73rd season in franchise history
The 2021 season was the Cleveland Browns ' 69th season as a member of the National Football League (NFL), their 73rd overall and their second under head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry . The Browns finished 8–9, failing to improve upon their 11–5 record from 2020 . Despite starting 3–1, they would go 5–8 in their last games, eliminating them from playoff contention in the process. For the 75th anniversary of the team's founding in 1946, the Browns introduced a commemorative logo in January to use for the season.[ 1]
Pre-draft trades
Undrafted free agents [ edit ] 2021 Cleveland Browns staff Front office
Owners – Jimmy Haslam , Dee Haslam , Whitney Haslam-Johnson, J.W. Johnson (EVP) Chief strategy officer – Paul DePodesta EVP /Chief Operating Officer – David Jenkins EVP of football operations/General manager – Andrew Berry Vice president of football administration – Chris Cooper Vice president of football operations – Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Vice president of player personnel – Glenn Cook Vice president of research and strategy – Andrew Healy Vice president of player personnel process and development – Ken Kovash Director of football administration - Taylor Young Director of player personnel – Dan Saganey Assistant director of pro personnel – Adam Al-Khayyal Director of research and strategy – Dave Giuliani Director of scouting research – Mike Cetta Director of football information systems - Brad DeAngelis Senior football advisor – Ryan Grigson Special advisor – Jim Brown Head coaches
Offensive coaches
Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Joe Woods Defensive line – Chris Kiffin Assistant defensive line – Jeremy Garrett Linebackers – Jason Tarver Defensive pass game coordinator/defensive backs – Jeff Howard Assistant defensive backs – Brandon Lynch Defensive run game coordinator – Ben Bloom Defensive quality control – Stephen Bravo-Brown Defensive Assistant - Zach Dunn Special teams coaches
Assistant special teams – Doug Colman Coaching assistant – Ryan Cordell Strength and conditioning
Director of high performance – Shaun Huls Director of strength and conditioning – Larry Jackson Director of performance nutrition – Katy Meassick Strength and conditioning assistant/sports science – Josh Christovich Strength and conditioning assistant – Monty Gibson Strength and conditioning assistant – Dale Jones Strength and conditioning assistant – Evan Marcus
2021 Cleveland Browns final roster Quarterbacks Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive linemen Defensive linemen
Linebackers Defensive backs
Special teams
Reserve lists Practice squad
Rookies in italics 54 active, 14 inactive, 9 practice squad (+5 exempt)
The Browns' 2021 schedule was announced on May 12.
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Week 1: at Kansas City Chiefs [ edit ] Game information First quarter
CLE – Nick Chubb 4-yard run (Kareem Hunt run), 7:53. Browns 8–0. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 7:07. KC – Harrison Butker 28-yard field goal, 1:51. Browns 8–3. Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 6:02. Second quarter
CLE – Jarvis Landry 5-yard run (Chase McLaughlin kick), 13:28. Browns 15–3. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:23. KC – Patrick Mahomes 5-yard run (Harrison Butker kick), 6:30. Browns 15–10. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 6:58. CLE – Nick Chubb 18-yard run (Chase McLaughlin kick), 2:55. Browns 22–10. Drive: 6 plays, 81 yards, 3:35. Third quarter
KC – Travis Kelce 11-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes (Harrison Butker kick), 7:27. Browns 22–17. Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 7:33. KC – Harrison Butker 43-yard field goal, 0:32. Browns 22–20. Drive: 10 plays, 28 yards, 5:24. Fourth quarter
CLE – Kareem Hunt 2-yard run (Chase McLaughlin kick), 10:24. Browns 29–20. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 5:08. KC – Tyreek Hill 75-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes (Harrison Butker kick), 10:10. Browns 29–27. Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:14. KC – Travis Kelce 8-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes (pass failed), 7:04. Chiefs 33–29. Drive: 3 plays, 15 yards, 1:32. Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
With the loss, the Browns started their season at 0–1. The Browns failed to win in Week 1 for the 17th straight season.
