Can Browns Match Best Start Since 1999 Return?

Matching Best Start Through Five Games

The Browns’ return to the league (after the original franchise was moved to Baltimore) is not a picture of success.

Cleveland has made the playoffs just three times over the last 27 seasons and infamously, their current stadium – due to be replaced with a new one in 2029 – has never hosted a playoff game.

One of those playoff seasons, however, was in 2020 when the Browns started 4-1 and went on to an 11-5 record. It’s the only time the team has started 4-1 this century, and is Cleveland’s second best start since 1994, only behind a 6-1 jump out of the gates when the team was led by Bill Belichick.

There’s no telling whether or not this year’s Browns will be playoff-bound yet, but 4-1 is at least something that could happen again. Cleveland travels to face the 1-3 New York Jets on Sunday, and even a win there may not clarify much about this team just yet.

Both the Browns’ offense and defense respectively sit in the bottom half of the NFL so far by total yardage, and the team is middle-of-the-road in terms of forcing turnovers (four so far). But Cleveland has been able to keep up a considerable pass rush, currently ranking fifth in the league with 12 sacks. Notably, the Jets have been one of the worst teams in the league at preventing sacks so far, allowing 12.

Should the Browns get past the Jets, it’ll be the Baltimore Ravens up next, with the top of the AFC North potentially on the line.

Winless Watch

A record-tying five teams are 0-4 so far, but at least one should leave that club in week five, barring a tie.

The winless Houston Texans visit the also winless Tennessee Titans in a game that effectively ends the season of whoever loses – if hope isn’t lost already. But for the Texans, who had designs on the playoffs and possibly more in 2026, the bigger concern apart from the losses has been the performance of its “vaunted” defense.

Houston is allowing 260 passing yards per game (just four teams allow more) and are not forcing many turnovers. A saving grace is that they’re still getting after opposing passers – the Texans have 14 sacks already. But that’s also a testament to how much teams are able to drop back and throw against them. Lucky for Houston, the Titans are one of the league’s worst passing teams so far.

The NFL’s other 0-4 squads may not experience the same fortune, though.

Thursday night kicks off with the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers and undrafted backup Jalon Daniels up against the high-powered Dallas Cowboys. A winless Miami Dolphins team hosts the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, and the 0-4 Los Angeles Chargers play the Denver Broncos.

Any Panic Setting In For 2-2 Teams?

About a third of the league (11 teams) is off to a 2-2 start. And while .500 is far from an emergency through four games, some of those teams are in better shape than others.

The Philadelphia Eagles are reeling after two straight losses, and are losing key players in bunches, too – with Saquon Barkley and Devonta Smith both potentially out for week five. To make matters worse for Philly, they’re off to London this week to face the 3-1 Jacksonville Jaguars. A loss doesn’t doom them, but with the wheels seemingly coming off on offense (the team has been shut out in the second half in each of the last two games as well), the Eagles could be in real trouble.

For the Green Bay Packers, the 3-1 Chicago Bears come to town at perhaps the worst time. Green Bay just barely survived against the Bucs, despite Tampa playing without Baker Mayfield, and the Packers look out of sorts on both sides of the ball. The Bears have had no trouble scoring without Caleb Williams these past two weeks, and they kick off a difficult stretch for Green Bay against most of the NFL’s top offenses (Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, then Carolina).

Speaking of the NFC North, the Detroit Lions are in their own tough spot at 2-2. The Lions are one of three teams allowing 30 points per game so far, and let up 30 more yards per game than the next-worst group. A trip to visit the Arizona Cardinals shouldn’t be cause for concern, but Arizona’s been a relatively tough out this season and Detroit can’t make stops.

Primetime Matchups

The Atlanta Falcons have been a completely different team since Michael Penix returned from injury, and at 2-2, they now have a chance to compete atop the NFC South. To that end, they’ll face a Ravens team on Sunday night likely playing without Lamar Jackson and partly as a result, played down to the lowly Titans.

Even if the game isn’t competitive, it could yield some fireworks. Atlanta’s scored a combined 80 points in the last two weeks since Penix came back under center.

And on Monday night, it’s potentially one of the better primetime games of the year. The 2-2 Rams face the 3-1 Buffalo Bills in a rematch from 2024’s 44-42 shootout at SoFi Stadium.

Los Angeles effectively rescued their season with last week’s comeback against the Eagles, while the Bills lost to the rival New England Patriots and could cede control of the AFC East (for now) with a loss.

On paper, the Rams have a bit more at stake here, just because a loss drops the team to 2-3. Yet, L.A. has also played a harrowing schedule so far, with a trip to Australia, two road games (including one on the East Coast) and now a fourth primetime contest.

But for the Bills, the struggles of the last two weeks, against the Patriots and Chargers, have revealed some cracks. If the Rams exploit Buffalo’s tendencies for mistakes like those two teams just did, the Bills could be in for a rough night.