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          NFL Nation

          Cleveland Browns 2022 schedule: Defining stretches sandwich Nov. 6 bye week

          • Jake Trotter, ESPN Staff WriterMay 13, 2022, 12:02 AM
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              Jake Trotter covers the Cleveland Browns for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2011 covering college football. Before that, he worked at The Oklahoman, Austin American-Statesman and Middletown (Ohio) Journal newspapers. You can follow him on Twitter @Jake_Trotter.
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          BEREA, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns' 2022 schedule was released along with the rest of the NFL slate Thursday.

          The season will kick off on Thursday, Sept. 8 with the Los Angeles Rams hosting the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium. ESPN opens its schedule with Monday Night Football on Sept. 12, featuring the Denver Broncos hosting the Seattle Seahawks.

          The NFL expanded to 17 regular-season games last season. The final regular-season games in 2022 will be played Jan. 8, 2023. The playoffs begin Jan. 14, and continue through Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12, in Glendale, Arizona.

          Here's what in store for the Browns:

          Schedule

          Sept. 11: at Carolina

          Sept. 18: vs. New York Jets

          Sept. 22: Pittsburgh (TNF)

          Oct. 2: at Atlanta

          Oct. 9: vs. Los Angeles Chargers

          Oct. 16: New England

          Oct. 23: at Baltimore

          Oct. 31: Cincinnati (MNF)

          Nov. 6: Bye

          Nov. 13: at Miami

          Nov. 20: at Buffalo

          Nov. 27: Tampa Bay

          Dec. 4: at Houston

          Dec. 11: at Cincinnati

          Dec. 17 or 18: Baltimore

          Dec. 24: New Orleans

          Jan. 1: at Washington

          Jan. 7 or 8: at Pittsburgh

          Strength of schedule: T-17th, .495

          Biggest takeaway

          The Browns face a pair of grueling stretches sandwiching their Nov. 6 bye, and they are sure to define Cleveland's season. The first gauntlet, including the Chargers, Patriots, Ravens and Bengals on Monday Night Football, features four AFC teams with legitimate playoff aspirations. Then, after the bye, the Browns square off against two more AFC playoff contenders in Buffalo and Miami before a showdown with Tom Brady and the Bucs on Thanksgiving weekend. If the Browns can post a winning record in those seven games, they will be well on their way back to the postseason.

          Revenge game

          The Steelers gave the Browns a pair of demoralizing losses last year. The first proved to be Odell Beckham Jr.'s final game in Cleveland; the second, likely Baker Mayfield's. The Browns will have a prime-time opportunity to send a message in Week 3 on Thursday Night Football, while setting a tone for the rest of the season.

          What the oddsmakers think

          The Browns over/under is currently 9.5 games. Whether Cleveland can top that will hinge heavily on whether new quarterback Deshaun Watson is suspended under the league’s code of conduct policy. If Watson isn’t suspended, the Browns have the talent to easily reach 10 victories against this schedule.

          Bold prediction

          It’s difficult to forecast Cleveland’s season without knowing whether Watson will be suspended. But if he isn’t, the Browns win their first division title since 1989.