2017 Cleveland Browns

2017 Cleveland Browns season
Owner	Jimmy Haslam
Head Coach	Hue Jackson
General Manager	John Dorsey Sashi Brown (fired Week 13)
Home Field	FirstEnergy Stadium
Results
Record	0–16
Place	4th AFC North
Playoff Finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	LB Joe Schobert
Uniform
Timeline
Previous Season	Next Season
2016	2018

The 2017 Cleveland Browns season was the franchise's 69th season as a professional sports franchise, its 65th season as a member of the National Football League, its second under head coach Hue Jackson and the second and final season under GM Sashi Brown.

The Browns failed to improve upon their 1–15 record from the previous season, losing all sixteen games in 2017 and continuing a losing streak dating to the final game of the previous season. They became the second team in NFL history to go 0–16 after the 2008 Detroit Lions. The Browns became the twelfth NFL team to have gone winless playing eight games or more and the fourth since the merger in 1970.

In going 0–16, the Browns became the first franchise in NFL history to have multiple seasons with 15 or more losses and the first to start consecutive seasons with at least 14 losses. They were mathematically eliminated from the AFC North title contention early in Week 11, extending an active NFL record drought of 28 consecutive seasons without a division title. They were then eliminated from playoff contention in Week 12, extending their franchise record playoff drought to 15 consecutive seasons. The Browns finished 4th place in the AFC North for the seventh consecutive season in addition to finishing the season with a losing record for the tenth consecutive season dating back to 2008, extending a franchise record. It was the first season in which the team lost every home game since the 1999 season. They also extended their road losing streak to 21 games and their losing streak within the division to 17 games. A loss to the Chargers in Week 13 also made the Browns 1–27 in their first 28 games under Hue Jackson (making Jackson the worst percentage debut coach of all-time), surpassing the 1976–1977 Buccaneers for the worst 28 game start (2–26) for a regime in NFL history. The Browns would finish the 2017 season with a combined record of 1–31 over the previous two seasons, an NFL record for worst winning percentage over any two season span. Finally, since a promising 7–4 start heading into Week 13 of the 2014 season, the Browns have lost 49 out of the last 53 games.

On December 7, 2017, Brown was relieved of his duties as executive vice president. John Dorsey, formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs, was hired as general manager the same day. To further add to these failures, offensive tackle Joe Thomas missed the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career, as he tore his left triceps on October 22, 2017, ending his season. Before his injury, Thomas had not missed a single snap since joining the league in 2007 – 10,363 plays. He then decided to retire on March 14, 2018 following the season.

Season Notes

- The Cleveland Browns became the second team since the 2008 Lions to finish a season winless since the creation of a 16-game schedule.

- They became the first franchise in the modern 16 game schedule to have a set of multiple season with 15 or more losses and the first to begin consecutive seasons with 14 losses.

- The Browns were eliminated from the AFC North title race in Week 11 which made them a franchise-record 27 straight seasons without winning the AFC North. The Browns loss to the Bengals and a Bills win over the Chiefs sealed the Browns elimination from playoff contention, extending their playoff drought to 15 seasons.

- The Browns finished with a losing record for the 10th consecutive year and last in the division for the 7th consecutive year. For the first time since 1999, the Browns are 0-8 in home games; also their road losing streak increased to 21 games, their losing streak within the AFC North increased to 17 games and their losing streak in road games against the Pittsburgh Steelers increased to 10 games.

-A 19-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers made the Browns 1-27 under HC Hue Jackson and GM Sashi Brown, which ecompasses the 1976-77 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-26) for the worst 28 game start for a HC and GM in a two-season stretch.

- The Browns finished the season 1-31 in the past 32 games (all of 2016 and 2017), their only win coming against the San Diego Chargers (now the Los Angeles Chargers). This is the worst two-season stretch for any NFL franchise since the creation of a 16-game schedule and the worst for any HC/GM in team or league history.

-With a 20-3 loss to the 4-10 Chicago Bears, the Browns became the first team since their 1999 and 2000 selves to go through back-to-back drafts with the first-overall pick.

- Coming into Week 13 of the 2014 season, following a promising 7-4 start, the Browns have lost 49 of the last 53 games. This futility includes 5 consecutive losses to end 2014 and all of 2015, 2016 and 2017.

- To make matters wore, a Buffalo Bills win over the Miami Dolphins- followed by a Cincinnati Bengals win over Baltimore- helped the Bills take a playoff berth, ending a streak of 19 seasons without a playoff berth for Buffalo. Because of that, the Cleveland Browns now hold the longest playoff drought of any NFL franchise (now at 15 seasons), as well as the second longest of any American professional sport, only behind the Seattle Mariners of the MLB.

Offseason

Coaching changes

On January 7, the Browns fired defensive coordinator Ray Horton. A day later, they hired Gregg Williams as his replacement. Williams had previously served as the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams.

On January 9, associate head coach Pep Hamilton left the Browns to become assistant head coach at the University of Michigan. Hamilton was also the Browns' quarterbacks coach.

On January 10, the Browns fired five assistant coaches: offensive line coach Hal Hunter, inside linebackers coach Johnny Holland, outside linebackers coach Ryan Slowik, defensive backs coach Louie Cioffi, and assistant defensive backs coach Cannon Matthews.

On January 13, the Browns hired DeWayne Walker as defensive backs coach. A day later, they hired Blake Williams as linebackers coach, Jerod Kruse as assistant defensive backs coach, and Bob Wylie as offensive line coach.

On January 17, the Browns fired defensive line coach Robert Nunn and hired Clyde Simmons as his replacement.

On February 8, the Browns hired former Buffalo Bills assistant David Lee as their quarterbacks coach.

Roster changes

Free agents

The following players, who played for the Browns in 2016, were eligible for free agency in 2017.

Pos	Player	Tag	2017 team	Signed
WR	Mario Alford	ERFA	Chicago Bears	September 12
RB	George Atkinson III	ERFA	Oakland Raiders	July 29
CB	Marcus Burley	RFA	Cleveland Browns	March 20
LB	Jamie Collins	UFA	Cleveland Browns	January 23
P	Britton Colquitt	UFA	Cleveland Browns	February 28
RB	Isaiah Crowell	RFA	Cleveland Browns	February 28
DE	Jamie Meder	ERFA	Cleveland Browns	March 28
RB	Rajion Neal	ERFA	Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL)	October 18
DE	Stephen Paea	UFA	Dallas Cowboys	March 10
OT	Austin Pasztor	UFA	Atlanta Falcons	August 18
FS	Jordan Poyer	UFA	Buffalo Bills	March 9
WR	Terrelle Pryor	UFA	Washington Redskins	March 10
RB	Glenn Winston	RFA	N / A
DT	Gabe Wright	ERFA	Philadelphia Eagles	June 5
DE	Dylan Wynn	ERFA	Toronto Agronauts (CFL)

Releases

Pos	Player	Released	2017 team	Signed
OL	Alvin Bailey	April 20	Retired
TE	Gary Barnidge	April 28	Retired
OT	Josh Boutte	May 15	N/A
S	Trae Elston	April 20	Buffalo Bills	April 21
QB	Robert Griffin III	March 10	N/A
CB	Joe Haden	August 30	Pittsburgh Steelers	August 30
CB	Tracy Howard	April 20	Jacksonville Jaguars	April 21
WR	Andrew Hawkins	February 27	New England Patriots	May 24
K	Brett Maher	May 2	Ottawa Redblacks (CFL)	June 10
QB	Josh McCown	February 7	New York Jets	March 20
CB	Tramon Williams	February 7	Arizona Cardinals	July 30

Signings

Pos.	Player	2016 Team	Signed
WR	Kenny Britt	Los Angeles Rams	March 9
K	Brett Maher	Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL)	March 20
C	Marcus Martin *	San Francisco 49ers	March 9
OT	Matt McCants	Chicago Bears	March 27
CB	Jason McCourty	Tennessee Titans	May 16
FS	Tyvis Powell *	Seattle Seahawks	February 6
C	JC Tretter	Green Bay Packers	March 9
WR	James Wright *	Cincinnati Bengals	March 14
G	Kevin Zeitler	Cincinnati Bengals	March 9

* Player was claimed off waivers

Trades

Date	Trade partner(s)	Player(s)/Pick(s) acquired	Player(s)/Pick(s) traded	Notes
March 9	Houston Texans	QB Brock Osweiler 2017 6th round selection (No. 188) 2018 2nd round selection	2017 4th round selection (No. 142)

