Cleveland Browns face potential turning point against Patriots

The Cleveland Browns were supposed to be a contender this year. Here’s their chance to start proving worth.

Cleveland is 2-4 coming out of its bye week. As the record indicates, it’s been a slog to this point. The Browns came out and immediately got pounded 43-13 in Cleveland by the Tennessee Titans. Since then, the Titans have won two games and benched Marcus Mariota.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns have looked lost offensively. Head coach Freddie Kitchens has done little to qwell concerns that he was the right man for the job. In his first year as a head man at any level, Kitchens has often appeared overmatched, calling bland offensive series with little chance for grand success. Of course, it doesn’t help that second-year quarterback Baker Mayfield has thrown for five touchdowns and 11 interceptions while completing 56 percent of his throws.

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Still, Cleveland is in the AFC playoff picture. The conference is soft and the Browns schedule is considerably easier the rest of the way… once they play the New England Patriots up in Foxboro this weekend.

Coming out of the bye to play the Patriots on the road is the toughest assignment imaginable, but it also provides a chance to completely rewrite the narrative on the season thus far. A win against New England — a team which is allowing 6.9 points per game — would be a massive statement to the rest of the NFL before we hit the second half of the campaign.

The Cleveland Browns had a chance to ruthlessly self-scout and evaluate themselves for the past two weeks. Mayfield has had the opportunity to pour over both film and the playbook, trying to figure out what went wrong and why. Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham are still two of the best weapons in football. The defense should finally have starting cornerbacks Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams healthy.

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In short, there’s reason to believe Cleveland can rise up the standings.

It starts, though, with the biggest test any team can be dealt. The Patriots are loaded defensively and led by the greatest quarterback of all time in Tom Brady on the other side of the ball. This in’t going to be a matter of executing. This will be going above and beyond, something Cleveland sports don’t typically do.

Still, the opportunity stands before the Browns to make a move and change everything being said about them after a hyped-up offseason gone flat.