The Cleveland Browns open the 2021 regular season on Sunday with the most realistic expectations the team has faced since the late 1980s.
The game against the Kansas City Chiefs will be a nice early season benchmark to gauge how the Browns have progressed since their season-ending loss to the Chiefs in the Divisional Playoffs last January.
This season’s expectations are fueled by a return of every key player on offense; the second consecutive year of the team playing in head coach Kevin Stefanski’s offensive system and defensive coordinator Joe Woods’ defensive system; the work that general manager Andrew Berry did in rebuilding the defense from front to back; and what appears to be a very favorable home schedule, which is potentially a nice boost to building a double-digit win season.