Week 2: vs. Houston Texans [ edit ] Game information First quarter
Second quarter
HOU – Tyrod Taylor 15-yard run (Joey Slye kick), 7:06. Texans 14–7. Drive: 6 plays, 47 yards, 2:38. CLE – Baker Mayfield 5-yard run (Chase McLaughlin kick), 1:14. Tied 14–14. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 5:52. Third quarter
CLE – Demetric Felton 33-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Chase McLaughlin kick), 7:50. Browns 21–14. Drive: 7 plays, 72 yards, 5:52. CLE – Chase McLaughlin 30-yard field goal, 4:40. Browns 24–14. Drive: 4 plays, 6 yards, 1:37. Fourth quarter
HOU – Brandin Cooks 2-yard pass from Davis Mills (Joey Slye kick), 11:32. Browns 24–21. Drive: 16 plays, 75 yards, 8:08. CLE – Nick Chubb 26-yard run (Chase McLaughlin kick), 5:52. Browns 31–21. Drive: 9 plays, 82 yards, 5:40. Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
With the win, the Browns improved to 1–1.
Week 3: vs. Chicago Bears [ edit ] Week 3: Chicago Bears at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Bears 3 0 3 0 6 Browns 0 10 3 13 26
at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Game information First quarter
CHI - Cairo Santos 47-yard field goal, 8:40. Bears 3–0. Drive: 5 plays, 24 yards, 2:46. Second quarter
CLE - Chase McLaughlin 57-yard field goal, 12:31. Tied 3–3. Drive: 8 plays, 38 yards, 4:32. CLE - Austin Hooper 13-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Chase McLaughlin kick), 0:19. Browns 10–3. Drive: 12 plays, 89 yards, 2:35. Third quarter
CLE - Chase McLaughlin 41-yard field goal, 9:32. Browns 13–3. Drive: 7 plays, 21 yards, 4:26. CHI - Cairo Santos 22-yard field goal, 1:43. Browns 13–6. Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 4:02. Fourth quarter
CLE - Kareem Hunt 29-yard run (Chase McLaughlin kick), 14:46. Browns 20–6. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:57. CLE - Chase McLaughlin 52-yard field goal, 10:40. Browns 23–6. Drive: 6 plays, 37 yards, 3:00. CLE - Chase McLaughlin 28-yard field goal, 3:43. Browns 26–6. Drive: 10 plays, 41 yards, 5:35. Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
With the win, the Browns improved to 2–1. The Browns' defense set franchise records for fewest yards allowed (47) and fewest net passing yards allowed (1).[ 12] DE Myles Garrett set a franchise record with 4.5 sacks[ 12] and was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week.[ 13]
Week 4: at Minnesota Vikings [ edit ] Game information First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
CLE - Chase McLaughlin 53-yard field goal, 6:16. Browns 14–7. Drive: 7 plays, 36 yards, 3:29. Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
This was Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski 's first return to Minneapolis since leaving the Vikings in January 2020 to become the Browns head coach. Stefanski served as an assistant coach for the Vikings from 2006 to 2019.
With the win, the Browns improved to 3–1. This marked the Browns' sixth consecutive win over NFC opponents.
