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Dec 8, 2013; Foxborough, MA, USA; A Cleveland Browns helmet sits on the sidelines during the fourth quarter of New England's 27-26 win at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
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Freddie Kitchens has tough job ahead with Browns

Matt Verderame NFL

The Cleveland Browns haven’t won a playoff game since 1994. You know, before the team was relocated to Baltimore and then return as a new franchise in 1999.

Cleveland has largely been without any success since. In the past 20 years, the team has only reached the playoffs once. Now, suddenly, the Browns are the consensus favorite in the AFC North. The man running the show is first-year, first-time head coach Freddie Kitchens. No pressure.

General manager John Dorsey has assembled one of the most talented rosters in the game today. Cleveland has a young star quarterback in Baker Mayfield, a group of offensive weapons that include receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, tight end David Njoku and running backs Nick Chubb, Duke Johnson and Kareem Hunt. Defensively, Sheldon Richardson, Myles Garrett, Olivier Vernon and Joe Schobert are all part of a quality front seven, while Denzel Ward represents a true No. 1 corner on the boundary.

All told, the Browns aren’t in the same class quite yet of the Kansas City Chiefs or New England Patriots as Super Bowl contenders, but anything less than a division crown would be a failure.

Enter Kitchens. After beginning last season as a running backs coach, Kitchens was promoted to offensive coordinator for the second half of the campaign following the firing of head coach Hue Jackson. This offseason, the Browns promoted him to head coach, believing in the abilities of a 44-year-old Alabamian.

There’s reason to believe that Kitchens can get the job done. He did an excellent job with the offense down the stretch, helping Cleveland to a 7-8-1 record. Mayfield also performed considerably better once Kitchens had more power.

However, there’s also reason for concern. The Browns have not had expectations since Kitchens was in high school. Now, Cleveland is supposed to win and win immediately. That said, there are precious few players on the roster who have ever won a playoff game. Of all the stars including Mayfield, Richardson, Hunt, Johnson, Chubb, Beckham, Vernon, Garrett, Landry, Ward and Njoku, none of them have. In short, who is going to be the guiding light when the trip towards January hits the proverbial bump?

Kitchens has an incredible opportunity in front of him to succeed. He could also fall flat due to a team with a litany of personalities and sky-high expectations.

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