2018 Cleveland Browns

2018 Cleveland Browns season
Owner	Jimmy Haslam
Head Coach	Hue Jackson (Fired Week 8, 2–5–1 record) Gregg Williams (interim, 5–3 record)
General Manager	John Dorsey
Home Field	FirstEnergy Stadium
Results
Record	7–8–1
Place	3rd AFC North
Playoff Finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	OG Joel Bitonio DE Myles Garrett WR Jarvis Landry CB Denzel Ward
Timeline
Previous Season	Next Season
2017	2019

The 2018 season was the Cleveland Browns' 70th season as a professional sports franchise, their 66th season as a member of the NFL, and their first full season under general manager John Dorsey. It was their third and final season under head coach Hue Jackson. The Browns improved upon their 2017 campaign in which they went a franchise worst 0–16, finishing in 3rd place in the AFC North with a record of 7–8–1, their best record since the 2007 season. However, they failed to end their franchise-record and league-high 15-year playoff drought and enter the postseason for the first time since 2002.

On September 9, the Browns opened their season against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 21–21 tie. This was the Browns' first tie since 1989, and it ended a 17-game losing streak which dated back to the 2016 season. On September 20, the Browns defeated the New York Jets 21–17, ending a 19-game winless streak.

On October 29, Jackson was fired after posting a record of 2–5–1 through Week 8 and an overall record of 3–36–1 during his two and a half seasons in Cleveland. Offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who was in his first season with the Browns, was fired the same day. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was named interim head coach. Under Williams, the Browns went 5–3 to finish out the season.

Rookie starting quarterback Baker Mayfield threw 27 touchdown passes, breaking the record for the most touchdown passes thrown by a rookie quarterback. The previous record of 26 was shared by Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson.

Offseason

Front office changes

On January 2, new general manager John Dorsey hired Green Bay Packers personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith as vice president of football operations.

On January 10, the Browns announced several front office hirings: Eliot Wolf as assistant general manager, Jimmy Noel as assistant director of pro scouting, Matt Donahoe as a scout, and Dan Zegers as personnel coordinator. The Browns also announced that former vice president of player personnel Ken Kovash would switch to a role within the strategy department, and fired senior personnel executive Ryan Grigson.

Coaching changes

On January 10, the Browns released special teams coordinator Chris Tabor. He had been the longest-tenured coach on the Browns, with the team since 2011.

On January 11, the Browns hired Adam Henry as wide receivers coach, a position he held with the New York Giants since 2016. Former wide receivers coach Al Saunders transitioned into a senior advisory role.

On January 12, the Browns hired Ken Zampese as quarterbacks coach. They also fired running backs coach/run game coordinator Kirby Wilson, special teams assistant Shawn Mennenga, and special teams quality control coach Stan Watson.

On January 24, the Browns hired Amos Jones as special teams coordinator, Todd Haley as offensive coordinator, and Freddie Kitchens as running backs/assistant head coach.

On February 8, the Browns hired Sam Shade as assistant special teams coach.

On March 9, the Browns hired former return specialist Josh Cribbs as special teams intern.

Roster changes

Re-signings

Position	Player	Tag	Date
ILB	Tank Carder	UFA	March 27
WR	Josh Gordon	ERFA	March 14
WR	Matt Hazel	ERFA	March 14
QB	Kevin Hogan	ERFA	March 14
TE	Matt Lengel	ERFA	March 14
DT	Jamie Meder	RFA	March 14
C	Austin Reiter	ERFA	March 14
FB	Danny Vitale	ERFA	March 14
UFA=Unrestricted free agent, RFA=Restricted free agent, ERFA=Exclusive rights free agent