Week 5: at Los Angeles Chargers [ edit ] Week 5: Cleveland Browns at Los Angeles Chargers – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Browns 3 17 7 15 42 Chargers 7 6 8 26 47
at SoFi Stadium , Inglewood, California
Date : October 10Game time : 4:05 p.m. EDT/1:05 p.m. PDT Game weather : None (indoor stadium)Game attendance : 70,240Referee : Brad Allen TV announcers (CBS) : Kevin Harlan, Trent Green and Melanie CollinsRecap , Game Book
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
CLE – Rashard Higgins 7-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Chase McLaughlin kick), 12:46. Browns 10–7. Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 4:58. LAC – Mike Williams 72-yard pass from Justin Herbert (kick failed), 11:43. Chargers 13–10. Drive: 4 plays, 82 yards, 1:03. CLE – Kareem Hunt 3-yard run (Chase McLaughlin kick), 0:54. Browns 17–13. Drive: 11 plays, 53 yards, 6:00. CLE – Chase McLaughlin 31-yard field goal, 0:00. Browns 20–13. Drive: 4 plays, 9 yards, 0:38. Third quarter
CLE – Nick Chubb 52-yard run (Chase McLaughlin kick), 12:18. Browns 27–13. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:42. LAC – Justin Herbert 9-yard run (Justin Herbert–Donald Parham pass), 6:25. Browns 27–21. Drive: 14 plays, 84 yards, 5:53. Fourth quarter
LAC – Mike Williams 42-yard pass from Justin Herbert (Tristan Vizcaino kick), 11:22. Chargers 28–27. Drive: 4 plays, 61 yards, 1:29. CLE – David Njoku 71-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Baker Mayfield–Austin Hooper pass), 10:40. Browns 35–28. Drive: 2 plays, 78 yards, 0:42. LAC – Austin Ekeler 4-yard run (Tristan Vizcaino kick), 7:24. Tied 35–35. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 3:16. CLE – Kareem Hunt 8-yard run (Chase McLaughlin kick), 4:45. Browns 42–35. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:39. LAC – Austin Ekeler 19-yard pass from Justin Herbert (kick failed), 3:15. Browns 42–41. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:30. LAC – Austin Ekeler 3-yard run (run failed), 1:31. Chargers 47–42. Drive: 5 plays, 48 yards, 0:31. Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
With the loss, the Browns fell to 3–2. The Browns became the first team in NFL history to lose a game despite scoring 40+ points and having no turnovers. Such teams were previously 442–0.
Week 6: vs. Arizona Cardinals [ edit ] Week 6: Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Cardinals 7 16 7 7 37 Browns 0 14 0 0 14
at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
ARI - DeAndre Hopkins 13-yard pass from Kyler Murray (Matt Prater kick), 14:49. Cardinals 14–0. Drive: 11 plays, 78 yards, 4:41. ARI - Matt Prater 36-yard field goal, 13:02. Cardinals 17–0. Drive: 4 plays, 0 yards, 0:51. ARI - Matt Prater 51-yard field goal, 9:24. Cardinals 20–0. Drive: 4 plays, -5 yards, 2:07. CLE - Donovan Peoples-Jones 11-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Chase McLaughlin kick), 5:06. Cardinals 20–7. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:18. ARI - Matt Prater 33-yard field goal, 0:43. Cardinals 23–7. Drive: 12 plays, 56 yards, 4:23. CLE - Donovan Peoples-Jones 57-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Chase McLaughlin kick), 0:00. Cardinals 23–14. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 0:43. Third quarter
ARI - DeAndre Hopkins 9-yard pass from Kyler Murray (Matt Prater kick), 2:56. Cardinals 30–14. Drive: 8 plays, 54 yards, 3:30. Fourth quarter
ARI - A. J. Green 14-yard pass from Kyler Murray (Matt Prater kick), 4:48. Cardinals 37–14. Drive: 11 plays, 93 yards, 7:18. Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
With the loss, the Browns fell to 3–3. This loss ended a 6-game winning streak over NFC opponents and marked the first time the Browns lost consecutive games under head coach Kevin Stefanski . Starting quarterback Baker Mayfield left the game after aggravating a shoulder injury he suffered earlier in the season. Mayfield was ruled out for the following game, ending his streak of 51 consecutive starts at quarterback, the second longest stretch in franchise history (trailing only Brian Sipe 's 70 consecutive starts from 1978–82).[ 14]
Week 7: vs. Denver Broncos [ edit ] Week 7: Denver Broncos at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Broncos 0 0 7 7 14 Browns 10 0 7 0 17
at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Game information First quarter
CLE - D'Ernest Johnson 4-yard run (Chase McLaughlin kick), 12:20. Browns 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:40. CLE - Chase McLaughlin 52-yard field goal, 3:14. Browns 10–0. Drive: 12 plays, 43 yards, 7:04. Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
With the win, the Browns improved to 4–3. RB D'Ernest Johnson was named the FedEx Ground Player of the week. Johnson, who was making his first career start in place of injured RBs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt , had 22 carries for 146 yards and a touchdown, including several key runs to run out the clock and preserve the win.[ 15]
Week 8: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers [ edit ] Week 8: Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Steelers 0 3 6 6 15 Browns 3 0 7 0 10
at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Date : October 31Game time : 1:00 p.m. EDTGame weather : Sunny, 56 °F (13 °C)Game attendance : 67,431Referee : Shawn Hochuli TV announcers (CBS) : Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy WolfsonRecap , Game Book
Game information First quarter
CLE – Chase McLaughlin 30-yard field goal, 8:09. Browns 3–0. Drive: 13 plays, 63 yards, 6:51. Second quarter
PIT – Chris Boswell 31-yard field goal, 9:18. Tied 3–3. Drive: 10 plays, 47 yards, 5:36. Third quarter
CLE – D'Ernest Johnson 10-yard run (Chase McLaughlin kick), 9:36. Browns 10–3. Drive: 8 plays, 86 yards, 4:19. PIT – Najee Harris 8-yard run (pass failed), 3:39. Browns 10–9. Drive: 12 plays, 78 yards, 5:57. Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
With the loss, the Browns fell to 4–4.
