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 were eliminated from the 2021-22 NFL playoffs and their last playoff appearance was in 2020 after a 17-year wait.
Cleveland Browns Playoff Appearances by Year
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 12 wins and 21 losses (since 1950)
Wild Card Round Wins: 2 wins (in 5 games)
Divisional Round Wins: 7 (in 8 games)
Wins in Conference Championship: 0 (in 5 games)
Super Bowl Wins: 0 (no Super Bowl appearances till 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).
How many times have the Cleveland Browns made the playoffs with Ozzie ‘Oz’ Newsome and Clay Matthews?
Ozzie Newsome (tight end) and Clay Matthews (linebacker) are two of the most celebrated Cleveland Browns players. Together they made it to 7 playoffs with the Cleveland Browns. Ozzie Newsome is a Pro Football Hall of Famer inducted in 1999. 78-90
| Week | Date | Opponent | Points Scored | Points Allowed | Stadium |
| 1989 Playoffs- Divisional Round | Jan 6, 1990 | Buffalo Bills | 34 | 30 | Cleveland Stadium, Ohio |
| 1989 Playoffs- Conference Championship | Jan 14, 1990 | Denver Broncos | 21 | 37 | Mile High Stadium, Denver |
| 1988 Playoffs- Wild Card Round | Dec 24, 1988 | Houston Oilers | 23 | 24 | Cleveland Stadium, Ohio |
| 1987 Playoffs- Divisional Round | Jan 9, 1988 | Indianapolis Colts | 38 | 21 | Cleveland Stadium, Ohio |
| 1987 Playoffs- Conference Championship | Jan 17, 1988 | Denver Broncos | 33 | 38 | Mile High Stadium, Denver |
| 1986 Playoffs- Divisional Round | Jan 3, 1987 | New York Jets | 23 | 20 | Cleveland Stadium, Ohio |
| 1986 Playoffs- Conference Championship | Jan 11, 1987 | Denver Broncos | 20 | 23 | Cleveland Stadium, Ohio |
| 1985 Playoffs- Divisional Round | Jan 4, 1986 | Miami Dolphins | 21 | 24 | Miami Orange Bowl, Florida |
| 1982 Playoffs- Wild Card Round | Jan 8, 1983 | Los Angeles Raiders | 10 | 27 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, California |
| 1980 Playoffs- Divisional Round | Jan 4, 1981 | Oakland Raiders | 12 | 14 | Cleveland Stadium, Ohio |
Cleveland Browns Championships and Rings Won
The Cleveland Browns have won 8 Championship Rings. The Browns have won the Championship Rings by winning AAFC and NFL Championships before the 1970 NFL-AFL merger.
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: 38
Overall Playoff Record (Wins-Losses): 17-21
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