Players added

Position	Player	Tag	2017 team	Date
CB	T. J. Carrie	UFA	Oakland Raiders	March 14
TE	Orson Charles	UFA	Kansas City Chiefs	July 30
TE	Darren Fells	UFA	Detroit Lions	March 14
CB	E. J. Gaines	UFA	Buffalo Bills	March 23
T	Chris Hubbard	UFA	Pittsburgh Steelers	March 14
RB	Carlos Hyde	UFA	San Francisco 49ers	March 14
WR	Jarvis Landry	Trade	Miami Dolphins	March 14
DT	Devaroe Lawrence	Trade	New Orleans Saints	September 1
CB	Terrance Mitchell	UFA	Kansas City Chiefs	March 14
S	Damarious Randall	Trade	Green Bay Packers	March 14
T	Greg Robinson	UFA	Detroit Lions	June 19
LB	Brady Sheldon	Waiver	Oakland Raiders	June 13
DE	Chris Smith	UFA	Cincinnati Bengals	March 14
QB	Drew Stanton	UFA	Arizona Cardinals	March 25
QB	Tyrod Taylor	Trade	Buffalo Bills	March 14
G	Earl Watford	UFA	Arizona Cardinals	August 28

Players lost

Position	Player	Tag	2018 team	Date
LB	Dominique Alexander	Release		May 3
LB	B. J. Bello	Release	Arizona Cardinals	September 1
LB	Max Bullough	Release		April 12
DE	Caleb Brantley	Release	Washington Redskins	September 1
LB	Tank Carder	Release		June 5
WR	Corey Coleman	Trade	Buffalo Bills	August 5
T	Shon Coleman	Trade	San Francisco 49ers	August 31
RB	Isaiah Crowell	UFA	New York Jets	March 14
RB	Matthew Dayes	Release	San Francisco 49ers	September 1
T	Spencer Drango	Release	Los Angeles Chargers	September 1
TE	Gavin Escobar	Release	Miami Dolphins	April 12
T	Geoff Gray	Release	Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL)	August 28
WR	Matt Hazel	Release	Indianapolis Colts	April 30
QB	Kevin Hogan	Trade	Washington Redskins	April 6
WR	Bug Howard	Release	Carolina Panthers	April 12
RB	Darius Jackson	Release	Dallas Cowboys	May 3
T	Roderick Johnson	Release	Houston Texans	June 19
CB	Mike Jordan	Release	New York Giants	September 1
QB	Cody Kessler	Trade	Jacksonville Jaguars	March 27
OLB	Josh Keyes	UFA	Houston Texans	March 20
QB	DeShone Kizer	Trade	Green Bay Packers	March 14
TE	Matt Lengel	Release	Houston Texans	April 12
G	Marcus Martin	UFA	Dallas Cowboys	March 26
CB	Jason McCourty	Trade	New England Patriots	March 15
S	Kai Nacua	Release	Baltimore Ravens	April 30
DE	Nate Orchard	Release	Buffalo Bills	September 1
WR	Larry Pinkard	Release		April 12
CB	Reggie Porter	Release		April 20
DT	Danny Shelton	Trade	New England Patriots	March 14
CB	C. J. Smith	Release	Denver Broncos	April 12
S	Derron Smith	Release	San Antonio Commanders (AAF)	August 31
CB	Jamar Taylor	Trade	Arizona Cardinals	May 19
RB	Kelvin Taylor	Release	Orlando Apollos (AAF)	April 12
TE	Randall Telfer	Release	Indianapolis Colts	May 4
T	Joe Thomas	Retired		March 14
CB	Simeon Thomas	Release	Seattle Seahawks	September 1
CB	Corey White	Release		April 20
WR	Kasen Williams	Release	Indianapolis Colts	April 30

Trade notes

Players added and lost

The Browns added and released the following players during the 2018 off-season:

2018 draft class

• Main article: 2018 NFL Draft

2018 Cleveland Browns draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	1	Baker Mayfield	QB	Oklahoma
1	4	Denzel Ward *	CB	Ohio St	Pick from HOU
2	33	Austin Corbett	OT	Nevada
2	35	Nick Chubb	RB	Georgia	Pick from HOU
3	67	Chad Thomas	DE	Miami (FL)	Pick from IND
4	105	Antonio Callaway	WR	Florida	Pick from CHI
5	150	Genard Avery	LB	Memphis	Pick from GB
6	175	Damion Ratley	WR	Texas A&M
6	188	Simeon Thomas	CB	Louisiana	Pick from WAS
Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Undrafted free agents

