The Cleveland Browns made the playoffs in 2023 despite a rotating cast of quarterbacks and a litany of injuries. But oddsmakers seem to be uncertain about the team’s prospects of repeating the feat in 2024.
The Browns have a win total (over/under) of 8.5 wins (-135 over) for the 2024 NFL season, according to odds from DraftKings Ohio Sportsbook. BetOhio.com researched, via SportsReference.com, all teams with an 8.5-win total line in the past 10 NFL seasons to see how they performed.
Situation | Number of Teams | Percentage* |
Under 8.5 Wins | 24 of 55 | 43.6% |
Over 8.5 Wins | 31 of 55 | 56.4% |
Make NFL Playoffs | 29 of 55 | 52.7% |
Make Divisional Round | 17 of 55 | 30.9% |
Make Conference Championship | 6 of 55 | 10.9% |
Make Super Bowl | 2 of 55 | 3.6% |
Win Super Bowl | 1 of 55 | 1.8% |
*Rounded to nearest whole number
The good news for The Dawg Pound and Browns backers at Ohio betting sites is that teams with a win line of 8.5 have cashed the over 56.4% time in the past 10 years. Of the 55 teams that fit these criteria, slightly more than half (29 teams, or 52.7%) made the playoffs. Caesars Ohio Sportsbook rates the Browns as slight underdogs to make the playoffs this season, with +160 odds on yes and -190 odds on no.
Six of those teams reached the conference championship game and one, the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles, won the Super Bowl. Here are the teams that made it farthest since 2014 after heading into the season at over/under 8.5 wins:
As the 2024 NFL regular season gets rolling, we will update Cleveland Browns playoff chances every week.
It really is remarkable that coach Kevin Stefanski led Cleveland to the playoffs in 2023 considering how many key players were injured.
Starting quarterback Deshaun Watson only started six games, throwing for seven touchdowns and four interceptions. Running back Nick Chubb, named to the Pro Bowl the previous four seasons, injured his knee in a Week 2 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and missed the rest of the season. Offensive tackle Jedrick Willis, who had started all 17 games in 2022, missed the second half of the season on injured reserve. Folks placing futures wagers on the Browns at Ohio sports betting apps will want to keep an eye on the injured list at all times in the 2024 season.
But the Browns rallied late in the season behind veteran Joe Flacco – the team’s fifth starting quarterback of the season – who was 4-1 as a starter at age 38.
The Browns are still paying for the massive deal that landed them Watson from the Houston Texans in 2022, both in financial terms and in draft capital. The team had only six picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, having sent their first-round pick to Houston (that selection wound up going through Minnesota, then Jacksonville before the Jaguars took WR Brian Thomas Jr. 23rd overall).
The Browns took only two offensive players in April’s draft: Lineman Zak Zinter (No. 85 overall) out of Michigan and wide receiver Jamari Thrash (No. 156) from Louisville. Cleveland focused on defense with its other four picks, including the team’s top selection this year, second-rounder Michael Hall (No. 54), a defensive line standout at Ohio State.
Even now, Watson continues to recover from the shoulder injury that derailed his 2023 season. The Browns signed veteran QB Jameis Winston as a backup, and possible starter if Watson is hurt or ineffective.
Either before the NFL season begins or after, see our best Ohio sportsbook promotions to get great sign-up deals with various operators.
USA Today photo by Charles LeClaire
Author
Ohio native Jim Tomlin has 30 years of experience in journalism, mostly in sports. He lends his expertise to BetOhio.com as a writer and editor after previous experience at the Tampa Bay Times, FanRag, Saturday Down South and Saturday Tradition.
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