Fans of the Cleveland Browns are understandably frustrated with the performance of their team. Only eternal optimists (waving hello from the other side of the keyboard) or delusional fans thought the Browns would be a playoff-caliber squad. The betting win totals told a story about what proper expectations for the team should have been going into the season.
With just two weeks left in the 2025 NFL season, and only one game left for some teams, all but four playoff spots, including a fight for the AFC
North, remain up for grabs. With that many playoff spots locked up, there are a number of teams that are officially disappointments this year, but Cleveland is not one of them.
2025 Top 5 Disappointing Teams
- Kansas City Chiefs – Is the dynasty over, for now? At 6-10 with Patrick Mahomes tearing his ACL, the Chiefs could take a couple of years off from the postseason while trying to reload.
- Detroit Lions – An assumed Super Bowl contender, the Lions have been eliminated from the playoffs already, lost to another team on this list on Christmas, and have some wondering if the magic of the team left when Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn took head coaching jobs last offseason
- Cincinnati Bengals – Unlike the first two teams on the list, the Bengals at least have the injury to Joe Burrow to blame for their season. The problem is that Cincinnati’s offense continued to play at a high level, mostly, with Joe Flacco, which points to other issues, defense and beyond, on the team.
- Minnesota Vikings – Most thought moving on from Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones made sense this offseason, but JJ McCarthy has not answered any questions and the Vikings are on the outside of the playoffs after NFC Championship game expectations to start the year.
- Dallas Cowboys – A team that could probably make the list every year, given national expectations for the team, the Cowboys traded away one of the best defenders in the NFL, then traded a slightly smaller package for a very good defender at a less valuable position. Hoping for the rare .500 season (8-8-1) in a 17-game schedule is below what Dallas fans and media were expecting.
- Honorable mention #1: Either the Pittsburgh Steelers or Baltimore Ravens, whichever doesn’t win the AFC North and misses the playoffs. Most likely, that will be the Ravens on Saturday night.
- Honorable mention #2: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, sitting with a 7-8 record and at risk of missing the playoffs.
Did we miss anyone on the disappointing team list? If that is the Top 7 list, where would you rank the Browns based on preseason expectations?
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