2018 Cleveland Browns UDFA

Player	Position	College	Signed	Cut
Drew Bailey	DT	Louisville	May 1	August 28
Stephen Baggett	TE	East Carolina	August 18	August 31
Evan Berry	WR	Tennessee	May 1	August 28
Christian Boutte	CB	Nicholls	July 30	August 31
D.J. Calhoun	LB	Arizona State	May 1	August 27
Elijah Campbell	S	Northern Iowa	May 1	August 31
Christian DiLauro	T	Illinois	May 1	September 1
Daniel Ekuale	DT	Washington State	May 1	September 1
Marcell Frazier *	DE	Missouri	May 18	August 28
DeMarquis Gates	LB	Ole Miss	May 22	June 14
Micah Hannemann	S	BYU	May 1	August 18
Desmond Harrison	T	West Georgia	May 1
Zaycoven Henderson	DT	Texas A&M	May 1	September 1
Blake Jackson	WR	Mary Hardin–Baylor	July 28	August 31
Montrel Meander	S	Grambling State	May 1	September 1
Brogan Roback	QB	Eastern Michigan	May 14	August 28
Da'Mari Scott	WR	Fresno State	May 1	September 1
Trenton Thompson	DT	Georgia	May 1	July 30
Derrick Willies	WR	Texas Tech	May 1
Blaine Woodson *	DT	Delaware	August 15	August 31
Erick Wren	C	Oklahoma	May 1	July 28
A green background indicates the player made the Browns' Week 1 53-man roster

* Browns claimed player off waivers after he signed as an undrafted free agent with another team and was waived.

Staff

2018 Cleveland Browns final staff
	Front Office Owners – Jimmy and Dee Haslam Executive VP – JW Johnson Chief strategy officer – Paul DePodesta Chief operations officer – David Jenkins General manager – John Dorsey Assistant general manager – Eliot Wolf VP player personnel – Andrew Berry, Alonzo Highsmith, Ken Kovash Vice president, football administration – Chris Cooper Director of research & strategy – Kevin Meers Director of scouting – Mike Cetta Assistant director of scouting – Glenn Cook Director of college scouting – Steve Malin Director of pro scouting – Dan Saganey Salary Cap & Contract Analyst – Brandon Sosna Assistant director of pro scouting – Jim Noel Special advisor – Jim Brown Head Coaches Interim HC/Def. Coordinator – Gregg Williams Assoc. HC/Off. Coordinator – Freddie Kitchens Offensive Coaches Quarterbacks – Ken Zampese Running backs – Ryan Lindley Wide receivers – Adam Henry Tight ends – Greg Seamon Offensive line – Bob Wylie Assistant offensive line – Mark Hutson Senior assistant – Al Saunders Offensive quality control/assistant wide receivers – Bob Saunders Coaching assistant – Brian Braswell			Defensive Coaches Assistant DC/Linebackers – Blake Williams Defensive line – Clyde Simmons Assistant defensive line – Ken Delgado Defensive backs – DeWayne Walker Assistant defensive backs – Jerod Kruse Defensive quality control – Eric Sanders Special Teams Coaches Special teams coordinator – Amos Jones Special teams assistant – Sam Shade Strength and Conditioning Head of strength and conditioning – Larry Jackson Strength and conditioning coordinator – Evan Marcus Strength and conditioning assistant – Josh Christovich Strength and conditioning assistant – Monty Gibson Strength and conditioning assistant – Dale Jones Director, high performance – Adam Beard Sports scientist – Jamey Mroz

