2023 Browns season: An average, not exceptional, club may be inferred from the NFL point difference.

As we enter Week 12 of the 2023 NFL season, the Cleveland Browns are 7-3. Even if the squad was 100 percent healthy, most fans should be ecstatic about that record. In actuality, if you watched every game, the Browns had a couple that they were fortunate to win, but they also could have/should have won two more.

The team’s record and any necessary tiebreakers are all that count at the end of the season. On the other hand, NFL analysis has grown to be a massive industry with a wealth of interesting metrics, one of which is point differential.

Point difference can be expressed simply as follows: how many points you scored minus how many points you gave up. This is in contrast to many other more complicated data items.

For Cleveland, a positive point differential of +47 is expected for the first 11 weeks of the extremely challenging Browns schedule. At this stage of the season, the Browns are one of eight teams in the AFC with a positive point differential.

This statistic is popular among analysts because it indicates if teams are competitive in most games and have the ability to manage others.

Cleveland’s schedule reveals that they were defeated by 25 points in their other loss and fell by four points twice. Make up for it with four victories at the last second and dominating wins of 21, 24, and 27 points.

The Baltimore Ravens lead their conference with a point differential of +127, while the Browns are in fifth place relative to the rest of their opponents. League-wide, Cleveland’s +47 is the eighth-best.

Point difference indicates that the Browns are currently “good but not great,” as most pundits would remark. In spite of this, Baltimore leads the AFC in record by just half a game from Cleveland and three other teams.

It will be fascinating to see if the Browns’ point differential and record continue to match up with seven games remaining in the season. Greater wins combined with one or two tight losses could indicate that Cleveland is getting closer to greatness than good. It’s possible that the team peaks right now if victories are scarce and losses are greater.

Are there any metrics (not just record) that you think tell a good story of the Browns so far this season?