On November 5, the Browns announced their intentions to release WR Odell Beckham Jr.
Week 9: at Cincinnati Bengals [ edit ] Week 9: Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Browns 7 17 10 7 41 Bengals 7 3 0 6 16
at Paul Brown Stadium , Cincinnati, Ohio
Date : November 7Game time : 1:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : Partly sunny, 60 °F (16 °C)Game attendance : 65,451Referee : Scott Novak TV announcers (CBS) : Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy WolfsonRecap , Game Book
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
CLE – Nick Chubb 1-yard run (Chase McLaughlin kick), 14:45. Browns 14–7. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:25. CLE – Donovan Peoples-Jones 60-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Chase McLaughlin kick), 10:10. Browns 21–7. Drive: 1 play, 60 yards, 0:08. CLE – Chase McLaughlin 28-yard field goal, 4:10. Browns 24–7. Drive: 6 plays, 20 yards, 3:21. CIN – Evan McPherson 27-yard field goal, 0:02. Browns 24–10. Drive: 10 plays, 68 yards, 4:08. Third quarter
CLE – Nick Chubb 70-yard run (Chase McLaughlin kick), 8:00. Browns 31–10. Drive: 2 plays, 70 yards, 0:14. CLE – Chase McLaughlin 24-yard field goal, 5:14. Browns 34–10. Drive: 4 plays, 2 yards, 1:20. Fourth quarter
CIN – Joe Mixon 2-yard run (run failed), 13:51. Browns 34–16. Drive: 7 plays, 60 yards, 2:16. CLE – David Njoku 18-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Chase McLaughlin kick), 4:27. Browns 41–16. Drive: 6 plays, 30 yards, 2:32. Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
With the win, the Browns improved to 5–4. The 25-point margin of victory was the Browns' largest since 2003 . RB Nick Chubb was named FedEx Ground Player of the Week. Chubb rushed for 137 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns.
Week 10: at New England Patriots [ edit ] Game information First quarter
Second quarter
NE – Rhamondre Stevenson 5-yard run (Nick Folk kick), 14:43. Patriots 14–7. Drive: 1 play, 5 yards, 0:05. NE – Kendrick Bourne 23-yard pass from Mac Jones (Nick Folk kick), 5:40. Patriots 21–7. Drive: 11 plays, 99 yards, 6:11. NE – Nick Folk 38-yard field goal, 0:17. Patriots 24–7. Drive: 11 plays, 47 yards, 3:31. Third quarter
NE – Rhamondre Stevenson 5-yard run (Nick Folk kick), 5:04. Patriots 31–7. Drive: 8 plays, 92 yards, 5:06. Fourth quarter
NE – Hunter Henry 3-yard pass from Mac Jones (Nick Folk kick), 13:33. Patriots 38–7. Drive: 6 plays, 47 yards, 2:59. NE – Jakobi Meyers 11-yard pass from Brian Hoyer (Nick Folk kick), 4:13. Patriots 45–7. Drive: 6 plays, 92 yards, 4:02. Top passers
CLE – Case Keenum – 8/12, 81 yards NE – Mac Jones – 19/23, 198 yards, 3 TD Top rushers
CLE – D'Ernest Johnson – 19 rushes, 99 yards NE – Rhamondre Stevenson – 20 rushes, 100 yards, 2 TD Top receivers
CLE – D'Ernest Johnson – 7 receptions, 58 yards NE – Kendrick Bourne – 4 receptions, 98 yards, TD
With the loss, the Browns fell to 5–5. The 38-point margin of defeat was the Browns' largest since 2005 .
