We've been breaking down the Browns' 2015 opponents for months and have had a little more than 12 hours to digest the "when" aspect that was unveiled late Tuesday.
Here's what we gathered once it was all laid out for us.
1) September is the month for young QBs
• Depending on how it all shakes out, the Browns could face two rookie quarterbacks in the first month of the season. If Marcus Mariota is still available at No. 6, the New York Jets, whom host the Browns in the season opener, certainly would make a lot of sense. If he's selected at No. 2, that means the Tennessee Titans, whom the Browns host in their Sept. 20 home opener, will have the former Oregon star at their disposal. And then there's all the uncertainty about Philip Rivers in San Diego. Unsure if Rivers will re-sign after his contract expires at the end of the year, do the Chargers make a pro-active move? The only certainty in September is Derek Carr, barring an injury, starting at quarterback for the Oakland Raiders.
2) Browns' bye comes at a pivotal time
• This won't be a repeat of 2014, when the Browns were breaking before September turned to October. This year's week of rest comes seven weeks later and at a part in the schedule Mike Pettine called a "hinge point" on the entire season. The Browns get what works out to be a 15-day break between their Nov. 15 trip to Pittsburgh and their Nov. 30 Monday Night Football game against Baltimore at FirstEnergy Stadium thanks to the Week 11 bye. It's not the only help Cleveland will receive during this gauntlet of a four-game stretch against AFC North opponents, as its Nov. 5 Thursday Night Football game at Cincinnati is followed by 10 days of rest before the Pittsburgh game.
3) Big contrast between beginning and end
• You never know how tough the schedule actually is until it plays out, but there's a big contrast between the 2014 records of Cleveland's first few opponents and the ones that dot the second half on this year's slate. The Browns' first three foes -- New York Jets, Tennessee and Oakland -- combined for a record of 9-39 last season. Starting with Arizona in Week 9, the Browns will not face a single team the rest of the way that carried a losing record in 2014. Seven of the final nine games are against teams that made the playoffs.
4) Watch out for weather in December/January
• The Browns dodged Mother Nature's typical December wrath in 2014, as they played in reasonable and even some unseasonably warm conditions throughout the final month. It's hard to even predict what this weekend's weather will be, let alone December's, so there's no point speculating what could happen months from now, but the Browns' final five games certainly carry increased risk for weather affecting them. On top of the Browns' final three home games -- Dec. 6 vs. Cincinnati, Dec. 13 vs. San Francisco and Jan. 3 vs. Pittsburgh -- Cleveland travels to Seattle (Dec. 20) and Kansas City (Dec. 27). A trip to Tampa Bay, San Diego, Miami, Carolina or a dome just wasn't in the cards.
5) Remember, everyone else in the AFC North faces the West, too
• Asked about the difficulty that comes with playing teams from the AFC and NFC West, Pettine shrugged it off. How Cleveland plays in the AFC North, he said, ultimately will determine whether the team can call its season a success. And, as he reminded, those division foes are dealing with the same exact schedule as the Browns with the exception of the cross-division strength-of-schedule matchups that make Cleveland's schedule -- on paper, at least -- seem a little bit easier. Pittsburgh, which takes on New England and Indianapolis in its cross-division matchups, has the same bye week as the Browns. Cincinnati, which has games against Buffalo and Houston, is off Week 7 while Baltimore (Miami and Jacksonville) has a Week 9 bye.