2017 Draft Class

• Main article: 2017 NFL Draft

2017 Cleveland Browns Draft

Round	Selection	Player	Position	College
1	1	Myles Garrett	DE	Texas A&M
	25	Jabrill Peppers	S	Michigan
	29	David Njoku	TE	Miami
2	52	DeShone Kizer	QB	Notre Dame
3	65	Larry Ogunjobi	DT	Charlotte
4	126	Howard Wilson	CB	Houston
5	160	Roderick Johnson	OT	Florida State
6	185	Caleb Brantley	DT	Florida
7	224	Zane Gonzalez	K	Arizona State
	252	Matt Dayes	RB	NC State

Undrafted Free Agents

2017 Cleveland Browns UDFA

Player	Position	College
B.J. Bello	LB	Illinois State
Donte Carey	DB	Grand Valley State
Ladell Fleming	DE	Northern Illinois
J. D. Harmon	CB	Kentucky
Alvin Hill	CB	Maryland
Jamal Marcus	DE	Akron
Taylor McNamara	TE	USC
Najee Murray	DB	Kent State
Kai Nacua	S	BYU
Kenneth Olugbode	LB	Colorado
Karter Schult	DE	Northern Iowa
Channing Stribling	CB	Michigan

Staff

2017 Cleveland Browns staff

Front Office Owners – Jimmy and Dee Haslam Chief Strategy Officer – Paul DePodesta General Manager – John Dorsey Vice President, Player Personnel – Andrew Berry Vice President, Player Personnel – Ken Kovash Senior Football Executive – Ryan Grigson Director of Football Administration – Chris Cooper Director of Research & Strategy – Kevin Meers Director of Player Personnel – Chisolm Opara Director of College Scouting – Bobby Vega Director of Pro Scouting – Dan Saganey Director of Scouting – Mike Cetta Assistant Director of Scouting – Glenn Cook Special Advisor – Jim Brown Head Coaches Head Coach – Hue Jackson Offensive Coaches Offensive Coordinator - vacant Quarterbacks – David Lee Running Backs/Run Game Coordinator – vacant Tight Ends – Greg Seamon Offensive Line – Bob Wylie Assistant Offensive Line – Mark Hutson Senior Offensive Assistant/Wide Receivers – Al Saunders Offensive Quality Control/Assistant Wide Receivers – Bob Saunders Offensive Quality Control/Assistant Running Backs – Rock Cartwright Defensive Coaches Defensive Coordinator – Gregg Williams Defensive Line – Clyde Simmons Assistant Defensive Line – Ken Delgado Linebackers – Blake Williams Defensive Backs – DeWayne Walker Assistant Defensive Backs – Jerod Kruse Defensive Quality Control – Eric Sanders Special Teams Coaches Special Teams Coordinator – Chris Tabor Special Teams Assistant – Shawn Mennenga Special Teams Quality Control – Stan Watson Strength and Conditioning Director, High Performance – Adam Beard Strength and Conditioning Coordinator – Evan Marcus Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Art Tolhurst Sports Scientist – Jamey Mroz

Final roster

2017 Cleveland Browns roster
Quarterbacks  8 Kevin Hogan  6 Cody Kessler  7 DeShone Kizer (R) Running Backs  34 Isaiah Crowell  27 Matthew Dayes (R)  29 Duke Johnson  40 Danny Vitale FB  42 Marquez Williams FB (R) Wide Receivers  10 Sammie Coates  19 Corey Coleman  12 Josh Gordon  83 Matt Hazel  81 Rashard Higgins  80 Ricardo Louis Tight Ends  87 Seth DeValve  89 Matt Lengel  85 David Njoku (R)  86 Randall Telfer Offensive Linemen  67 Zach Banner T (R)  75 Joel Bitonio G  72 Shon Coleman T  66 Spencer Drango G  79 Geoff Gray G (R)  63 Marcus Martin G  62 Austin Reiter C  64 JC Tretter C  70 Kevin Zeitler G		Defensive Linemen  99 Caleb Brantley DT (R)  93 Trevon Coley DT  92 Lavar Edwards DE  95 Myles Garrett DE (R)  94 Carl Nassib DE  65 Larry Ogunjobi DB (R)  55 Danny Shelton DT Linebackers  44 Nate Orchard OLB / DE  50 B. J. Bello MLB (R)  52 James Burgess OLB  48 Jeremy Cash OLB  96 Josh Keyes OLB  58 Christian Kirksey OLB  53 Joe Schobert MLB Defensive Backs  20 Briean Boddy-Calhoun CB  39 Justin Currie S  41 Michael Jordan CB  30 Jason McCourty CB  43 Kai Nacua S (R)  22 Jabrill Peppers S/RS (R)  35 C. J. Smith CB  36 Derron Smith FS  21 Jamar Taylor CB		Special Teams  4 Britton Colquitt P  5 Zane Gonzalez K (R)  47 Charley Hughlett LS Reserve Lists  54 Dominique Alexander OLB (IR)  67 Chris Barker G (IR)  59 Tank Carder MLB (IR)  51 Jamie Collins OLB (IR)  33 Darius Jackson RB (IR)  78 Roderick Johnson T (R/IR)  26 Derrick Kindred S (IR)  98 Jamie Meder DT (IR)  90 Emmanuel Ogbah DE (IR)  31 Reggie Porter CB (rookie) (IR)  73 Joe Thomas I (IR)  23 Howard Wilson CB (R) (PUP) Practice Squad  88 C. J. Board WR (rookie)  57 Austin Calitro LB (R)  60 Laurence Gibson T  42 Jacob Hagen S  37 Trevon Hartfield S  84 Bug Howard WR (rookie)  97 T. Y. McGill DT  33 Josh Rounds RB (R)  71 Victor Salako T (R)  82 Kasen Williams WR (Injured)

Player codes

• IR= Injured Reserve
• PUP= Physically Unable to Perform
• R - Rookie (player name in italics)
• FA - Free Agent (Restricted)
• UFA - Unrestriced free agent
• S- Suspended
• SI - Suspended infdefinitely

Preseason

File:Cleveland Browns vs. New York Giants (36729100946).jpg

The Browns in a preseason game against the Giants

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	August 10	New Orleans	W 20–14	1–0	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
2	August 21	NY Giants	W 10–6	2–0	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
3	August 26	at Tampa Bay	W 13–9	3–0	Raymond James Stadium	Recap
4	August 31	at Chicago	W 25–0	4–0	Soldier Field	Recap

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	September 10	Pittsburgh	L 18–21	0–1	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
2	September 17	at Baltimore	L 10–24	0–2	M&T Bank Stadium	Recap
3	September 24	at Indianapolis	L 28–31	0–3	Lucas Oil Stadium	Recap
4	October 1	Cincinnati	L 7–31	0–4	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
5	October 8	NY Jets	L 14–17	0–5	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
6	October 15	at Houston	L 17–33	0–6	NRG Stadium	Recap
7	October 22	Tennessee Titans	L 9–12 (OT)	0–7	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
8	October 29	Minnesota	L 16–33	0–8	Twickenham Stadium (London)	Recap
9	Bye
10	November 12	at Detroit	L 24–38	0–9	Ford Field	Recap
11	November 19	Jacksonville	L 7–19	0–10	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
12	November 26	at Cincinnati	L 16–30	0–11	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
13	December 3	at LA Chargers	L 10–19	0–12	StubHub Center	Recap
14	December 10	Green Bay	L 21–27 (OT)	0–13	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
15	December 17	Baltimore	L 10–27	0–14	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
16	December 24	at Chicago	L 3–20	0–15	Soldier Field	Recap
17	December 31	at Pittsburgh	L 24–28	0–16	Heinz Field	Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week One: Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Steelers 7 7 7 0 21 Browns 7 0 3 8 18 at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio Date: September 10 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT Game weather: Template:Convert/F, sunny Game attendance: 67,431 Referee: Craig Wrolstad TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Jamie Erdahl Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter PIT – Britton Colquitt punt blocked by Tyler Matakevich, ball recovered in CLE end zone by Anthony Chickillo for touchdown (Chris Boswell kick), 12:44. Steelers 7–0. CLE – DeShone Kizer 1-yard run (Zane Gonzalez kick), 0:24. Tied 7–7. Drive: 12 plays, 68 yards, 5:26. Second quarter PIT – Jesse James 4-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Chris Boswell kick), 0:49. Steelers 14–7. Drive: 7 plays, 91 yards, 3:08. Third quarter CLE – Zane Gonzalez 24-yard field goal, 9:31. Steelers 14–10. Drive: 7 plays, 53 yards, 4:29. PIT – Jesse James 2-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Chris Boswell kick), 5:43. Steelers 21–10. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:50. Fourth quarter CLE – Corey Coleman 3-yard pass from DeShone Kizer (Isaiah Crowell run), 3:40. Steelers 21–18. Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 3:05. Top passers PIT – Ben Roethlisberger – 24/36, 263 yards, 2 TD, INT CLE – DeShone Kizer – 20/30, 222 yards, TD, INT Top rushers PIT – Le'Veon Bell – 10 rushes, 32 yards CLE – Isaiah Crowell – 17 rushes, 33 yards Top receivers PIT – Antonio Brown – 11 receptions, 182 yards CLE – Corey Coleman – 5 receptions, 53 yards, TD Top tacklers PIT – Ryan Shazier – 4 tackles, 3 assists CLE – Joe Schobert – 4 tackles, 5 assists

The Browns dropped their 13th consecutive season-opening game with a 21–18 loss to the Steelers.