Week 11: vs. Detroit Lions [ edit ] Week 11: Detroit Lions at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Lions 0 0 7 3 10 Browns 0 13 0 0 13
at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
DET – Aldrick Rosas 43-yard field goal, 9:07. Browns 13–10. Drive: 4 plays, 9 yards, 1:54. Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
With the win, the Browns improved to 6–5. This win ended a four-game losing streak to the Lions, as this was the Browns first win over the Lions since 2001.
Week 12: at Baltimore Ravens [ edit ] Game information First quarter
BAL – Justin Tucker 52-yard field goal, 0:24. Ravens 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 41 yards, 3:38. Second quarter
BAL – Justin Tucker 25-yard field goal, 3:53. Ravens 6–0. Drive: 17 plays, 59 yards, 8:41. CLE – Chase McLaughlin 46-yard field goal, 1:02. Ravens 6–3. Drive: 7 plays, 25 yards, 1:27. Third quarter
BAL – Mark Andrews 13-yard pass from Lamar Jackson (Justin Tucker kick), 9:48. Ravens 13–3. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 5:12. CLE – David Njoku 20-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Chase McLaughlin kick), 0:39. Ravens 13–10. Drive: 5 plays, 87 yards, 2:30. Fourth quarter
BAL – Justin Tucker 49-yard field goal, 1:10. Ravens 16–10. Drive: 11 plays, 45 yards, 5:18. Top passers
CLE – Baker Mayfield – 18/37, 247 yards, TD BAL – Lamar Jackson – 20/32, 165 yards, TD, 4 INT Top rushers
CLE – Kareem Hunt – 7 rushes, 20 yards BAL – Lamar Jackson – 17 rushes, 68 yards Top receivers
CLE – Jarvis Landry – 6 receptions, 111 yards BAL – Mark Andrews – 4 receptions, 65 yards, TD
With the loss, the Browns went into their bye week at 6–6. The Browns' sixth loss on the season means they did not improve upon their 11–5 record from 2020 .
Week 14: vs. Baltimore Ravens [ edit ] Week 14: Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Ravens 0 6 3 13 22 Browns 10 14 0 0 24
at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Date : December 12Game time : 1:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : Sunny, 47 °F (8 °C)Game attendance : 67,431Referee : Brad RogersTV announcers (CBS) : Kevin Harlan, Trent Green and Melanie CollinsRecap , Game Book
Game information First quarter
CLE – Chase McLaughlin 43-yard field goal, 7:30. Browns 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 60 yards, 3:50. CLE – Jarvis Landry 9-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Chase McLaughlin kick), 0:38. Browns 10–0. Drive: 8 plays, 66 yards, 4:58. Second quarter
CLE – Austin Hooper 1-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Chase McLaughlin kick), 8:15. Browns 17–0. Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 6:05. BAL – Justin Tucker 50-yard field goal, 3:30. Browns 17–3. Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 1:54. CLE – Myles Garrett 15-yard fumble return (Chase McLaughlin kick), 0:49. Browns 24–3. BAL – Justin Tucker 42-yard field goal, 0:02. Browns 24–6. Drive: 7 plays, 53 yards, 0:47. Third quarter
BAL – Justin Tucker 55-yard field goal, 2:05. Browns 24–9. Drive: 9 plays, 46 yards, 4:40. Fourth quarter
BAL – Latavius Murray 1-yard run (pass failed), 8:56. Browns 24–15. Drive: 7 plays, 69 yards, 2:34. BAL – Mark Andrews 8-yard pass from Tyler Huntley (Justin Tucker kick), 1:17. Browns 24–22. Drive: 14 plays, 90 yards, 4:09. Top passers
BAL – Tyler Huntley – 27/38, 270 yards, TD CLE – Baker Mayfield – 22/32, 190 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers
Top receivers
With the win, the Browns improved to 7–6. During the game, Myles Garrett set the franchise record for most sacks in a season, with 15.
