| 1957 Cleveland Browns season | |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Paul Brown |
| Home Field | Cleveland Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–2–1 |
| Place | 1st NFL Eastern |
| Playoff Finish | Lost NFL Championship |
| Timeline | |
| Previous Season | Next Season |
| 1956 | 1958 |
The 1957 Cleveland Browns season was the team's eighth season with the National Football League.
Contents
Season summmary
After missing the playoffs in 1956, ending a string of 10 straight years in which they had advanced to the league championship game, the Browns came storming back to finish 9-2-1 and win the Eastern Conference title by a relatively healthy margin over the defending world champion New York Giants (7-5). The Browns took care of business against the Giants, "bookending," as it were, their arch rivals. They beat New York 6-3 in the season opener and then edged them again 34-28 in the finale. The Browns also posted two shutouts on the year, 24-0 over the Pittsburgh Steelers and 31-0 over the Chicago Cardinals.
Ironically, the Eastern foe the Browns had the most trouble with was fourth-place Washington (5-6-1). Cleveland edged the Redskins 21-17 and then had to settle for a 30-30 tie in the rematch. Once again, the Browns fell to Detroit 20-7, making them 0-3 against the Lions in the regular season since joining the NFL in 1950.
Although the Brownies had a rookie All-American running back out of Syracuse by the name of Jim Brown, the Browns were by no means an offensive juggernaut overall. The eventual Pro Football Hall of Famer was outstanding, rushing for 942 yards and nine TDs, but he was the only real standout that year. Tommy O'Connell, who had taken over for retired Hall of Famer Otto Graham in 1956 and was the quarterback during the 5-7 finish that year, had the job for most of the way in '57 as well. He and rookie Milt Plum combined for just 1,873 yards passing 12 touchdowns with 14 interceptions.
Exhibition Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 14, 1957 | at Detroit Lions | L 20–10 | |
| 2 | August 24, 1957 | vs. Pittsburgh Steelers at Akron | W 28–13 | |
| 3 | September 1, 1957 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 21–17 | |
| 4 | September 6, 1957 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 20–14 | |
| 5 | September 14, 1957 | Detroit Lions | W 23–7 | |
| 6 | September 20, 1957 | at Chicago Bears | L 29–3 |
Regular Season Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 29, 1957 | New York Giants | W 6–3 | |
| 2 | October 5, 1957 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 23–12 | |
| 3 | October 13, 1957 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 24–7 | |
| 4 | October 20, 1957 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 17–7 | |
| 5 | October 27, 1957 | at Chicago Cardinals | W 17–7 | |
| 6 | November 3, 1957 | Washington Redskins | W 21–17 | |
| 7 | November 10, 1957 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 24–0 | |
| 8 | November 17, 1957 | at Washington Redskins | W 24–0 | |
| 9 | November 24, 1957 | Los Angeles Rams | W 45–31 | |
| 10 | December 1, 1957 | Chicago Cardinals | W 31–0 | |
| 11 | December 8, 1957 | at Detroit Lions | L 20–7 | |
| 12 | December 15, 1957 | at New York Giants | W 34–28 |
Playoffs
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | December 29, 1957 | at Detroit Lions | L 59–14 |
Standings
| NFL Eastern | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| Cleveland Browns | 9 | 2 | 1 | .818 | 269 | 172 | W-1 |
| New York Giants | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 254 | 211 | L-3 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 6 | 0 | .500 | 161 | 178 | W-1 |
| Washington Redskins | 5 | 6 | 1 | .455 | 251 | 230 | W-3 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | 173 | 230 | L-2 |
| Chicago Cardinals | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 200 | 299 | L-1 |
Postseason
NFL Championship Game
- Detroit Lions 59, Cleveland Browns 14
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browns | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | |
| Lions | 17 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 59 |
Scoring
- DET – FG Martin 31
- DET – Rote 1 yard run (Martin kick)
- DET – Gedman 1 yard run (Martin kick)
- CLE – Brown 29 yard run (Groza kick)
- DET – Junker 26 yard pass from Rote (Martin kick)
- DET – Barr 19 yard interception (Martin kick)
- CLE – Carpenter 5 yard run (Groza kick)
- DET – Doran 78 yard pass from Rote (Martin kick)
- DET – Junker 23 yard pass from Rote (Martin kick)
- DET – Middleton 32 yard pass from Rote (Martin kick)
- DET Cassady yard pass from Reichow (Martin kick)
Awards and records
- Jim Brown, NFL Rushing Leader, 942 yards
- Tommy O’Connell, NFL Leader, Passing Yards, (1,229)
Milestones
- Jim Brown, First Rushing Title
