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Browns heading to London | Ranking Cleveland's possible opponents for international game
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- Browns heading to London | Ranking Cleveland's possible opponents for international game
The Browns were announced Friday as one of the three designated teams for three games to be played in London in 2025 .
Cleveland will be playing just its second regular-season game internationally. The other time was a game against the Minnesota Vikings in 2017, also in London.
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The Browns , coming off a 3-14 season, will play at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The exact date, likely in October, and opponent will be announced closer to when the NFL announces the full 2025 schedule in the spring.
The opponent will come from one of the Browns ' nine home opponents: Baltimore Ravens , Cincinnati Bengals , Pittsburgh Steelers , Green Bay Packers , Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills , Miami Dolphins , San Francisco 49ers and Tennessee Titans . The NFL hasn't matched up division rivals in a game outside of North America since 2019, with the last intra-divisional international game being a 49ers- Arizona Cardinals game in Mexico City in 2022.
With that in mind, let's take rank the home opponents in terms of potential to be the one the Browns play in London:
1, San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers played that 2022 game in Mexico City against Arizona, but haven't been sent to Europe for more than a decade. San Francisco has actually had a longer wait to play outside of North America than the Browns, having last played against the Jaguars in London in 2013. The 49ers obviously would be a marquee opponent, their 6-11 record notwithstanding, on the home schedule for the Browns. However, the 49ers did play in Cleveland in 2023, which would make moving this game oversees make a little more sense.
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2, Miami Dolphins
Miami has played games in Germany in 2023 (against the Kansas City Chiefs ) and in London in 2021 (against the Jaguars). So the every-other-year cycle would certainly be in play for the Dolphins. Miami has Global Marketing Rights through the NFL to six countries, one of which is the United Kingdom. However, the Dolphins also have those rights in Spain, and Madrid is also hosting a regular-season game in 2025 for the first time. That could make Miami a prime candidate to be one of the teams in that game. If they were to be considered, though, the fact they played in Cleveland in December could make it a more tenable option to be moved to London.
3, Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) runs for a first down past the tackle attempt by Cleveland Browns linebacker Joe Schobert on Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Browns and Bills share the same Great Lake. It would seem strange, then, to make two teams separated by about three hours travel four times that to play on the other side of an ocean. Then again, Mother Nature forced their last meeting to get moved from Buffalo to Detroit so it's possible. Of course, having a major draw like potential Most Valuable Player Josh Allen to market opposite Myles Garrett would be quite enticing. Buffalo did just play in this same venue in 2023, but there are several examples of the league not concerned about making a team not from Jacksonville play internationally in consecutive seasons.
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4, Minnesota Vikings
A general overall view of Twickenham Stadium during an NFL International Series game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Cleveland Browns on Oct 29, 2017, in London, United Kingdom.
How about running 2017 back again? You'd get Kevin Stefanski against the team for which he was the quarterbacks coach when these teams met back then. You'd also get a Vikings team wondering why they drew a third international game at the same venue in the last four seasons, so that would seem to push this one down the list.
5, Tennessee Titans
Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward (21) breaks up a pass intended for Tennessee Titans wide receiver Treylon Burks (16) during the second quarter in Cleveland, Ohio, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023.
A Browns team coming off a 3-14 season against a Titans team doing the same feels like a sign of disrespect to the English like nothing the Americans have done since dumping their tea into Boston Harbor. Then again, speaking of Patriots from New England , the NFL had the Jaguars against the Pats last year in London. What if you could sell Shedeur Sanders against Cam Ward ? That pique anyone's interest?
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6, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers linebacker Isaiah McDuffie (58) tackles Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford (34) during a preseason game on Aug. 10, 2024, in Cleveland.
The Packers seem to come to Cleveland for a regular-season game about as often as the Browns get to go to Europe. The 2025 game would be just the third time — 2009 and 2017 being the others — Green Bay played there since the original Browns moved out of town in 1995. One would think that would be an opponent the Browns would want to play in their own stadium.
Browns fans show off a banner in remembrance of ex-owner, Art Modell and how he moved the franchise to Baltimore at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Sept. 30, 2007. The Browns defeated the Ravens 27-13.
The Packers played in Brazil against the Philadelphia Eagles to open this past season, and played in Tottenham in 2022, so put this down as very unlikely.
7, Baltimore Ravens
Not unless the Browns get to play the return trip at some other location. If they can move the team to Baltimore, Baltimore can move one home game somewhere else. Could even play it on Nov. 6 — it is a Thursday night this year — as a way to honor the 30th anniversary of the move's announcement.
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Browns in London: NFL picks Cleveland for 2025 game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
8, Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns coach Paul Brown on the sidelines with quarterback (13) Frank Ryan.
Not unless, like with the Ravens, they can play the return trip against them some place else. How about Massillon? You can do the whole Paul Brown thing with it there.
Browns analysis: Kevin Stefanski's offense, Deshaun Watson, left tackle top Browns' 2024 season takeaways
9, Pittsburgh Steelers
You know what? If they could move the return trip to Pittsburgh to absolutely any other location on the planet, this might work. The Browns would have to have better success at that place than they do in the Steel City.
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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 to play London game in 2025, ranking their possible opponents