Week 15: vs. Las Vegas Raiders [ edit ] Week 15: Las Vegas Raiders at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Raiders 7 3 0 6 16 Browns 0 0 7 7 14
at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
LV – Daniel Carlson 24-yard field goal, 0:56. Raiders 10–0. Drive: 13 plays, 56 yards, 5:18. Third quarter
Fourth quarter
LV – Daniel Carlson 40-yard field goal, 14:46. Raiders 13–7. Drive: 10 plays, 52 yards, 4:47. CLE – Harrison Bryant 6-yard pass from Nick Mullens (Chase McLaughlin kick), 3:45. Browns 14–13. Drive: 14 plays, 80 yards, 8:22. LV – Daniel Carlson 48-yard field goal, 0:00. Raiders 16–14. Drive: 8 plays, 41 yards, 1:50. Top passers
LV – Derek Carr – 25/38, 236 yards, TD, INT CLE – Nick Mullens – 20/30, 147 yards, TD Top rushers
LV – Josh Jacobs – 15 rushes, 52 yards CLE – Nick Chubb – 23 rushes, 91 yards, TD Top receivers
After 25 Browns players and three coaches, including head coach Kevin Stefanski , tested positive for COVID-19 in the week leading up to the game, the game was postponed from its original date of December 18 to December 20.[ 16] During this time, three players were able to test negative and be activated, but the majority of the infected players were ruled out. With starting QB Baker Mayfield and backup QB Case Keenum sidelined with the virus, third-string QB Nick Mullens made his first start with the Browns. Special teams coach Mike Priefer served as acting head coach for the game.[ 17]
With the loss, the Browns fell to 7–7.
Week 16: at Green Bay Packers [ edit ] Week 16: Cleveland Browns at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Browns 6 6 3 7 22 Packers 7 14 3 0 24
at Lambeau Field , Green Bay, Wisconsin
Date : Game time : 4:30 p.m. EST/3:30 p.m. CSTGame weather : Cloudy, 35 °F (2 °C)Game attendance : 77,901Referee : Alex Kemp TV announcers (Fox/NFLN/Prime Video) : Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi Recap , Game Book
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
GB – Davante Adams 9-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby kick), 10:47. Packers 14–6. Drive: 10 plays, 78 yards, 4:48. CLE – Harrison Bryant 1-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (pass failed), 7:03. Packers 14–12. Drive: 6 plays, 70 yards, 3:44. GB – Davante Adams 1-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby kick), 0:12. Packers 21–12. Drive: 9 plays, 49 yards, 1:39. Third quarter
GB – Mason Crosby 32-yard field goal, 9:12. Packers 24–12. Drive: 11 plays, 76 yards, 5:48. CLE – Chris Naggar 37-yard field goal, 1:07. Packers 24–15. Drive: 14 plays, 66 yards, 8:05. Fourth quarter
CLE – Anthony Schwartz 5-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Chris Naggar kick), 4:31. Packers 24–22. Drive: 8 plays, 76 yards, 2:10. Top passers
CLE – Baker Mayfield – 21/36, 222 yards, 2 TD, 4 INT GB – Aaron Rodgers – 24/34, 202 yards, 3 TD Top rushers
CLE – Nick Chubb – 17 rushes, 126 yards, TD GB – Aaron Jones – 12 rushes, 66 yards Top receivers
CLE – Rashard Higgins – 5 receptions, 58 yards GB – Davante Adams – 10 receptions, 114 yards, 2 TD
This game marked the first time in franchise history that the Browns played on Christmas Day .