Final roster

2018 Cleveland Browns final roster
	Quarterbacks  6 Baker Mayfield  9 Drew Stanton  5 Tyrod Taylor Running backs 24 Nick Chubb 25 Dontrell Hilliard 29 Duke Johnson Wide receivers 11 Antonio Callaway 81 Rashard Higgins 12 Blake Jackson 80 Jarvis Landry 19 Breshad Perriman 18 Damion Ratley Tight ends 87 Seth DeValve 88 Darren Fells 85 David Njoku		Offensive linemen 75 Joel Bitonio G 63 Austin Corbett G 69 Desmond Harrison T 74 Chris Hubbard T 68 Kyle Kalis C 78 Greg Robinson T 64 JC Tretter C 71 Earl Watford G 70 Kevin Zeitler G Defensive linemen 93 Trevon Coley DT 94 Carl Davis DT 95 Myles Garrett DE 90 Emmanuel Ogbah DE 65 Larry Ogunjobi DT 91 Brian Price DT 50 Chris Smith DE 92 Chad Thomas DE 97 Anthony Zettel DE		Linebackers 52 Ray-Ray Armstrong MLB 55 Genard Avery OLB 51 Jamie Collins OLB 59 D'Juan Hines OLB 53 Joe Schobert MLB 56 Xavier Woodson-Luster OLB Defensive backs 20 Briean Boddy-Calhoun FS 31 Juston Burris CB 38 T. J. Carrie CB 33 Phillip Gaines CB 26 Derrick Kindred SS 39 Terrance Mitchell CB 22 Jabrill Peppers SS/RS 23 Damarious Randall FS 27 Tavierre Thomas CB 21 Denzel Ward CB 35 Jermaine Whitehead FS Special teams  4 Britton Colquitt P 47 Charley Hughlett LS 17 Greg Joseph K		Reserve lists 86 Pharaoh Brown TE (IR) 82 Orson Charles TE (IR) 96 Daniel Ekuale DT (Susp.) 28 E. J. Gaines CB (IR) 91 Lenny Jones DE (IR) 58 Christian Kirksey MLB (IR) 15 Ricardo Louis WR (IR) 13 Rod Streater WR (IR) 54 Tanner Vallejo OLB (IR) 84 Derrick Willies WR (IR) 24 Howard Wilson CB (IR) Practice squad 62 Jake Eldrenkamp C 79 Kyle Friend C 79 Mason Gentry G 34 Robert Jackson CB (Injured) 36 Ashton Lampkin CB 99 Devaroe Lawrence DT 42 Devante Mays RB 41 Lenzy Pipkins CB 40 Tigie Sankoh FS (Exempt.) 60 Brad Seaton T 10 Daniel Williams WR Rookies in italics 53 Active, 11 Inactive, 10 Practice squad

Preseason

The Browns opened training camp on July 26. The Browns' training camp and preseason was featured on the HBO series Hard Knocks.

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	August 9	at NY Giants	W 20–10	1–0	MetLife Stadium	Recap
2	August 17	Buffalo	L 17–19	1–1	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
3	August 23	Philadelphia	W 5–0	2–1	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
4	August 30	at Detroit	W 35–17	3–1	Ford Field	Recap

Notes

• WR Josh Gordon did not report to the beginning of training camp as part of his "overall health and treatment plan." He returned to the team on August 18.

• On August 29, federal charges were brought against LB Mychal Kendricks for insider trading, in which he allegedly made $1.2 million in profits on illegal trades made between 2014 and 2017. The team released Kendricks on August 30.

Roster cuts

The Browns waived the following players between August 28 and September 1 to get their roster down to the 53-player maximum.

The Browns also traded T Shon Coleman and acquired DT Devaroe Lawrence in a separate trade.

On September 2, the Browns added DT Carl Davis, DE Ifeadi Odenigbo, C Aaron Neary, LB Tanner Vallejo, and Tavierre Thomas, who were all waived by their former teams. To make room on the roster, the Browns waived LB Jermaine Grace, CB Jeremiah McKinnon, DT Jamie Meder, DE Carl Nassib, and C Austin Reiter.