The scoring began early in the first quarter when Pittsburgh's Tyler Matakevich blocked a Britton Colquitt punt, knocking the ball into the end zone where it was recovered by Anthony Chickillo for a touchdown. The Browns were able to tie the score by the end of the first quarter, however, as rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer orchestrated a 12-play drive that ended when he scored on a 1-yard touchdown run.

The game stayed at 7–7 through most of the second quarter, until the Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger connected with tight end Jesse James on a 4-yard touchdown with 45 seconds left in the first half. The 7–play, 91-yard scoring drive was highlighted by a 50-yard reception by Antonio Brown on a tipped ball.

After a Zane Gonzalez field goal brought the Browns within 14–10 early in the third quarter, the Steelers drove down the field again. Roethlisberger threw a second touchdown pass to James to put them up by 11, 21–10. The drive was boosted by a 41-yard pass interference penalty on Browns cornerback Jamar Taylor on a deep pass intended for Brown.

The score remained 21–10 until under four minutes remained in the game, when Kizer was able to throw his first career touchdown pass to Corey Coleman. A two–point conversion run by Isaiah Crowell brought the Browns to within a field goal, 21–18.

The Browns did not get a chance to score again, however, as the Steelers were able to run out the clock after a long pass from Roethlisberger to Brown. Browns head coach Hue Jackson challenged the ruling; however, the catch call on the field was upheld.

The 13th–straight season–opening loss extended an NFL record for the Browns, who also fell to 1–18 in season openers since returning to the league in 1999. The team also lost their 12th straight game against a divisional opponent. The team started 0-1.

Week 2: at Baltimore Ravens

Week Two: Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Browns 0 7 3 0 10 Ravens 7 14 0 3 24 at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland Date: September 17 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT Game weather: Template:Convert/F, mostly cloudy Game attendance: 70,605 Referee: Gene Steratore TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon, James Lofton and Steve Tasker Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter BAL – Terrance West 4-yard run (Justin Tucker kick), 3:56. Ravens 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 33 yards, 3:34. Second quarter BAL – Javorius Allen 9-yard pass from Joe Flacco (Justin Tucker kick), 7:17. Ravens 14–0. Drive: 6 plays, 64 yards, 3:26. CLE – David Njoku 23-yard pass from Kevin Hogan (Zane Gonzalez kick), 4:56. Ravens 14–7. Drive: 5 plays, 83 yards, 2:21. BAL – Jeremy Maclin 2-yard pass from Joe Flacco (Justin Tucker kick), 0:01. Ravens 21–7. Drive: 3 plays, 40 yards, 0:18. Third quarter CLE – Zane Gonzalez 38-yard field goal, 9:24. Ravens 21–10. Drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 2:48. Fourth quarter BAL – Justin Tucker 28-yard field goal, 15:00. Ravens 24–10. Drive: 11 plays, 53 yards, 6:19. Top passers CLE – DeShone Kizer – 15/31, 182 yards, 3 INT BAL – Joe Flacco – 25/34, 217 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers CLE – Isaiah Crowell – 10 rushes, 37 yards BAL – Javorius Allen – 14 rushes, 66 yards Top receivers CLE – Rashard Higgins – 7 receptions, 95 yards BAL – Benjamin Watson – 8 receptions, 91 yards Top tacklers CLE – Jamar Taylor – 8 tackles, 1 assist BAL – C. J. Mosley – 8 tackles, 2 assists

After losing at home, the Browns traveled to Baltimore for game 1 against the Ravens. The Ravens scored the only points of the first quarter when Terrence West ran for a 4-yard touchdown to make it 7-0. They would make it 14-0 in the second quarter when Javorius Allen caught a 9-yard pass from Joe Flacco. The Browns got on the board when Kevin Hogan found David Njoku on a 23-yard pass to make it 14-7. The Ravens then moved up by 2 touchdowns at halftime when Flacco found Jeremy Maclin on a 2-yard pass to make it 21-7. In the third quarter, the Browns drew closer when Zane Gonzalez kicked a 38-yard field goal to make it 21-10. In the fourth quarter, the Ravens sealed the game with a field goal of their own: Justin Tucker kicked it from 28 yards out to make the final score 24-10.

With the loss, the Browns fell to 0–2. Ravens QB, Joe Flacco, improved to 16–2 against the Browns for his career while the Browns lost their 14th straight road game and their 13th straight game against a divisional opponent.

Week 3: at Indianapolis Colts

Week Three: Cleveland Browns at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Browns 0 14 0 14 28 Colts 7 21 0 3 31 at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana Date: September 24 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed) Game attendance: 63,351 Referee: Ed Hochuli TV announcers (CBS): Beth Mowins and Jay Feely Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter IND – Jacoby Brissett 5-yard run (Adam Vinatieri kick), 0:24. Colts 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 70 yards, 4:13. Second quarter CLE – Duke Johnson 19-yard run (Zane Gonzalez kick), 13:22. Tied 7–7. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:02. IND – Jacoby Brissett 7-yard run (Adam Vinatieri kick), 10:06. Colts 14–7. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:16. IND – T. Y. Hilton 61-yard pass from Jacoby Brissett (Adam Vinatieri kick), 5:14. Colts 21–7. Drive: 5 plays, 97 yards, 1:57. IND – Frank Gore 4-yard run (Adam Vinatieri kick), 2:41. Colts 28–7. Drive: 3 plays, 45 yards, 1:26. CLE – David Njoku 1-yard pass from DeShone Kizer (Zane Gonzalez kick), 0:27. Colts 28–14. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 2:14. Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter IND – Adam Vinatieri 33-yard field goal, 10:18. Colts 31–14. Drive: 10 plays, 34 yards, 4:53. CLE – Kenny Britt 11-yard pass from DeShone Kizer (Zane Gonzalez kick), 6:56. Colts 31–21. Drive: 5 plays, 58 yards, 1:52. CLE – DeShone Kizer 1-yard run (Zane Gonzalez kick), 2:04. Colts 31–28. Drive: 11 plays, 70 yards, 2:01. Top passers CLE – DeShone Kizer – 22/47, 242 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT IND – Jacoby Brissett – 17/24, 259 yards, TD Top rushers CLE – DeShone Kizer – 7 carries, 44 yards, TD IND – Frank Gore – 25 carries, 57 yards, TD Top receivers CLE – Duke Johnson – 6 receptions, 81 yards IND – T. Y. Hilton – 7 receptions, 153 yards, TD ' Top tacklers CLE – Joe Schobert - 5 tackles, 3 assists IND – Jon Bostic - 8 tackles, 2 assists

The Browns were a Vegas road favorite for the first time since 2012 and an overall favorite for the first time since 2015. The Colts drew first blood in the first quarter when backup QB Jacoby Brissett ran for a 5-yard touchdown to make the score 7-0 for the quarter's only points. The Browns managed to tie it up in the second quarter when Duke Johnson Jr. ran for a 19-yard touchdown to make it 7-7. Though the Colts then responded with 3 straight touchdowns: Brissett ran for another one from 7 yards out followed up by a 61-yard passing touchdown from him to T.Y. Hilton. Lastly, the Frank Gore ran for a 4-yard touchdown for lead changes of 14-7, 21-7, and 28-7. The Browns managed to make the score 28-14 at halftime when DeShone Kizer found David Njoku on a 1-yard pass. After a scoreless third quarter, the Colts managed to increase their lead when Adam Vinatieri nailed a 33-yard field goal to make it 31-14. The Browns tried to rally with 2 more touchdowns: Kizer connected with Kenny Britt on an 11-yard pass to make it 31-21. This would be followed up by Kizer running in for a touchdown himself from a yard out to make it 31-28. The Browns failed to recover the onside kick and it sealed the win for the Colts. With the loss, the Browns fell to 0–3. The team also lost their 15th straight road game.

