Cleveland Browns 2024 NFL schedule release: Is a Christmas Day game an option?
The Cleveland Browns will find out their 2024 schedule on Wednesday when the NFL officially announces it at 8 p.m. Until then, fans are left to speculate just what surprises that schedule may or may not actually contain.
Who will they open up against? What prime-time games may they end up getting? When do the AFC North rivals come to Cleveland? All of those questions are popular ones for Browns fans to ponder.
However, the NFL threw another one into the mix just over a month ago. Could the Browns actually play again on Christmas Day?
Short answer: yes. Since you're probably looking for more than that, let's dive a little deeper into the question that seemed impossible a month-and-a-half or so ago.
What day is Christmas this year?
It's December 25, as it always has been. If you're wanting to know what day of the week it is, that would be Wednesday.
Why is the NFL playing on a Wednesday?
You know the answer to this one. Because it can. Or, more specifically, it knows some broadcast provider will pony up the cash to carry the games and that millions upon millions will watch. Last year, an average of 28.7 million watched the three games carried on Christmas Day, which was on a Monday.
Has the NFL ever played on a Wednesday before?
Well, yes, but not frequently. The last time it happened was in 2021, when a COVID outbreak forced the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers to postpone a game that originally supposed to be played on Thanksgiving night until the following Wednesday.
When did the NFL decide to play games on Christmas Day?
That was finalized at the owners meetings in Orlando, Fla., at the end of March.
How many games will the NFL be playing on Christmas Day?
The plan is to play not one, but two games on Christmas Day. The league hasn't announced exact start times, but has indicated that the games will both fall in the afternoon window.
Are the Cleveland Browns really an option to play on Christmas Day, 2024?
Yes, they really are an option, and not just because they're one of the NFL's 32 teams. There has been at least a lot of chatter about the Browns potentially being one of the four teams to land on Christmas Day since it became known in March. However, the last week or so, there's been some prominent projections stating they were going to be included in the doubleheader.
NFL Network's Peter Schrager projected on Instagram last week that the Browns would play at the Cincinnati Bengals in the first game of the doubleheader. The other game would be an NFC divisional playoff game rematch between the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers.
The Master of the Super Bowl Prediction and the Most Accurate Mock Drafter of 2024, @PSchrags presents his MOCK 2024 NFL SCHEDULE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zOx0CsOiUl
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) May 8, 2024
Pro Football Network's Dakota Randall, meanwhile, projected the Browns to be on the road as well, only at the Baltimore Ravens. His projection for the other game: The Kirk Cousins Bowl between the Atlanta Falcons and the Minnesota Vikings.
Where will the NFL's Christmas Day games be broadcast?
That's not been finalized, which is part of the reason why the schedule hasn't been released yet. The latest reports have indicated that the league is negotiating with streaming giant Netflix to carry at least one, if not both, Christmas Day games this year. Now, if the Browns are involved in one of the games and it is on either a streaming service or cable television, then it will also be broadcasts on WEWS-TV Channel 5 in Northeast Ohio.
How many times have the Cleveland Browns played on Christmas Day?
That would be once, but it wasn't too long ago. On Christmas, 2021, the Browns went to Green Bay and lost to the Packers 24-22. It's the game where Baker Mayfield flew in the day of the game due to COVID concerns and then threw four interceptions, including one with 43 seconds left to end Cleveland's hopes.
How many games has the NFL played on Christmas Day?
Coming into the 2024 season, the NFL has played 30 games on Christmas, dating back to a 1971 playoff doubleheader involving the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings, as well as the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs.
What about rest days between the game before and the Christmas Day game?
The four teams who are chosen to play on Christmas Day will also be guaranteed to play the previous Saturday. That would give three days between games, which is the same amount of time that is between a typical Sunday game and a Thursday game when teams are involved in that game.
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns 2024 schedule release: What's the chance for a Christmas game?