On September 3, the Browns signed Ekuale, Henderson, Hilliard, G Kyle Kalis, TE Pharoah McKever, McKinnon, Meander, Scott, T Brad Seaton, and Shelton to their practice squad. Sankoh, who is part of the NFL's International Player Pathway program, was also added to the practice squad and does not count toward its 10-player limit.

Regular season

Schedule

The Browns' 2018 schedule was announced on April 19.

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	September 9	Pittsburgh	T 21–21 (OT)	0–0–1	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
2	September 16	at New Orleans	L 18–21	0–1–1	Mercedes-Benz Superdome	Recap
3	September 20 (Thu)	NY Jets	W 21–17	1–1–1	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
4	September 30	at Oakland	L 42–45 (OT)	1–2–1	Oakland Coliseum	Recap
5	October 7	Baltimore	W 12–9 (OT)	2–2–1	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
6	October 14	LA Chargers	L 14–38	2–3–1	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
7	October 21	at Tampa Bay	L 23–26 (OT)	2–4–1	Raymond James Stadium	Recap
8	October 28	at Pittsburgh	L 18–33	2–5–1	Heinz Field	Recap
9	November 4	Kansas City	L 21–37	2–6–1	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
10	November 11	Atlanta	W 28–16	3–6–1	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
11	Bye
12	November 25	at Cincinnati	W 35–20	4–6–1	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
13	December 2	at Houston	L 13–29	4–7–1	NRG Stadium	Recap
14	December 9	Carolina	W 26–20	5–7–1	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
15	December 15 (Sat)	at Denver	W 17–16	6–7–1	Mile High	Recap
16	December 23	Cincinnati	W 26–18	7–7–1	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
17	December 30	at Baltimore	L 24–26	7–8–1	M&T Bank Stadium	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 0 7 14 0 21 Browns 0 0 7 14 21 at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio Date: September 9 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT Game weather: Template:Convert/F, rain Game attendance: 67,431 Referee: Shawn Smith TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green, Bruce Arians and Melanie Collins Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter PIT – James Conner 4-yard run (Chris Boswell kick), 11:16. Steelers 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 88 yards, 5:39. Third quarter CLE – Tyrod Taylor 20-yard run (Zane Gonzalez kick), 10:05. Tied 7–7. Drive: 10 plays, 86 yards, 4:55. PIT – Antonio Brown 22-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Chris Boswell kick), 8:24. Steelers 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 74 yards, 1:41. PIT – James Conner 22-yard run (Chris Boswell kick), 5:29. Steelers 21–7. Drive: 2 plays, 39 yards, 0:45. Fourth quarter CLE – Carlos Hyde 1-yard run (Zane Gonzalez kick), 7:32. Steelers 21–14. Drive: 1 play, 1 yard, 0:04. CLE – Josh Gordon 17-yard pass from Tyrod Taylor (Zane Gonzalez kick), 1:58. Tied 21–21. Drive: 2 plays, 55 yards, 0:12. Overtime No scoring plays Top passers PIT – Ben Roethlisberger – 23/41, 335 yards, TD, 3 INT CLE – Tyrod Taylor – 15/40, 197 yards, TD, INT Top rushers PIT – James Conner – 31 rushes, 135 yards, 2 TD CLE – Tyrod Taylor – 8 rushes, 77 yards, TD Top receivers PIT – JuJu Smith-Schuster – 5 receptions, 119 yards CLE – Jarvis Landry – 7 receptions, 106 yards

The Browns' defense intercepted Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger three times and recovered three fumbles. Rookie CB Denzel Ward had two of the interceptions for the Browns. Cleveland only had one turnover, with Tyrod Taylor throwing an interception in the 4th quarter. Both teams had a chance to win late in the overtime period, but came up short. Chris Boswell missed a 42-yard field goal for the Steelers, while Browns kicker Zane Gonzalez had his 43-yard attempt blocked with 0:09 left in overtime.