Week 4: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Week Four: Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Bengals 0 21 10 0 31 Browns 0 0 0 7 7 at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio Date: October 1 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT Game weather: Template:Convert/F, sunny Game attendance: 67,431 Referee: Ronald Torbert TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter No scoring plays. Second quarter CIN – A. J. Green 7-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Randy Bullock kick), 15:00. Bengals 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 35 yards, 5:21. CIN – Tyler Kroft 3-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Randy Bullock kick), 2:36. Bengals 14–0. Drive: 13 plays, 88 yards, 7:28. CIN – Giovani Bernard 61-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Randy Bullock kick), 1:21. Bengals 21–0. Drive: 3 plays, 83 yards, 0:53. Third quarter CIN – Randy Bullock 41-yard field goal, 11:32. Bengals 24–0. Drive: 10 plays, 52 yards, 3:32. CIN – Tyler Kroft 16-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Randy Bullock kick), 3:42. Bengals 31–0. Drive: 10 plays, 83 yards, 6:20. Fourth quarter CLE – Duke Johnson 1-yard run (Zane Gonzalez kick), 1:56. Bengals 31–7. Drive: 12 plays, 63 yards, 4:36. Top passers CIN – Andy Dalton – 25/30, 286 yards, 4 TD CLE – Deshone Kizer – 16/34, 118 yards, INT Top rushers CIN – Andy Dalton – 4 rushes, 29 yards CLE – Isaiah Crowell – 7 rushes, 20 yards Top receivers CIN – Tyler Kroft – 6 receptions, 68 yards, 2 TD CLE – Ricardo Louis – 5 receptions, 64 yards Top tacklers CIN – Nick Vigil - 7 tackles, 4 assists CLE – Jason McCourty - 7 tackles

The Browns then returned for a game against their division rival Bengals in Game 1 of the Battle of Ohio. After a scoreless first quarter, the Bengals offense exploded in the second quarter with 3 touchdowns: Dalton threw all 3 when he found A.J. Green on a 7-yard pass, Tyler Kroft on a 3-yard pass, and Giovani Bernard on a 61-yard pass to make the score 7-0, 14-0, and 21-0 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Bengals increased their lead when Randy Bullock kicked a 41-yard field goal to make it 24-0. This would be followed by Dalton's 4th touchdown pass of the game: Another one to Kroft from 16 yards out to make it 31-0. The Browns scored their only points of the game in the fourth quarter when Duke Johnson Jr. ran for a 1-yard touchdown to make the final score 31-7. The Browns lost their 14th straight divisional game as they fell to 0–4 and had sole possession of last place in the AFC North.

Week 5: vs. New York Jets

Week Five: New York Jets at Cleveland Browns – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Jets 0 3 7 7 17 Browns 0 0 7 7 14 at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio Date: October 8 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT Game weather: Template:Convert/F, cloudy Game attendance: 62,032 Referee: Walt Anderson TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, Ronde Barber and Kristina Pink Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter No scoring plays. Second quarter NYJ – Chandler Catanzaro 57-yard field goal, 0:01. Jets 3–0. Drive: 6 plays, 32 yards, 0:31. Third quarter CLE – David Njoku 21-yard pass from Kevin Hogan (Zane Gonzalez kick), 9:29. Browns 7–3. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 5:37. NYJ – Austin Seferian-Jenkins 2-yard pass from Josh McCown (Chandler Catanzaro kick), 4:21. Jets 10–7. Drive: 2 plays, 13 yards, 0:41. Fourth quarter NYJ – Jermaine Kearse 24-yard pass from Josh McCown (Chandler Catanzaro kick), 8:35. Jets 17–7. Drive: 8 plays, 97 yards, 4:26. CLE – Duke Johnson 41-yard pass from Kevin Hogan (Zane Gonzalez kick), 2:00. Jets 17–14. Drive: 5 plays, 86 yards, 1:34. Top passers NYJ – Josh McCown – 23/30, 194 yards, 2 TD, INT CLE – Kevin Hogan – 16/19, 194 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers NYJ – Elijah McGuire – 11 rushes, 20 yards CLE – Isaiah Crowell – 16 rushes, 60 yards Top receivers NYJ – Jeremy Kerley – 4 receptions, 39 yards CLE – Ricardo Louis – 5 receptions, 71 yards Top tacklers NYJ – Morris Claiborne 8 tackles, 1 assist CLE – Jamar Taylor and James Burgess - 5 tackles each

After a horrifying loss, the Browns stayed home for a game against the Jets. After a scoreless first quarter, the Jets managed to score the first half's only points when Chandler Catanzaro nailed a 57-yard field goal to make it 3-0 at halftime. The Browns managed to take the lead in the third quarter when Kevin Hogan found David Njoku on a 21-yard pass to make it 7-3. The Jets however retook the lead later on in the quarter when Josh McCown found Austin Seferian-Jenkins to make it 10-7. They would increase their lead in the fourth quarter when McCown found Jermaine Kearse on a 24-yard pass to make it 17-7. The Browns came up short when Hogan found Duke Johnson Jr. on a 41-yard pass to make the final score 17-14. The Browns missed 2 field goals, had 3 turnovers, and were 0/3 in the red zone. With the loss, the Browns fell to 0–5, remaining in last place in the AFC North. They were the only team in the AFC without a victory through five weeks of the season.

Week 6: at Houston Texans

Week Six: Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Browns 3 0 0 14 17 Texans 10 14 9 0 33 at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas Date: October 15 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed) Game attendance: 71,815 Referee: Brad Allen TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon and James Lofton Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter HOU – Ka'imi Fairbairn 40-yard field goal, 10:57. Texans 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 52 yards, 4:03. CLE – Zane Gonzalez 41-yard field goal, 3:15. Tied 3–3. Drive: 4 plays, 4 yards, 1:34. HOU – Will Fuller 39-yard pass from Deshaun Watson (Ka'imi Fairbairn kick), 0:41. Texans 10–3. Drive: 5 plays, 87 yards, 2:34. Second quarter HOU – Johnathan Joseph 82-yard interception return (kick failed), 11:08. Texans 16–3. Drive: 9 plays, 53 yards, 4:33. HOU – Braxton Miller 1-yard pass from Deshaun Watson (Ryan Griffin pass), 4:05. Texans 24–3. Drive: 6 plays, 71 yards, 2:49. Third quarter HOU – Penalty on Kevin Hogan enforced in CLE end zone for a safety, 10:10. Texans 26–3. Drive: 3 plays, −3 yards, 1:28. HOU – DeAndre Hopkins 3-yard pass from Deshaun Watson (Ka'imi Fairbairn kick), 4:05. Texans 33–3. Drive: 13 plays, 65 yards, 6:05. Fourth quarter CLE – Jason McCourty 56-yard interception return (Zane Gonzalez kick), 13:27. Texans 33–10. Drive: 4 plays, 21 yards, 1:53. CLE – Seth DeValve 3-yard pass from Kevin Hogan (Zane Gonzalez kick), 1:03. Texans 33–17. Drive: 4 plays, 50 yards, 0:46. Top passers CLE – Kevin Hogan – 20/37, 140 yards, TD, 3 INT HOU – Deshaun Watson – 17/29, 225 yards, 3 TD, INT Top rushers CLE – Isaiah Crowell – 12 carries, 58 yards HOU – D'Onta Foreman – 12 carries, 59 yards Top receivers CLE – Kasen Williams – 4 receptions, 41 yards HOU – Will Fuller – 2 receptions, 62 yards, TD Top tacklers CLE – Joe Schobert - 5 tackles, 7 assists HOU – Benardrick McKinney - 7 tackles, 1 assist

The Browns traveled for a duel against the Texans. The Texans scored first when Ka'imi Fairbairn kicked a 40-yard field goal to make it 3-0. This would be followed up by the Browns tying the game up when Zane Gonzalez kicked a 41-yard field goal making the score 3-3. Afterwards, the Texans would score 30 unanswered points: Later on in the first quarter, DeShaun Watson found Will Fuller V on a 39-yard pass to make it 10-3. In the second quarter, Johnathan Joseph returned an interception 82 yards for a touchdown to make it 17-3 followed up by Watson connecting with Braxton Miller on a 1-yard pass to make it 24-3 at halftime. In the third quarter, a penalty got enforced on Kevin Hogan in the end zone giving the Texans a safety and increasing their lead to 26-3. Watson then found DeAndre Hopkins on a 3-yard pass to make it 33-3. The Browns scored twice in the fourth quarter when Jason McCourty returned an interception 56 yards for a touchdown to make it 33-10. Finally, Hogan for Seth DeValve on a 3-yard pass to make the final score 33-17.