With the loss, the Browns fell to 7–8, and had 6 one-score game losses, the most in the NFL[citation needed ]
Week 17: at Pittsburgh Steelers [ edit ] Game information First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
PIT – Chris Boswell 30-yard field goal, 8:20. Steelers 13–0. Drive: 11 plays, 66 yards, 4:16. CLE – David Njoku 3-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Chase McLaughlin kick), 0:56. Steelers 13–7. Drive: 4 plays, 48 yards, 2:02. Fourth quarter
PIT – Chris Boswell 50-yard field goal, 9:46. Steelers 16–7. Drive: 8 plays, 25 yards, 3:50. PIT – Chris Boswell 48-yard field goal, 5:48. Steelers 19–7. Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 1:35. CLE – Harrison Bryant 1-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Chase McLaughlin kick), 1:10. Steelers 19–14. Drive: 17 plays, 76 yards, 4:38. PIT – Najee Harris 37-yard run (Chris Boswell kick), 0:51. Steelers 26–14. Drive: 3 plays, 45 yards, 0:19. Top passers
CLE – Baker Mayfield – 16/38, 185 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT PIT – Ben Roethlisberger – 24/46, 123 yards, TD, INT Top rushers
CLE – Nick Chubb – 12 rushes, 58 yards PIT – Najee Harris – 28 rushes, 188 yards, TD Top receivers
On January 2, Cincinnati defeated Kansas City to clinch the AFC North title. This marks the Browns’ 29th consecutive season without winning a division title. With the Los Angeles Chargers ’ win over Denver later that day, the Browns were eliminated from playoff contention.[ 18]
With their 18th straight regular season loss in Pittsburgh, the Browns fell to 7–9. They finished 2–6 in away games.
Week 18: vs. Cincinnati Bengals [ edit ] Week 18: Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Bengals 0 7 3 6 16 Browns 7 7 0 7 21
at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
CIN – Elliott Fry 36-yard field goal, 5:01. Browns 14–10. Drive: 14 plays, 52 yards, 8:36. Fourth quarter
CLE – Demetric Felton 10-yard pass from Case Keenum (Chase McLaughlin kick), 7:14. Browns 21–10. Drive: 10 plays, 46 yards, 6:00. CIN – Chris Evans 4-yard pass from Brandon Allen (pass failed), 2:26. Browns 21–16. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 4:48. Top passers
CIN – Brandon Allen – 15/29, 136 yards, TD CLE – Case Keenum – 17/24, 176 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers
CIN – Trayveon Williams – 9 rushes, 38 yards CLE – D'Ernest Johnson – 25 rushes, 123 yards, TD Top receivers
CIN – Trent Taylor – 2 reception, 41 yards CLE – Jarvis Landry – 6 receptions, 75 yards, TD
With the win, the Browns finished the season 8–9. They finished 6–3 in home games. The Browns swept the Bengals in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1994 and 1995 .
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK Division winners 1[ a] Tennessee Titans South 12 5 0 .706 5–1 8–4 .472 .480 W3 2[ a] Kansas City Chiefs West 12 5 0 .706 5–1 7–5 .538 .517 W1 3 Buffalo Bills East 11 6 0 .647 5–1 7–5 .472 .428 W4 4 Cincinnati Bengals North 10 7 0 .588 4–2 8–4 .472 .462 L1 Wild cards 5[ b] Las Vegas Raiders West 10 7 0 .588 3–3 8–4 .510 .515 W4 6[ b] New England Patriots East 10 7 0 .588 3–3 8–4 .481 .394 L1 7 Pittsburgh Steelers North 9 7 1 .559 4–2 7–5 .521 .490 W2 Did not qualify for the postseason 8[ c] Indianapolis Colts South 9 8 0 .529 3–3 7–5 .495 .431 L2 9[ c] [ d] Miami Dolphins East 9 8 0 .529 4–2 6–6 .464 .379 W1 10[ c] [ d] Los Angeles Chargers West 9 8 0 .529 3–3 6–6 .510 .500 L1 11[ e] Cleveland Browns North 8 9 0 .471 3–3 5–7 .514 .415 W1 12[ e] Baltimore Ravens North 8 9 0 .471 1–5 5–7 .531 .460 L6 13 Denver Broncos West 7 10 0 .412 1–5 3–9 .484 .357 L4 14[ f] New York Jets East 4 13 0 .235 0–6 4–8 .512 .426 L2 15[ f] Houston Texans South 4 13 0 .235 3–3 4–8 .498 .397 L2 16 Jacksonville Jaguars South 3 14 0 .176 1–5 3–9 .512 .569 W1 Tiebreakers [ g] ^ a b Tennessee finished ahead of Kansas City based on head-to-head victory. ^ a b Las Vegas finished ahead of New England based on win percentage in common games (5–1 vs. 2–4 against: Miami, Dallas, LA Chargers, Cleveland, and Indianapolis). ^ a b c Indianapolis finished ahead of Miami and Los Angeles based on conference record (7–5 vs. 6–6). ^ a b Miami finished ahead of LA Chargers based on win percentage in common games (5–1 vs. 2–4 against: New England, Las Vegas, Houston, Baltimore, and NY Giants). ^ a b Cleveland finished ahead of Baltimore based on division record (3–3 vs. 1–5). ^ a b NY Jets finished ahead of Houston based on head-to-head victory. ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.