With their first tie since 1989, the Browns started the season at 0–0–1. This tie ended a 17-game losing streak that dated back to the final game of the 2016 season. It also ended streaks of 17 straight losses within the AFC North, 13 straight season-opening losses, and six straight losses to the Steelers. Ward was named the NFL Rookie of the Week for Week 1.

Week 2: at New Orleans Saints

Week Two: Cleveland Browns at New Orleans Saints – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Browns 3 3 6 6 18 Saints 3 0 0 18 21 at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana Date: September 16 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium) Game attendance: 73,086 Referee: Ronald Torbert TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston and Laura Okmin Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter CLE – Zane Gonzalez 39-yard field goal, 8:29. Browns 3–0. Drive: 6 plays, 25 yards, 3:02. NO – Wil Lutz 31-yard field goal, 2:47. Tied 3–3. Drive: 11 plays, 63 yards, 5:42. Second quarter CLE – Zane Gonzalez 39-yard field goal, 1:55. Browns 6–3. Drive: 7 plays, 45 yards, 2:21. Third quarter CLE – Carlos Hyde 1-yard run (PAT failed), 6:43. Browns 12–3. Drive: 12 plays, 79 yards, 6:27. Fourth quarter NO – Michael Thomas 2-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 8:41. Browns 12–10. Drive: 9 plays, 66 yards, 5:35. NO – Michael Thomas 5-yard pass from Drew Brees (Alvin Kamara run), 2:40. Saints 18–12. Drive: 4 plays, 18 yards, 2:17. CLE – Antonio Callaway 47-yard pass from Tyrod Taylor (PAT failed), 1:16. Tied 18–18. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:24. NO – Wil Lutz 44-yard field goal, 0:21. Saints 21–18. Drive: 6 plays, 49 yards, 0:55. Top passers CLE – Tyrod Taylor – 22/30, 246 yards, TD, INT NO – Drew Brees – 28/35, 243 yards, 2 TD Top rushers CLE – Carlos Hyde – 16 carries, 43 yards, TD NO – Alvin Kamara – 13 carries, 46 yards Top receivers CLE – Antonio Callaway – 3 receptions, 81 yards, TD NO – Michael Thomas – 12 receptions, 89 yards, 2 TD

The teams exchanged field goals in the first quarter, then Browns K Zane Gonzalez kicked his second field goal late in the second quarter to give the Browns a 6–3 halftime lead. Carlos Hyde scored a touchdown on a short run to give the Browns a 12–3 lead, but the Saints scored 15 straight points in the fourth quarter to take an 18–12 lead. The Browns answered with a tying touchdown on a 47-yard Tyrod Taylor Hail Mary pass to Antonio Callaway with 1:16 remaining. However, Gonzalez missed the extra point attempt, his second miss of the day, which would have given the Browns the lead. Saints K Wil Lutz nailed a 44-yard game-winner with 0:21 remaining. The Browns drove to give Gonzalez an attempt at a 52-yard field goal to tie the game in the final seconds, but it sailed wide right.

With the loss, the Browns fell to 0–1–1. Their winless streak extended to 19 games.

The next day, the Browns released Gonzalez and signed rookie K Greg Joseph. Joseph played college football at Florida Atlantic and was on the Miami Dolphins' training camp roster. The Browns also traded WR Josh Gordon to the New England Patriots for a 2019 fifth round selection. If Gordon is not active for at least ten games for New England the rest of the season, the Browns will also send New England a 2019 seventh round selection.

