Very few media and fans know what to expect out of the Cleveland Browns in 2022. The team is full of talent on the defensive side of the ball except at defensive tackle. That may be by design and not a flaw. The offense has a great offensive line, a great stable of running backs and a top-flight receiver in Amari Cooper.
Cleveland also believes that TE David Njoku is ready to take a big step forward this season.
Despite all of that, the concerns with QB Jacoby Brissett for the first 11 games and those related to QB Deshaun Watson returning to finish the season still linger.
While it might be tough for people to form a clear opinion of a team that is built around a run game and defense, computer systems still spit out data. ESPN’s ‘Football Power Index’ (subscriber, $) did so for every team but the first sentence for the Browns gives a big caveat to the data:
I’m not sure FPI has a lot of prior comparables in evaluating Cleveland’s situation, given that we know quarterback Deshaun Watson — who was accused by more than two dozen women of sexual misconduct during massage sessions — is out for exactly 11 games.
With that out of the way, FPI gives the Browns a better chance to make the playoffs than Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Cincinnati, New England, Las Vegas, Baltimore, Denver and Kansas City. In fact, only three teams have a better chance to make the playoffs in the AFC than Cleveland’s 56.7%.
Interestingly, some of the teams listed above have better odds to win the Super Bowl than the Browns 3.3% chance.
While fans and media may be down on the orange and brown team from Northeast Ohio, rest assured the data believes in them.
