CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Browns will open the season with the Battle of Ohio — at home against the Bengals on Sept. 7 — and close against them in Week 18. But the NFL schedule-makers weren’t impressed with the 3-14 Browns last season and kept them off of prime time this season.

It’s a dramatic departure from last season, when the Browns, coming off their 11-6 mark and wild card berth in 2023, played in four prime time games.

Not even the addition of wildly popular quarterback Shedeur Sanders, their fifth-round pick out of Colorado who will be part of a four-way competition for the starting job, was enough to land the Browns in prime time.

They did, however, get an international game, with an Oct. 5 date against the Vikings in London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, only their second international game ever. They also faced the Vikings in London in 2017, losing 33-16.

As for opening at home against the Bengals — the ninth opener vs. Cincy in team history — the Browns are 3-2 in home openers under coach Kevin Stefanski. They own a 4-3 record against Cincinnati in season openers, including a 24-3 victory the last time the two teams met to begin the 2023 season. The opener that season was the only time they’ve defeated the Bengals in their last five meetings.

In addition to opening and closing against the Bengals, the Browns kick off the season with two AFC North games and close with two: they travel to Baltimore to face the division champs on Sept. 14, and they host the Steelers Dec. 28 before heading to Cincy for the season finale, the date of which is to be determined.

Cleveland Browns 2025 schedule

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1 Sep. 7 Cincinnati Bengals 1:00 PM FOX

2 Sep. 14 at Baltimore Ravens 1:00 PM CBS

3 Sep. 21 Green Bay Packers 1:00 PM FOX

4 Sept. 28 at Detroit Lions 1:00 PM FOX

5 Oct. 5 Minnesota Vikings (London) 9:30 AM NFLN

6 Oct. 12 at Pittsburgh Steelers 1:00 PM CBS

7 Oct. 19 Miami Dolphins 1:00 PM CBS

8 Oct. 26 at New England Patriots 1:00 PM FOX

9 BYE

10 Nov. 9 at New York Jets 1:00 PM CBS

11 Nov. 16 Baltimore Ravens 4:25 PM CBS

12 Nov. 23 at Las Vegas Raiders 4:05 PM CBS

13 Nov. 30 San Francisco 49ers 1:00 PM CBS

14 Dec. 7 Tennessee Titans 1:00 PM FOX

15 Dec. 14 at Chicago Bears 1:00 PM FOX

16 Dec. 21 Buffalo Bills 1:00 PM CBS

17 Dec. 28 Pittsburgh Steelers 1:00 PM CBS

18 TBD at Cincinnati Bengals TBD TBD*

*Week 18 games TBD

“Right out of the gate into the division versus the Bengals, then follow up with the Ravens the very next week,” coach Kevin Stefanski said in a press release. “Those division games are always special because we know each other so well. Obviously, faces change over the course of these different times we go up against each other, but the core of who they are, the core of what we are, is the same, and it’s always a battle. So, it’s fun getting the division right out of the gates.”

Finishing with two AFC North games could be pivotal for the division race, whether or not the Browns are still in it.

“You go into the season versus the division, and you go out of the season versus the division, getting ready for that second season that you earn through these tough, hard-fought games,” Stefanski said. “Those division games late in our calendar oftentimes include weather, and they’ll be ugly and messy and windy and maybe snowy. But it’s always fun to go up against your division.”

The Browns also be ready to play some good football right from the jump, because the first part of their schedule is extremely tough, with games against the Packers, at the Lions and Vikings after those first two AFC North games.

Along with facing all three division rivals in the first six weeks, the Browns embark on a three-game road swing after hosting the Packers on Sept. 21: they travel to the Lions on Sept. 28, head to London Oct. 5 at 9:30 am ET and then visit the Steelers on Oct. 12. But then they’ll play five of their last nine games at Huntington Bank Field, where Stefanski is 26-16 (.619) since 2020.

“Unfortunately, our fans are not going to see us for a little while there, as we’re on the road, which is unique,” Stefanski said. “But when you have a stretch there where you’re not in front of the fans, you know the payoff is on the back half, you are. So, we would go a bunch of home games down the stretch, including two in a row, Weeks 13 and 14, and then Weeks 16 and 17.”

As for the London game, the last time the Browns played there, Stefanski was quarterbacks coach of the Vikings, where he worked from 2006-2019 before taking the Browns job.

“That London experience is always really special, and I think our players and coaches will relish the opportunity to go put our game on display in a city like London,” Stefanski said. “It’s a great opportunity to go up against a playoff team from last season. Coach (Kevin) O’Connell does an outstanding job with his team. So, we certainly know that this is going to be a really, really hard-fought contest. But it’s exciting to do it on the world stage.”

The Browns will have their bye week in the middle of the season — Week 9 — sandwiched between road games against the Patriots and Jets. They’ll also head back out to Las Vegas for the second straight year, facing the Raiders Nov. 23 at 4:05 p.m.

Based on win-loss records from last season, the Browns have the 13th-toughest schedule this season, with opponents having a 2024 total win percentage of .519 (150-139).

The Browns play all four teams in the AFC East and all four teams in the NFC North.

They’ll face a formidable lineup of quarterbacks including Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Jared Goff, Tua Tagovailoa, Geno Smith, Brock Purdy, Jordan Love, and Caleb Williams.

In Week 8, they’ll visit the Patriots, who are coached by 2024 Browns consultant and Akron native Mike Vrabel.

In Week 14, they’ll face rookie quarterback Cam Ward, picked No. 1 overall by the Titans last month.

The Browns’ schedule finishes as tough as it starts, with home games against the Bills and Steelers, and the road finale in Cincy, where they’ll come full circle from the opener.

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