Week 3: vs. New York Jets

Week Three: New York Jets at Cleveland Browns – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Jets 0 14 0 3 17 Browns 0 3 11 7 21 at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio Date: September 20, 2018 Game time: 8:20 p.m. EDT Game weather: Template:Convert/F, clear Game attendance: 67,431 Referee: Jerome Boger TV announcers (NFLN): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Kristina Pink Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter NYJ – Isaiah Crowell 7-yard run (Jason Myers kick), 14:56. Jets 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 28 yards, 2:17. NYJ – Isaiah Crowell 2-yard run (Jason Myers kick), 7:54. Jets 14–0. Drive: 10 plays, 63 yards, 5:37. CLE – Greg Joseph 45-yard field goal, 0:27. Jets 14–3. Drive: 6 plays, 39 yards, 1:19. Third quarter CLE – Greg Joseph 27-yard field goal, 5:24. Jets 14–6. Drive: 4 plays, 0 yards, 0:55. CLE – Carlos Hyde 1-yard run (Jarvis Landry pass to Baker Mayfield), 0:47. Tied 14–14. Drive: 7 plays, 69 yards, 2:49. Fourth quarter NYJ – Jason Myers 28-yard field goal, 8:58. Jets 17–14. Drive: 12 plays, 65 yards, 6:44. CLE – Carlos Hyde 1-yard run (Greg Joseph kick), 2:04. Browns 21–17. Drive: 15 plays, 75 yards, 6:52. Top passers NYJ – Sam Darnold – 15/31, 169 yards, 2 INT CLE – Baker Mayfield – 17/23, 201 yards Top rushers NYJ – Bilal Powell – 14 carries, 73 yards CLE – Carlos Hyde – 23 carries, 98 yards, 2 TD Top receivers NYJ – Quincy Enunwa – 4 receptions, 57 yards CLE – Jarvis Landry – 8 receptions, 103 yards

Rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield entered the game in the 2nd quarter after starter Tyrod Taylor left the game with a concussion. Taylor finished the game 4/14 for 19 yards. Mayfield threw for 201 yards and a caught a pass from receiver Jarvis Landry for a two-point conversion. Carlos Hyde added two touchdown runs including the go-ahead score with just over two minutes remaining. The Jets offense could not respond as QB Sam Darnold threw a pair of interceptions in the Jets' final two drives to preserve the 21–17 win.

With the win, the Browns improved to 1–1–1. This win marked the end of the team's 19-game winless streak and the team's first win in 635 days. Mayfield was named the NFL Rookie of the Week for Week 3.

On September 24, Mayfield was named the team's starting quarterback moving forward.

Week 4: at Oakland Raiders

Week Four: Cleveland Browns at Oakland Raiders – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Browns 3 14 11 14 42 Raiders 7 7 7 21 45 at Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, California Date: September 30 Game time: 4:05 p.m. EDT/1:05 p.m. PDT Game weather: Template:Convert/F, partly cloudy Game attendance: 53,387 Referee: Walt Anderson TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Ronde Barber and Megan Olivi Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter OAK – Gareon Conley 36-yard interception return (Matt McCrane kick), 10:01. Raiders 7–0. CLE – Greg Joseph 25-yard field goal, 2:00. Raiders 7–3. Drive: 15 plays, 68 yards, 8:01. Second quarter CLE – Nick Chubb 63-yard run (run failed), 12:35. Browns 9–7. Drive: 1 play, 63 yards, 0:11. CLE – Darren Fells 49-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Duke Johnson run), 9:00. Browns 17–7. Drive: 4 plays, 70 yards, 1:58. OAK – Amari Cooper 8-yard pass from Derek Carr (Matt McCrane kick), 4:30. Browns 17–14. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:30. Third quarter CLE – Greg Joseph 28-yard field goal, 9:22. Browns 20–14. Drive: 11 plays, 65 yards, 5:38. CLE – Jarvis Landry 2-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Duke Johnson run), 7:26. Browns 28–14. Drive: 2 plays, 31 yards, 0:51. OAK – Jared Cook 7-yard pass from Derek Carr (Matt McCrane kick), 5:34. Browns 28–21. Drive: 3 plays, 7 yards, 0:11. Fourth quarter OAK – Matt McCrane 29-yard field goal, 14:17. Browns 28–24. Drive: 6 plays, 58 yards, 2:07. OAK – Jordy Nelson 19-yard pass from Derek Carr (Matt McCrane kick), 12:46. Raiders 31–28. Drive: 2 plays, 20 yards, 0:40. OAK – Matt McCrane 44-yard field goal, 10:46. Raiders 34–28. Drive: 4 plays, 3 yards, 1:26. CLE – Carlos Hyde 1-yard run (Greg Joseph kick), 8:07. Browns 35–34. Drive: 7 plays, 77 yards, 2:39. CLE – Nick Chubb 41-yard run (Greg Joseph kick), 4:20. Browns 42–34. Drive: 3 plays, 63 yards, 1:25. OAK – Jared Cook 7-yard pass from Derek Carr (Derek Carr pass to Jordy Nelson), 0:30. Tied 42–42. Drive: 6 plays, 53 yards, 0:58. Overtime OAK – Matt McCrane 29-yard field goal, 1:46. Raiders 45–42. Drive: 11 plays, 70 yards, 3:41. Top passers CLE – Baker Mayfield – 21/41, 295 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT OAK – Derek Carr – 35/58, 437 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT Top rushers CLE – Nick Chubb – 3 carries, 105 yards, TD OAK – Marshawn Lynch – 20 carries, 130 yards Top receivers CLE – Rashard Higgins – 4 receptions, 61 yards OAK – Amari Cooper – 8 receptions, 128 yards, TD

