The Browns' 2025 regular season schedule is officially out, so we're taking a look at the five biggest takeaways from the 17-game slate.
Season bookends with divisional opponents
The Browns will open and close the season against the Bengals for just the second time in team history. Cleveland will host Cincinnati in Week 1 at Huntington Bank Field on Sept. 7 at 1 p.m., then travel to Cincinnati in Week 18. The date and game time of Week 18 will be announced at a later date.
Taken another step further, the first two games and last two games of the season are against divisional opponents. After hosting the Bengals in Week 1, the Browns will travel to Baltimore in Week 2. Then to close out the season, the Browns host the Steelers in Week 17 and travel to Cincinnati for the final game of the season in Week 18.
"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," head coach Kevin 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."
Bye week arrives in the middle of the season
For the second consecutive season, the Browns' bye week falls at an opportune time in the schedule at Week 9. It splits the schedule in half, with eight games ahead of the bye week, and nine following.
Week 9 will be a time for rest for the Browns and allow the team to gauge where they are as a team at the halfway point of the season. It will also give Cleveland a chance to prepare for the latter half of the season that features matchups with all four divisional opponents, as well as the Bills.
Browns play five games away from Huntington Bank Field in first half of the season
The Browns have a stretch of games on the road away from Huntington Bank Field beginning in Week 4 when they travel to Detroit and face the Lions on Sept. 28. Then, they head across the pond to London to host the Vikings in Week 5 on Oct. 5. The Browns are considered the home team in the matchup, and the game is counted as one of their nine games in 2025. Once back in the States, the Browns will travel to Pittsburgh in Week 6, and close out the first half of the season on the road against the Patriots in Week 8.
Five of their first eight games of the season will not take place at Huntington Bank Field, with the visit to the Ravens in Week 2 rounding out the list.
Home slate in back half of the season
Following the bye week, the Browns will play five of the final nine games of the season at Huntington Bank Field. Cleveland will host two divisional opponents with the Ravens in Week 11 and the Steelers in Week 17.
In that stretch of five home games, the Browns will also have two sets of back-to-back home games. They will host the 49ers in Week 13 and the Titans in Week 14, then the Bills in Week 16 and the Steelers in Week 17.
Home games against playoff teams
While the Browns' strength of schedule ranked 13th in the league, they face a tough home slate of games. Six of their opponents finished with winning records for the 2024 season. Five of those opponents also made the playoffs in 2024, as the Browns will host the Bills, Ravens, Steelers, Vikings and Packers. While the Browns will host the Vikings in London in Week 5, the game is counted as one of their nine games in 2025 as they serve as the home team.