The Texans routed the Browns, dropping them to 0–6 and handing them their 16th straight road loss.

Week 7: vs. Tennessee Titans

Week Seven: Tennessee Titans at Cleveland Browns – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Titans 3 3 0 3 12 Browns 0 3 3 3 9 at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio Date: October 22 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT Game weather: Template:Convert/F, sunny Game attendance: 59,061 Referee: Terry McAulay TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter TEN – Ryan Succop 43-yard field goal, 8:38. Titans 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 45 yards, 6:22. Second quarter CLE – Zane Gonzalez 31-yard field goal, 8:31. Tied 3–3. Drive: 7 plays, 27 yards, 3:40. TEN – Ryan Succop 23-yard field goal, 1:37. Titans 6–3. Drive: 14 plays, 70 yards, 6:54. Third quarter CLE – Zane Gonzalez 47-yard field goal, 4:25. Tied 6–6. Drive: 10 plays, 70 yards, 5:07. Fourth quarter TEN – Ryan Succop 46-yard field goal, 14:50. Titans 9–6. Drive: 9 plays, 47 yards, 4:35. CLE – Zane Gonzalez 54-yard field goal, 0:47. Tied 9–9. Drive: 10 plays, 31 yards, 3:30. Overtime TEN – Ryan Succop 47-yard field goal, 2:00. Titans 12–9. Drive: 7 plays, 20 yards, 5:57. Top passers TEN – Marcus Mariota – 21/34, 203 yards CLE – Cody Kessler – 10/19, 121 yards, INT Top rushers TEN – DeMarco Murray – 18 rushes, 59 yards CLE – Isaiah Crowell – 17 rushes, 35 yards Top receivers TEN – Delanie Walker – 7 receptions, 63 yards CLE – Duke Johnson – 6 receptions, 45 yards Top tacklers TEN - Avery Williamson - 6 tackles, 8 assists CLE - Christian Kirksey - 8 tackles, 9 assists

The Browns then returned home for a game against the Titans. In a highly defensive battle of no touchdowns, the Titans scored first when Ryan Succop kicked a 41-yard field goal to make it 3-0. The Browns tied it up when Zane Gonzalez kicked a 31-yard field goal to make it 3-3. The Titans retook the lead with Succop's 23-yard field goal to make it 6-3 at halftime. The Browns then tied it up when Zane Gonzalez nailed 47-yard field goal to make it 6-6 for the only points in the third quarter. The Titans then moved ahead in the fourth quarter after Succop kicked another field goal from 46 yards out to make it 9-6. The Browns forced overtime when Gonzalez nailed a 54-yard field goal to make it 9-9. In overtime, the Titans scored the eventual game-winning field goal when Succop nailed it from 47 yards out to make the final score 12-9.

With the overtime loss, the Browns fell to 0–7. The loss led to Browns starting 0–7 for only the 4th time in franchise history (1975, 1999, and 2016). It was the first time in 23 games under Hue Jackson that the Browns failed to score a touchdown. This game was the first such occurrence since Week 17 of the 2015 season. During the third quarter, star left tackle Joe Thomas suffered an injury to his arm and was knocked out of the rest of the game, making this the first time since joining the Browns in 2007 that he had missed an offensive play. The day after the game, it was announced that Thomas had torn his triceps and would likely miss the rest of the season. It would also be his last ever NFL game, as Thomas announced his retirement on March 14, 2018.

Week 8: vs. Minnesota Vikings

NFL London Games

Week Eight: Minnesota Vikings at Cleveland Browns – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Vikings 3 9 11 10 33 Browns 6 7 3 0 16 at Twickenham Stadium, London, England Date: October 29 Game time: 1:30 p.m. GMT/9:30 a.m. EDT Game weather: Template:Convert/F, partly cloudy Game attendance: 74,237 Referee: Jeff Triplette TV announcers (NFLN): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Jamie Erdahl Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter CLE – Isaiah Crowell 26-yard run (kick failed, hit right upright), 11:20. Browns 6–0. Drive: 2 plays, 37 yards, 0:29. MIN – Kai Forbath 35-yard field goal, 5:27. Browns 6–3. Drive: 7 plays, 18 yards, 3:26. Second quarter MIN – Adam Thielen 18-yard pass from Case Keenum (kick blocked), 2:48. Vikings 9–6. Drive: 7 plays, 60 yards, 3:12. CLE – DeShone Kizer 1-yard run (Zane Gonzalez kick), 0:40. Browns 13–9. Drive: 8 plays, 82 yards, 2:08. MIN – Kai Forbath 34-yard field goal, 0:00. Browns 13–12. Drive: 6 plays, 62 yards, 0:40. Third quarter MIN – Kai Forbath 43-yard field goal, 13:32. Vikings 15–13. Drive: 4 plays, 5 yards, 1:19. CLE – Zane Gonzalez 23-yard field goal, 5:34. Browns 16–15. Drive: 12 plays, 55 yards, 4:57. MIN – Jerick McKinnon 1-yard run (Jerick McKinnon run), 1:16. Vikings 23–16. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:18. Fourth quarter MIN – Kyle Rudolph 4-yard pass from Case Keenum (Kai Forbath kick), 10:06. Vikings 30–16. Drive: 9 plays, 84 yards, 4:47. MIN – Kai Forbath 51-yard field goal, 1:09. Vikings 33–16. Drive: 4 plays, −1 yard, 1:42. Top passers MIN – Case Keenum – 27/43, 288 yards, TD CLE – DeShone Kizer – 18/34, 179 yards Top rushers MIN – Jerick McKinnon – 14 rushes, 50 yards, TD CLE – Isaiah Crowell – 11 rushes, 64 yards, TD Top receivers MIN – Adam Thielen – 5 receptions, 98 yards, TD CLE – Isaiah Crowell – 4 receptions, 54 yards Top tacklers MIN- Eric Kendricks - 8 tackles, 1 assist CLE- Joe Schobert - 11 tackles, 1 assist

The Browns traveled to London but were considered home team against the Vikings. They scored first in the first quarter when Isaiah Crowell ran for a 26-yard touchdown (with a failed PAT) to make it 6-0. The Vikes got on the board when Kai Forbath kicked a 35-yard field goal to make it 6-3. The Vikes took the lead when Case Keenum found Adam Thielen on an 18-yard pass (with a failed PAT) to make it 9-3. DeShone Kizer ran for a 1-yard touchdown to put the Browns back in the lead 13-9. Though, the Vikes soon followed when Forbath kicked a 34-yard field goal to make it 13-12 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Vikes retook the lead after Forbath kicked a 43-yard field goal to make it 15-13. Zane Gonzalez then put up a 23-yard field goal to make it 16-15 in favor of the Browns retaking the lead. Though it wouldn't last long when the Vikes retook the lead later on in the quarter when Jerick McKinnon ran for a 1-yard touchdown (with a successful 2-point conversion) to make it 23-16. In the fourth quarter, the Vikes sealed the game when Keenum found Kyle Rudolph on a 4-yard pass to make it 30-16. Then Forbath kicked a 51-yard field goal to make the final score 33-16.

With the loss, the Browns went into their bye week 0–8. It was the 3rd time in franchise history that the Browns failed to win a regular season game in the 1st half of a season (1975, 2016). Their 8th loss ensured that the team would fail to finish a season with a winning record for the 10th consecutive year, extending a franchise record.

Week 10: at Detroit Lions

Week Ten: Cleveland Browns at Detroit Lions – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Browns 10 0 14 0 24 Lions 3 14 7 14 38 at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan Date: November 12 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium) Game attendance: 64,646 Referee: Carl Cheffers TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter CLE – Zane Gonzalez 23-yard field goal. Browns 3–0. Drive: 5 plays, 42 yards, 1:32. CLE – Kenny Britt 19-yard pass from DeShone Kizer (Zane Gonzalez kick) Browns 10–0. Drive: 3 plays, 31 yards, 1:23. DET – Matt Prater 46-yard field goal. Browns 10–3. Drive: 7 plays, 47 yards, 2:39. Second quarter DET – Ameer Abdullah 8-yard run (Matt Prater kick) Tied 10–10. Drive: 8 plays, 90 yards, 4:28. DET – Nevin Lawson 44-yard fumble return (Matt Prater kick) Lions 17–10. Drive: 5 plays, 21 yards, 2:10. Third quarter CLE – Isaiah Crowell 6-yard run (Zane Gonzalez kick). Tied 17–17. Drive: 8 plays, 85 yards, 3:59. CLE – DeShone Kizer 1-yard run (Zane Gonzalez kick). Browns 24–17. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 6:01. DET – Theo Riddick 8-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (Matt Prater kick) Tied 24–24. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:31. Fourth quarter DET – Eric Ebron 29-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (Matt Prater kick) Lions 31–24. Drive: 9 plays, 61 yards, 4:03. DET – Golden Tate 40-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (Matt Prater kick) Lions 38–24. Drive: 3 plays, 44 yards, 0:49. Top passers CLE – DeShone Kizer – 21/37, 232 yards, TD, INT DET – Matthew Stafford – 17/26, 249 yards, 3 TD, INT Top rushers CLE – Isaiah Crowell – 16 carries, 90 yards, TD DET – Ameer Abdullah – 11 carries, 52 yards, TD Top receivers CLE – Seth DeValve – 4 receptions, 70 yards DET – Golden Tate – 6 receptions, 97 yards, TD Top tacklers CLE – Christian Kirksey – 4 tackles, 3 assists DET – Tahir Whitehead – 7 tackles, 1 assist

