The Browns will open the 2020 season on the road against the AFC North champion Ravens and will see them again later in the year for Monday Night Football at FirstEnergy Stadium -- one of many highlights from Cleveland’s 2020 schedule.
The NFL’s 32 teams respectively announced their preseason and regular season schedules Thursday. Cleveland’s features back-to-back division games to open the season, including a Thursday Night Football home opener with the Bengals, a season finale with the Steelers as well as matchups with foes from the AFC South and NFC East.
“I think it's really an exciting day when you get this schedule,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “As coaches, we look at it and start to put some plans in place. We knew who we were playing, we knew where but now to see it all put together certainly is a really fun time for our coaching staff to map out our plan as this offseason continues on.”
After the Browns’ road trip to Baltimore -- the place where Cleveland delivered the Ravens’ final regular season loss in Week 4 of the 2019 season -- the Browns will open their home schedule against No. 1 pick Joe Burrow and the Bengals under the primetime lights of Thursday Night Football. It will mark the first time since 1999 -- when the Browns returned to the NFL after a three-year hiatus with a nationally televised matchup against the Steelers -- and eighth time ever that Cleveland opens its home schedule with a night game. The Browns have won their past two Thursday night games and hold a 5-2 home record on Thursday.
“We're excited to get to work against some great opponents,” Stefanski said. “The AFC North has some really good football teams and we'll get to see a couple of them early. We see the division champs there in Week 1 and then are really excited to get back in front of our fans that Thursday night vs. the Bengals.”
This year's schedule features cross-division games against teams from the AFC South and NFC East, as Cleveland hosts the Colts (Week 5), Texans (10), Redskins (3) and Eagles (11) while traveling to face the Cowboys (4), Giants (15), Jaguars (12) and Titans (13). The Browns' matchup with the Colts will kick off in CBS' late-afternoon window at 4:25 p.m.
The Browns have back-to-back AFC North games on multiple occasions throughout the first half of the schedule. After the 1-2 punch to start the season, Cleveland faces consecutive division road trips in Weeks 6 and 7 against the Steelers and Bengals. Cleveland split the season series with all three of its division foes in 2019.
The Jets and Raiders, the latter of whom Cleveland hosts Week 8 before its Week 9 bye, are the only two opponents unique to the Browns when compared to the rest of the AFC North. After the bye, Cleveland faces all four of the teams on its schedule that made the 2019 playoffs -- Houston, Philadelphia, Tennessee and Baltimore -- over a five-week stretch.
“A lot of times we break the season into quarters, so it does make it easier when the bye is right smack in the middle there,” Stefanski said. “We've got the first eight games, and then know we have an eight-game stretch after that.
“Our focus is so much on what we're doing right now in the offseason program. We know where the Ravens game is out on the horizon. Past that, it's hard for our players to look too much into the future with the schedule.”
The Browns will play five games outside of the division before hosting the Ravens for Monday Night Football in Week 14. The Browns, who last hosted Monday Night Football in 2015 against the Ravens, are 16-16 all-time on Monday Night Football with an 11-10 mark at home.
Before Cleveland’s season finale with Pittsburgh -- marking the ninth such occurrence in the past 13 years -- the Browns will have consecutive games against the Giants and Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Week 16 matchup with the Jets is the only game on Cleveland’s schedule without a set date, as it could take place either Saturday, Dec. 26, or Sunday, Dec. 27. This is the first time since 1975 that the Browns will face both the Giants and Jets on the road in the same season.
“That's unique,” Stefanski said. “I don't know if I've ever done that before where you're staying at the same hotel and playing in the same building. It definitely will be a unique experience.”
The Browns will open the preseason with two road contests at Chicago and Green Bay before returning to FirstEnergy Stadium for games against the Vikings and Buccaneers. The only matchup with a set date is the Week 3, Aug. 30 game against Minnesota, which is slated for 4 p.m. and will air nationally on FOX.
Single-game tickets for Browns 2020 home games are now available at ClevelandBrowns.com and the Browns mobile app. Browns season ticket members and fans will have the immediate opportunity to purchase tickets to all games at FirstEnergy Stadium, as limited quantities remain available. Season ticket members will continue to benefit from special access to the best possible single-game tickets through the team's website and official mobile app, where a select inventory of seats will be reserved for purchase by season ticket members.
The Browns and NFL are currently preparing for a full 2020 season while closely monitoring developments related to COVID-19. In the event games are cancelled or fans are not permitted based on policies set by medical experts, government officials or the NFL, the team will make various credit and refund options available to fans who purchase tickets directly from the club.
In addition to the team adhering to all league and government guidelines, the Browns regularly discuss coronavirus matters with medical and epidemiology experts at University Hospitals to remain updated on all best practices and recommendations, including how to create safe environments when returning to work and during future events.
By becoming a season ticket member, fans can secure tickets to all Browns home games and receive additional benefits, including access to exclusive Browns experiences through the Season Ticket Member Benefit Card; discounts on single-game tickets and team merchandise; preferred opportunities to purchase tickets to away games and non-football events at the stadium; and much more. For more information on season tickets and placing a deposit for future games, contact the Membership Services Team at 440-891-5050 or email tickets@clevelandbrowns.com.
2020 CLEVELAND BROWNS SCHEDULE
PRESEASON
Week 1 (Aug. 13-17) - at Chicago Bears - Time TBD
Week 2 (Aug. 20-24) - at Green Bay Packers - Time TBD
Week 3 (Aug. 30) - Minnesota Vikings – 4:00 p.m./FOX
Week 4 (Sept. 3-4) - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Time TBD
REGULAR SEASON
Week 1: Sept. 13 - at Baltimore Ravens - 1:00 p.m./CBS
Week 2: Sept. 17 (Thurs.) - Cincinnati Bengals - 8:20 p.m./NFLN
Week 3: Sept. 27 - Washington Redskins - 1:00 p.m./FOX
Week 4: Oct. 4 - at Dallas Cowboys - 1:00 p.m./FOX
Week 5: Oct. 11 - Indianapolis Colts - 4:25 p.m./CBS
Week 6: Oct. 18 - at Pittsburgh Steelers - 1:00 p.m./CBS
Week 7: Oct. 25 - at Cincinnati Bengals - 1:00 p.m./CBS
Week 8: Nov. 1 - Las Vegas Raiders - 1:00 p.m./FOX
Week 9: Nov. 8 - BYE
Week 10: Nov. 15 - Houston Texans - 1:00 p.m./FOX
Week 11: Nov. 22 - Philadelphia Eagles - 1:00 p.m./FOX
Week 12: Nov. 29 - at Jacksonville Jaguars - 1:00 p.m./CBS
Week 13: Dec. 6 - at Tennessee Titans - 1:00 p.m./CBS
Week 14: Dec. 14 (Mon.) - Baltimore Ravens - 8:15 p.m./ESPN
Week 15: Dec. 20 - at New York Giants - 1:00p.m./CBS
Week 16: Dec. 26 or 27 - at New York Jets - Time TBD
Week 17: Jan. 3 - Pittsburgh Steelers - 1:00 p.m./CBS
Text from Browns press release: By Andrew Gribble, ClevelandBrowns.com Senior Staff Writer