The following Browns were awarded for their performances during the season:
AFC Defensive Player of the Week/Month[ edit ] On December 20, it was announced that G Joel Bitonio , RB Nick Chubb , DE Myles Garrett , G Wyatt Teller , and CB Denzel Ward were named to the AFC Pro Bowl roster, with Bitonio and Garrett named as starters. This marks the fourth Pro Bowl selection for Bitonio, the third for Chubb and Garrett, the second for Ward, and the first for Teller.
^ Patsko, Scott (January 29, 2021). "Browns unveil logo to celebrate 75th anniversary of the franchise" . Cleveland.com . Retrieved February 1, 2021 . ^ "AFC Notes: Browns, Fisher, Broncos, Fleming" . ^ "Patriots Sign Wide Receiver Marvin Hall" . Patriots.com . June 4, 2021. ^ "Vikings Sign and Bring Back DT Sheldon Richardson" . ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (5-20-2021)" . HoustonTexans.com . May 20, 2021. ^ Shook, Nick (April 24, 2020). "Saints trade up, select LB Zack Baun with 74th pick" . NFL.com . Retrieved April 26, 2020 . ^ "Browns trade pass rusher Genard Avery to the Eagles in exchange for 2021 draft pick" . CBS Sports . October 28, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2020 . ^ DaSilva, Carmen (October 15, 2019). "Rams trade 2021 draft pick to Browns for OL Austin Corbett" . RamsWire . Retrieved October 16, 2019 . ^ "Browns acquire safety Ronnie Harrison from Jaguars in trade" . NFL.com . Retrieved October 26, 2020 . ^ "Teller-traded-cleveland" . clevelandbrowns.com . August 29, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2019 . ^ Alper, Josh (March 17, 2020). "Broncos agree to trade Andy Janovich to Browns" . NBC Sports . Retrieved March 17, 2020 . ^ a b "Browns 26, Bears 6: Myles Garrett sacks Justin Fields 4.5 times, defense holds Chicago to 1 net yard passing" . Chronicle-Telegram . Retrieved September 27, 2021 . ^ "Myles Garrett named AFC Defensive Player of the Week" . ClevelandBrowns.com . Retrieved September 29, 2021 . ^ Baker Mayfield out for Thursday's game against Denver ^ "Browns running back D'Ernest Johnson named FedEx Ground Player of the Week" . WJW-TV . Retrieved October 28, 2021 . ^ Amid COVID-19 outbreak, Browns vs. Raiders postponed until 5 p.m. Monday ^ Ulrich, Nate (December 20, 2021). "Browns activate John Johnson III from COVID-19 list; Nick Mullens set to start at quarterback against Raiders" . Akron Beacon Journal . Retrieved December 20, 2021 . ^ "Why Did The Browns Miss The Playoffs?" . The Cold Wire . January 3, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022 .
Franchise Stadiums Key personnel Culture Lore Rivalries Playoff appearances (30) Division championships (12) Conference championships (11) League championships (8) Retired numbers Hall of Fame inductees Current league affiliations Former league affiliation