Coming off of their bye week, the Browns traveled north to take on the Lions. The Browns scored first when Zane Gonzalez kicked a 23-yard field goal to make it 3-0. They would make it 10-0 when DeShone Kizer found Kenny Britt on a 19-yard touchdown. The Lions then scored 17 straight points going into the second quarter: Starting with Matt Prater nailing a 46-yard field goal followed up by Ameer Abdullah running for an 8-yard touchdown, and finally Nevin Lawson returning a fumble 44 yards for a touchdown to make the score 10-3, tie the game at 10-10 and then make it 17-10 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Browns managed to retake the lead when Isaiah Crowell ran for a 6-yard touchdown followed up by Kizer running for a 1-yard touchdown to tie the game 17-17 and then move up 24-17. The lead would be short-lived however as the Lions tied the game up with under a minute to go in the quarter when Matthew Stafford found Theo Reddick on an 8-yard pass to tie the game back up 24-24. In the fourth quarter, the Lions were able to seal the game with 2 more touchdowns: Stafford found Eric Ebron on a 29-yard pass to retake the lead 31-24 and then found Golden Tate on a 40-yard pass to make the final score 38-24.

With the loss, the Browns fell to 0–9, losing their 10th consecutive game, losing their 17th consecutive road game, and clinching a losing record for the 10th consecutive season, extending their franchise record drought. The 49ers' win over the Giants later that day left the Browns as the only winless team in the NFL through 10 weeks of the season.

On Thursday Night Football, the Steelers defeated the Titans to improve to 8–2, which mathematically eliminated the Browns from AFC North title contention, extending the Browns' drought without a division title to 25 consecutive seasons, the longest active drought in the NFL.

Week 11: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week Eleven: Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Jaguars 7 3 0 9 19 Browns 0 7 0 0 7 at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio Date: November 19 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST Game weather: Template:Convert/F, cloudy Game attendance: 57,003 Referee: Pete Morelli TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon and James Lofton Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter JAX – Marcedes Lewis 10-yard pass from Blake Bortles (Josh Lambo kick), 6:59. Jaguars 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 33 yards, 1:42. Second quarter JAX – Josh Lambo 38-yard field goal, 14:18. Jaguars 10–0. Drive: 8 plays, 47 yards, 3:33. CLE – Duke Johnson 27-yard pass from Deshone Kizer (Zane Gonzalez kick), 11:33. Jaguars 10–7. Drive: 5 plays, 66 yards, 2:46. Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter JAX – Josh Lambo 39-yard field goal, 3:35. Jaguars 13–7. Drive: 8 plays, 31 yards, 4:52. JAX – Telvin Smith fumble recovery in Browns' end zone (run failed), 1:24. Jaguars 19–7. Top passers JAX – Blake Bortles – 17/30, 154 yards, TD CLE – Deshone Kizer – 16/32, 179 yards, TD, 2 INT Top rushers JAX – Leonard Fournette – 28 rushes, 111 yards CLE – Deshone Kizer – 5 rushes, 22 yards Top receivers JAX – Marqise Lee – 5 receptions, 45 yards CLE – Corey Coleman – 6 receptions, 80 yards Top tacklers JAX – Jalen Ramsey - 4 tackles, 2 assists CLE – Christian Kirksey - 8 tackles, 6 assists

The Browns returned home after a tough road loss to take on the Jaguars. The Jags would score first in the first quarter when Blake Bortles found Marcedes Lewis on a 10-yard pass to make it 7-0 for the quarter's only score. In the second quarter they made it 10-0 when Josh Lambo kicked a 38-yard field goal. The Browns got on the board when DeShone Kizer found Duke Johnson on a 27-yard pass to make it 10-7 at halftime. In the second half, it was all Jags after a scoreless third quarter as Lambo nailed a 39-yard field goal to make it 13-7 followed up by Telvin Smith recovering a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown (with a failed 2-point conversion) to make the final score 19-7.

The Browns committed 5 turnovers, including 2 interceptions and 2 lost fumbles from Kizer, as they lost 19–7 to the Jaguars. With the loss, the Browns fell to 0–10, losing their 11th consecutive game. It's only the second time in franchise history that the Browns started a season 0–10, with the first such occurrence happening in the previous season. The loss made the Browns 4–43 in their last 47 games, a record that started in Week 13 of the 2014 season, the worst 47 game stretch in NFL history.

Week 12: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week Twelve: Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Browns 3 3 3 7 16 Bengals 7 9 7 7 30 at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio Date: November 26 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST Game weather: Template:Convert/F, partly cloudy Game attendance: 51,710 Referee: John Hussey TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon and James Lofton Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter CLE – Zane Gonzalez 27-yard field goal, 9:21. Browns 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 66 yards, 5:43. CIN – Tyler Boyd 8-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Randy Bullock kick), 5:12. Bengals 7–3. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:09. Second quarter CIN – Randy Bullock 31-yard field goal, 9:17. Bengals 10–3. Drive: 12 plays, 54 yards, 5:55. CIN – Randy Bullock 49-yard field goal, 6:17. Bengals 13–3. Drive: 5 plays, 18 yards, 1:19. CIN – Randy Bullock 21-yard field goal, 2:10. Bengals 16–3. Drive: 6 plays, 42 yards, 3:09. CLE – Zane Gonzalez 21-yard field goal, 0:05. Bengals 16–6. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 2:06. Third quarter CIN – Tyler Kroft 1-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Randy Bullock kick), 10:26. Bengals 23–6. Drive: 10 plays, 78 yards, 4:39. CLE – Zane Gonzalez 39-yard field goal, 4:37. Bengals 23–9. Drive: 10 plays, 59 yards, 5:48. Fourth quarter CLE – DeShone Kizer 3-yard run (Zane Gonzalez kick), 7:01. Bengals 23–16. Drive: 15 plays, 89 yards, 5:29. CIN – Joe Mixon 11-yard run (Randy Bullock kick), 3:02. Bengals 30–16. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 4:00. Top passers CLE – DeShone Kizer – 18/31, 268 yards CIN – Andy Dalton – 18/28, 214 yards, 2 TD Top rushers CLE – Isaiah Crowell – 16 rushes, 95 yards CIN – Joe Mixon – 23 rushes, 114 yards, TD Top receivers CLE – Corey Coleman – 3 receptions, 64 yards CIN – A. J. Green – 5 receptions, 66 yards Top tacklers CLE – Joe Schobert - 10 tackles, 3 assists CIN – Dre Kirkpatrick - 7 tackles, 2 assists

The Browns then traveled to take on the Bengals in Game 2 of the Battle of Ohio. In the first quarter, the Browns took an early 3-0 lead when Zane Gonzalez kicked a 27-yard field goal. Though, though the Bengals responded when Andy Dalton found Tyler Boyd on an 8-yard pass to make it 7-3. In the second quarter, the Bengals increased their lead with 3 field goals kicked by Randy Bullock: from 31, 49, and 21 yards out to make the score 10-3, 13-3, and 16-3. The Browns made it 16-6 before halftime when Gonzalez kicked a 21-yard field goal. The Bengals moved further ahead when Dalton found Tyler Kroft on a 1-yard pass to make it 23-6. The Browns came within 2 touchdowns when Gonzalez kicked his third field goal of the day from 39 yards out to make it 23-9 in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, DeShone Kizer ran for a 3-yard touchdown to make it 23-16. Though later on, the Bengals sealed the game when Joe Mixon ran for an 11-yard touchdown.

The Browns' losing streak continued as they fell to the Bengals 30–16. With the loss, the Browns fell to 0–11, losing their 12th consecutive game, their 18th consecutive road game, and their 15th consecutive divisional matchup, and combined with a Bills victory over the Chiefs, eliminated them from playoff contention. The loss ensured that the Browns would finish in 4th place in the AFC North for the 7th consecutive season.

