Cleveland Browns Playoff History

Cleveland Browns Playoff Records
Cleveland Browns


The Cleveland Browns play in the AFC North Division of the NFL. Established in 1944, the Cleveland Browns played in the All American Football Conference from 1946-1949, winning all the Championships during their appearances. The Browns have been an NFL franchise since 1950 and currently play in the FirstEnergy Stadium in Ohio (since 1999). The Cleveland Browns were suspended for 3 seasons (1996-98) due to the formation of the Baltimore Ravens.


The Ravens were formed with the entire roster of the Cleveland Browns when new owner Art Modell faced backlash from the people of Ohio for wanting to shift the team to Baltimore. Although the Browns logo and intellectual property were retained the entire roster was shifted to the Baltimore Ravens team. The Browns resumed operations with an entirely new squad in 1999.


The Cleveland Browns made it to the NFL Championship in all of their first ten years of establishment. The Browns made it to the NFL Playoffs 25 times (since 1950) although they enjoyed a majority of their playoff success in the 1950s and 1960s. The Browns are yet to appear in a Super Bowl although they have won 11 Conference Championships (pre-1970 NFL-AFL merger) and 12 Divisional Championships. The Browns' recent playoff appearance came in the 2023 NFL season where they lost in the Wild Card Round to the Houston Texans.


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Cleveland Browns Playoff Appearances by Year

2023- Lost in the Wild Card Round against the Houston Texans (14-45)


2020- Lost the Divisional Round against the Kansas City Chiefs (17-22)


2002- Knocked out in the Wild Card Round by Pittsburgh Steelers (33-36)


1994 Lost the Divisional Round against the Pittsburgh Steelers (9-29)


1989 Lost the Conference Championship to Denver Broncos (21-37)


1988 Lost the Wild Card Round (23-24) against the Houston Oilers (now known as the Tennessee Titans)


1987 Lost the Conference Championship against the Denver Broncos (33-38)


1986 Lost the Conference Championship in overtime against the Denver Broncos (20-23)


1985 Lost the Divisional Round against the Miami Dolphins (21-24)


1982 Lost the Wild Card Round against the Los Angeles Raiders (10-27)


1980 Lost Divisional Round (12-14) to the Oakland Raiders (now known as the Los Angeles Raiders)


1972 Lost Divisional Round against the Miami Dolphins (14-20)


1971 Lost Divisional Round (3-20) against the Baltimore Colts


1969 Lost Conference Championship to the Minnesota Vikings (7-27)


1968 Lost the Conference Championship in a blowout against the Baltimore Colts (0-34)


1967 Lost the Divisional Round (14-52) against the Dallas Cowboys


1965 Lost the NFL Championship against the Green Bay Packers (12-23)


1964 Won the NFL Championship by defeating the Baltimore Colts in a blowout (27-0)


1958 Lost the Divisional Round against the New York Giants (0-10)


1957 Lost the Divisional Round against the Detroit Lions (15-59)


1955 Won the NFL Championship by defeating the Los Angeles Rams (38-14)


1954 Won the NFL Championship against the Detroit Lions (56-10)


1953 Lost the NFL Championship to the Detroit Lions (16-17)


1952 Lost the NFL Championship to the Detroit Lions (7-17)


1951 Lost the NFL Championship to the Los Angeles Rams (17-24)


1950 Won the NFL Championship by defeating the Los Angeles Rams (30-28)


Playoff Games Won by Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns have a playoff record of 17 wins and 22 losses (since 1950)


Wild Card Round Wins: 2 wins (in 6 games)


Divisional Round Wins: 7 (in 15 games)


Wins in Conference Championship: 0 (in 5 games)


Super Bowl Wins: 0 (no Super Bowl appearances to date)


How many playoff games has Otto Graham played at the FirstEnergy Stadium?

One of the legends of the Cleveland Browns is quarterback Otto Graham who played for the team since their establishment in 1946. The Cleveland Browns home stadium was known as the Cleveland Stadium (re-established as the FirstEnergy Stadium in 1999), which Graham graced for 10 seasons. In the NFL, Otto Graham appeared in 7 playoff games and played 2 of them at the Cleveland Stadium. The 2 appearances at the Cleveland Stadium were NFL Championship games which he won on both occasions (1950, 1954).


Cleveland Browns Championships and Rings Won

The Cleveland Browns have won 8 Championship Rings. The Browns have won the Championship Rings by winning the AAFC and NFL Championships before the 1970 NFL-AFL merger. Unfortunately, though, the Browns have yet to reach the Championship game in the Super Bowl era.


1946 (AAFC Championship)

1947 (AAFC Championship)

1948 (AAFC Championship)

1950 (NFL Championship)

1954 (NFL Championship)

1955 (NFL Championship)

1964 (NFL Championship)

Cleveland Browns Overall Playoff Stats

Total Playoff Games Played: 39


Overall Playoff Record (Wins-Losses): 17-22


All-time Passing Leader: Brian Sipe 1,944/3,439, 23,713 yds, 154 TD


All-time Rushing Leader: Jim Brown 2,359 att, 12,312 yds, 106 TD


All-time Receiving Leader: Ozzie Newsome 662 rec, 7,980 yds, 47 TD


All-time Scoring Leader: Lou Groza 1,608 points


All-time AV Leader: Clay Matthews 125 AV


Coach with most wins: Paul Brown 158-48-8





FAQs

Q: When was the Cleveland Browns’ last playoff win?

A. During their last appearance in the playoffs in 2020, the Cleveland Browns made a dominant display of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round, beating them 48-37 before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs, 17-22 in the Divisional Round.

Q: Have the Cleveland Browns ever made it to the Super Bowl?

A. The Cleveland Browns are yet to make it to a Super Bowl. 5 times they’ve found themselves in a Conference Championship game since the league adopted a Super Bowl format, but haven’t made it past that round on any attempt.

Q: Have the Cleveland Browns ever been to the AFC Championship?

A. The Cleveland Browns made it to 3 AFC Championship games within 4 years between 1986 and 1990. However, each time they lost to the John Elway-led Denver Broncos.

Q: Who is the most successful coach in the Cleveland Browns history?

A. The most successful coach in the Cleveland Broswns history is Paul Brown with a record of 158-48-8.

Q: Who is the owner of the Cleveland Browns?

A. The current owners of the Cleveland Browns are Dee and Jimmy Haslam.