen that story before. They have lived that nightmare. They will jump ship to a sparkling dream boat that wears wine and gold and has the best player on the planet on the roster.

I usually scoff at people who claim teams have “must win” games in October, but the Browns must win these next two. They have to get to the halfway point with a 5-3 record. They have to reestablish the confidence and momentum they built since the bye week.

They have to remain relevant.

Pettine and Co. will have to try and fix the offensive line woes in one short week. Hoyer will have to bounce back from the first miserable performance of his career. The team as a whole will have to try and forget the embarrassing loss last Sunday.

If they let any of that carry over into next Sunday, the Raiders can jump up and bite them. Winless teams at this point in the season are always the most dangerous. They have nothing to lose.

The Browns, on the other hand, have everything to lose. The pressure is on, and the table is set. If the Browns truly are turning a corner, this article won’t matter in 14 days. If they’re the “same old Browns,” then the same old results will happen, and there will be the same old empty seats at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Relevance and the season as a whole are on the line.