Week 13: at Los Angeles Chargers

Week Thirteen: Cleveland Browns at Los Angeles Chargers – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Browns 0 7 0 3 10 Chargers 0 9 10 0 19 at StubHub Center, Carson, California Date: December 3 Game time: 4:05 p.m. EST/1:05 p.m. PST Game weather: Template:Convert/F, sunny Game attendance: 25,320 Referee: Walt Coleman TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter No scoring plays. Second quarter LAC – Travis Coons 21-yard field goal, 9:03. Chargers 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 60 yards, 4:25. LAC – Travis Coons 40-yard field goal, 3:45. Chargers 6–0. Drive: 7 plays, 38 yards, 3:29. CLE – David Njoku 28-yard pass from DeShone Kizer (Zane Gonzalez kick), 1:55. Browns 7–6. Drive: 5 plays, 65 yards, 1:50. LAC – Travis Coons 22-yard field goal, 0:00. Chargers 9–7. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 1:55. Third quarter LAC – Keenan Allen 7-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Travis Coons kick), 10:35. Chargers 16–7. Drive: 10 plays, 78 yards, 4:25. LAC – Travis Coons 27-yard field goal, 1:02. Chargers 19–7. Drive: 12 plays, 66 yards, 7:03. Fourth quarter CLE – Zane Gonzalez 35-yard field goal, 12:03. Chargers 19–10. Drive: 11 plays, 58 yards, 3:59. Top passers CLE – DeShone Kizer – 15/32, 215 yards, TD, INT LAC – Philip Rivers – 31/43, 344 yards, TD Top rushers CLE – DeShone Kizer – 5 carries, 46 yards LAC – Melvin Gordon – 19 carries, 77 yards Top receivers CLE – Josh Gordon – 4 receptions, 85 yards LAC – Keenan Allen – 10 receptions, 105 yards, TD Top tacklers CLE – Jason McCourty - 9 tackles LAC – Joey Bosa - 7 tackles

The Browns then traveled further west to take on the Chargers. In the first quarter, the Chargers would score 2 field goals to start out: Travis Coons kicked them both from 21 and 40 yards out to make the lead 3-0 to 6-0. The Browns took the lead however when DeShone Kizer found David Njoku on a 28-yard pass to make it 7-6. Though, the Chargers would move back into the lead when Coons kicked his third field goal of the day from 22 yards out to make it 9-7. This would remain the halftime score as neither team scored in the second quarter. In the third quarter however, the Chargers managed to increase their lead when Philip Rivers found Keenan Allen on a 7-yard pass to make it 16-7. This would be followed up by Coons kicking a fourth field goal from 27 yards out to put his team up 19-7. The Browns scored their only points in the half during the fourth quarter when Zane Gonzalez kicked a 35-yard field goal.

The losing streak continued as the Browns fell to the Chargers 19–10. With the loss, the Browns fell to 0–12 and the losing streak was extended to 13 consecutive games while their road losing streak was extended to 19 consecutive games. The loss made the Browns 1–27 in the first 28 games under Jackson and Brown, overtaking the 1976–1977 Buccaneers (2–26) for the worst 28 game start under a HC and GM in NFL history.

On the following Thursday, Brown was relieved of his GM duties.

Week 14: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week Fourteen: Green Bay Packers at Cleveland Browns – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Packers 7 0 0 14 27 Browns 7 7 7 0 21 at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio Date: December 10 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST Game weather: Template:Convert/F, cloudy Game attendance: 67,431 Referee: Bill Vinovich TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Chris Spielman and Peter Schrager Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter GB – Jamaal Williams 30-yard pass from Brett Hundley (Mason Crosby kick), 8:57. Packers 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 74 yards, 6:10. CLE – Josh Gordon 18-yard pass from DeShone Kizer (Zane Gonzalez kick), 10:47. Tied 7–7. Drive: 7 plays, 84 yards, 4:05. Second quarter CLE – Duke Johnson 7-yard pass from DeShone Kizer (Zane Gonzalez kick), 5:16. Browns 14–7. Drive: 12 plays, 70 yards, 6:58. Third quarter CLE – Corey Coleman 2-yard pass from DeShone Kizer (Zane Gonzalez kick), 2:59. Browns 21–7. Drive: 9 plays, 88 yards, 4:31. Fourth quarter GB – Jamaal Williams 1-yard run (Mason Crosby kick), 12:54. Browns 21–14. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 4:59. GB – Davante Adams 1-yard pass from Brett Hundley (Mason Crosby kick), 0:17. Tied 21–21. Drive: 7 plays, 25 yards, 2:20. Overtime GB – Davante Adams 25-yard pass from Brett Hundley, 5:12. Packers 27–21. Drive: 6 plays, 42 yards, 3:23. Top passers GB – Brett Hundley – 35/46, 265 yards, 3 TD CLE – DeShone Kizer – 20/28, 214 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT Top rushers GB – Jamaal Williams – 15 rushes, 49 yards, TD CLE – Isaiah Crowell – 19 rushes, 121 yards Top receivers GB – Davante Adams – 10 receptions, 84 yards, 2 TD CLE – Josh Gordon – 3 receptions, 69 yards, TD Top tacklers GB – HaHa Clinton-Dix , Blake Martinez , and Jake Ryan - 4 tackles each CLE – Jason McCourty - 8 tackles, 2 assists

The Browns returned home to take on the Packers and their backup QB Brett Hundley. In the first quarter, the Packers took an early lead when Hundley found Jamaal Adams on a 30-yard pass to make it 7-0. The Browns tied the game up later on in the quarter when DeShone Kizer found Josh Gordon on an 18-yard pass to make it 7-7. In the second quarter, the Browns moved into the lead when Kizer connected with Duke Johnson Jr. on a 7-yard pass to make it 14-7 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Browns moved ahead by 2 touchdowns when Kizer found Corey Coleman on a 2-yard pass to make it 21-7. In the fourth quarter however, the Packers managed to tie it up when Jamaal Williams ran for a 1-yard touchdown followed up by Hundley connecting with Davante Adams on a 1-yard pass to make it 21-14 then 21-21 to force overtime.

In overtime, Cleveland won the toss but Kizer threw an interception to Packers rookie safety Josh Jones. Adams later scored on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Hundley to seal a 27-21 Green Bay win.

With the loss, the Browns dropped to 0-13 as they lost their 14th consecutive game. They became the first franchise in NFL history to start 0-13 in consecutive seasons.

Week 15: vs. Baltimore Ravens

Week Fifteen: Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Ravens 3 14 10 0 27 Browns 0 10 0 0 10 at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio Date: December 17 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST Game weather: Template:Convert/F, cloudy Game attendance: 56,434 Referee: Clete Blakeman TV announcers (CBS): Tom McCarthy, Steve Beuerlein, Steve Tasker and Melanie Collins Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter BAL – Justin Tucker 31-yard field goal, 8:46. Ravens 3–0. Drive: 13 plays, 62 yards, 6:14. Second quarter CLE – Duke Johnson 12-yard run (Zane Gonzalez kick), 8:12. Browns 7–3. Drive: 5 plays, 96 yards, 2:59. BAL – Joe Flacco 2-yard run (Justin Tucker kick), 3:01. Ravens 10–7. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:11. BAL – Benjamin Watson 33-yard pass from Joe Flacco (Justin Tucker kick), 0:59. Ravens 17–7. Drive: 3 plays, 45 yards, 0:37. CLE – Zane Gonzalez 45-yard field goal, 0:00. Ravens 17–10. Drive: 7 plays, 47 yards, 0:59. Third quarter BAL – Brandon Williams 1-yard fumble return (Justin Tucker kick), 7:06. Ravens 24–10. BAL – Justin Tucker 43-yard field goal, 0:04. Ravens 27–10. Drive: 8 plays, 36 yards, 3:13. Fourth quarter No scoring plays. Top passers BAL – Joe Flacco – 26/42, 288 yards, TD CLE – DeShone Kizer – 20/37, 146 yards, 2 INT Top rushers BAL – Javorius Allen – 13 rushes, 70 yards CLE – Isaiah Crowell – 5 rushes, 72 yards Top receivers BAL – Mike Wallace – 6 receptions, 89 yards CLE – Josh Gordon – 5 receptions, 47 yards Top tacklers BAL – Patrick Onwuasor – 3 tackles, 4 assists CLE – Christian Kirksey – 6 tackles, 6 assists

The Browns then went home for their home finale of the season. The Ravens scored the first quarter's only points when Justin Tucker kicked a 31-yard field goal to make it 3-0. In the second quarter, the Browns took the lead when Duke Johnson Jr. ran for a 12-yard touchdown to make it 7-3. Though, the Ravens moved back into the lead when Joe Flacco ran for a 2-yard touchdown followed up by Flacco finding Benjamin Watson on a 33-yard pass to make it 10-7 and then 17-7. Zane Gonzalez got the Browns within a touchdown when he kicked a 45-yard field goal to make it 17-10 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Ravens scored the second half's only 10 points to eventually seal the game when Brandon Williams recovered a fumble for a 1-yard touchdown to make it 24-10. Tucker then hit a 43-yard field goal.

The Ravens routed the Browns 27-10, sending them to their 15th consecutive loss and their 16th consecutive loss within the division. The loss ensured that the Browns would finish the season without a home victory for the first time since the 1999 season. With the loss, the Browns fell to 0-14 and became the first franchise to start 0-14 in consecutive seasons.

Week 16: at Chicago Bears

Week Sixteen: Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bears – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Browns 0 3 0 0 3 Bears 6 0 14 0 20 at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois Date: December 24 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST Game weather: Template:Convert/F, cloudy Game attendance: 58,796 Referee: Terry McAulay TV announcers (CBS): Tom McCarthy, Steve Beuerlein and Steve Tasker Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter CHI – Jordan Howard 2-yard run (kick failed), 1:23. Bears 6–0. Drive: 9 plays, 57 yards, 5:11. Second quarter CLE – Zane Gonzalez 48-yard field goal, 0:06. Bears 6–3. Drive: 4 plays, 48 yards, 0:30. Third quarter CHI – Jordan Howard 16-yard run (Mike Nugent kick), 12:30. Bears 13–3. Drive: 4 plays, 60 yards, 2:37. CHI – Mitchell Trubisky 4-yard run (Mike Nugent kick), 3:33. Bears 20–3. Drive: 12 plays, 66 yards, 7:30. Fourth quarter No scoring plays. Top passers CLE – DeShone Kizer – 18/36, 182 yards, 2 INT CHI – Mitchell Trubisky – 14/23, 193 yards Top rushers CLE – Isaiah Crowell – 12 rushes, 44 yards CHI – Jordan Howard – 22 rushes, 44 yards, 2 TD Top receivers CLE – Duke Johnson – 7 receptions, 81 yards CHI – Benny Cunningham – 2 receptions, 62 yards Top tacklers CLE – James Burgess - 7 tackles, 2 assists CHI – Danny Trevathan - 5 tackles, 1 assist

The Browns then traveled to Chicago to take on the Bears. In the first quarter, the Bears scored first when Jordan Howard ran for a 2-yard touchdown (with a failed PAT) to make it 6-0. In the second quarter, the Browns scored when Zane Gonzalez kicked a 48-yard field goal to make it 6-3 at halftime. In the third quarter, it was all Bears when Howard ran for a 16-yard touchdown to make it 13-3. This would be followed by Mitchell Trubisky's 4-yard run for a touchdown to make it 20-3. With the fourth quarter scoreless, this would be the final score of the game.

With the loss, the Browns dropped their 16th straight game and their 20th consecutive road game. They became the first team to start 0–15 since the 2008 Lions. They also became the first franchise in the NFL to ever have multiple seasons with 15 or more losses. The loss also secured the #1 overall draft pick for a second year in a row. They're the first team since the 1999 Browns and 2000 Browns to have the #1 overall pick in back-to-back drafts.

Week 17: at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week Seventeen: Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Browns 0 14 10 0 24 Steelers 7 14 7 0 28 at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Date: December 31 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST Game weather: Template:Convert/F, snow Game attendance: 50,704 Referee: Jerome Boger TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter PIT – Darrius Heyward-Bey 29-yard run (Chris Boswell kick), 10:52. Steelers 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 4:17. Second quarter PIT – Juju Smith-Schuster 20-yard pass from Landry Jones (Chris Boswell kick), 13:32. Steelers 14–0. Drive: 3 plays, 28 yards, 2:09. CLE – Duke Johnson 2-yard run (Zane Gonzalez kick), 11:49. Steelers 14–7. Drive: 5 plays, 74 yards, 1:40. PIT – Stevan Ridley 4-yard run (Chris Boswell kick), 8:03. Steelers 21–7. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:47. CLE – Rashard Higgins 56-yard pass from DeShone Kizer (Zane Gonzalez kick), 7:22. Steelers 21–14. Drive: 2 plays, 60 yards, 0:46. Third quarter CLE – Rashard Higgins 5-yard pass from DeShone Kizer (Zane Gonzalez kick), 10:59. Tied 21–21. Drive: 7 plays, 68 yards, 4:06. PIT – Juju Smith-Schuster 96-yard kickoff return (Chris Boswell kick), 10:54. Steelers 28–21. CLE – Zane Gonzalez 51-yard field goal, 2:09. Steelers 28–24. Drive: 16 plays, 55 yards, 8:38. Fourth quarter No scoring plays. Top passers CLE – DeShone Kizer – 16/30, 314 yards, 2 TD, INT PIT – Landry Jones – 23/27, 239 yards, TD, INT Top rushers CLE – DeShone Kizer – 6 rushes, 61 yards PIT – Stevan Ridley – 17 rushes, 80 yards, TD Top receivers CLE – Josh Gordon – 4 receptions, 115 yards PIT – Juju Smith-Schuster – 9 receptions, 143 yards, TD Top tacklers CLE – Joe Schobert - 9 tackles, 3 assists PIT – T. J. Watt and Tyson Alualu - 6 tackles and 2 assists each

In one last effort to avoid a 0-16 season, the Browns played their final regular season game against their divisional rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. The Browns were competitive throughout the game due to the Steelers resting most of their starters.

The Steelers took an early lead in the first quarter when Darrius Heyward-Bey ran for a 29-yard run for a touchdown to make it 7-0. They would make it 14-0 in the second quarter when Landry Jones found Juju Smith-Schuster for a 20-yard pass. The Browns then got on the board when Duke Johnson ran for a 2-yard touchdown to make it 14-7. The Steelers pulled away by double digits after Stevan Ridley ran for a 4-yard touchdown to make it 21-7. The Browns then came within 7 when DeShone Kizer found Rashard Higgins on a 56-yard pass to make it 21-14 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Browns managed to tie the game at 21-21 when Kizer and Higgins connected again on a 5-yard pass. The Steelers retook the lead when Smith-Schuster returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown to make it 28-21. Zane Gonzalez then got the Browns within 4 with a 51-yard field goal to make it 28-24.

In a highly defensive fourth quarter, the Browns tried to rally a comeback and win. However, on 4th-and-2 with 1:46 left in the game, Browns receiver Corey Coleman dropped a wide open pass from Kizer at the Steelers' 11-yard line, giving the ball back to the Steelers on downs and sealing the Browns' fate.

With the loss, the Browns became the second team in NFL history to finish 0-16 after the 2008 Detroit Lions. Hue Jackson's career record with the Browns fell to 1-31. With that, this is the worst 32-game record since the league adapted a 16-game schedule.

To add insult to injury, later that afternoon, the Buffalo Bills' win over the Miami Dolphins - coupled with a Bengals win over Baltimore - gave the Bills a playoff berth, ending 18 straight years without a postseason appearance by that team. With that, the Cleveland Browns now hold the longest active postseason drought of any NFL team (as well as the second-longest in all North American professional sport; only the Seattle Mariners, who last made the Major League Baseball playoffs in 2001, have been out of the postseason longer), going back to 2002.

With the loss, the Browns tied their franchise record of 17 straight regular season losses. It also was their 21st consecutive road loss, 17th consecutive loss against a divisional opponent, and 14th consecutive road loss to the Steelers.

Also, Kizer became the first professional QB to go 0-15 in his first 15 starts.

Dating back to week 13 of 2014, after a promising 7-4 start, the Browns have lost 49 out of the last 53 games (5-game losing streak to end 2014, 13 losses in 2015, 15 losses in 2016, and 16 losses in 2017).

Aftermath and fan reaction

File:Perfect Season Parade 2.0 (39558172441).jpg

Fans at the imperfect season parade

A parade was held on January 6, 2018 at FirstEnergy Stadium in honor of the Browns' imperfect season and general ineptitude. It was organized by fan Chris McNeil through the contributions of fellow Browns fans and pain reliever manufacturer Excedrin. Additionally, the parade organization raised over $17,000 of charitable donations which went to the Cleveland Food Bank.

Standings

Division

Template:2017 AFC North standings

Conference

Template:2017 AFC standings

External links

• http://www.clevelandbrowns.com Cleveland Browns official website