The Browns took a 17–7 lead into halftime on the strength of Nick Chubb's first career touchdown run and Baker Mayfield's first career touchdown pass, although Mayfield also threw an interception that was returned for a Raiders touchdown. The Browns built up a 28–14 lead in the third quarter, but the Raiders then scored 20 straight points aided by two Mayfield fumbles and a 51-yard punt return which gave the Raiders short fields to work with. The Browns finally answered with touchdown runs by Carlos Hyde and Chubb to take a 42–34 lead in the fourth quarter. The Browns were unable to run the clock out and punted to the Raiders, giving them one last opportunity to tie the game. The Raiders scored a touchdown and game-tying two-point conversion with 0:30 left, to send the game into overtime. The Raiders won the game, 45–42 on a Matt McCrane field goal in the overtime period.

With the loss, the Browns fell to 1–2–1. Chubb was named NFL Rookie of the Week after his 105 yard, 2 touchdown performance.

Week 5: vs. Baltimore Ravens

Week Five: Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Ravens 3 0 3 3 9 Browns 0 6 3 0 12 at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio Date: October 7 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT Game weather: Template:Convert/F, cloudy Game attendance: 67,431 Referee: Clay Martin TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon, James Lofton and John Schriffen Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter BAL – Justin Tucker 44-yard field goal, 8:37. Ravens 3–0. Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 0:56. Second quarter CLE – Rashard Higgins 19-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (PAT failed), 0:40. Browns 6–3. Drive: 6 plays, 78 yards, 1:19. Third quarter CLE – Greg Joseph 35-yard field goal, 7:29. Browns 9–3. Drive: 8 plays, 25 yards, 2:59. BAL – Justin Tucker 25-yard field goal, 0:53. Browns 9–6. Drive: 13 plays, 68 yards, 6:36. Fourth quarter BAL – Justin Tucker 32-yard field goal, 0:52. Tied 9–9. Drive: 11 plays, 52 yards, 3:37. Overtime CLE – Greg Joseph 37-yard field goal, 0:02. Browns 12–9. Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 2:55. Top passers BAL – Baker Mayfield – 25/43, 342 yards, TD, INT CLE – Joe Flacco – 29/56, 298 yards, INT Top rushers BAL – Alex Collins – 12 rushes, 59 yards CLE – Carlos Hyde – 17 rushes, 63 yards Top receivers BAL – Michael Crabtree – 6 receptions, 66 yards CLE – David Njoku – 6 receptions, 69 yards

Both offenses struggled to gain any rhythm during the game. The Ravens could only score nine points on three Justin Tucker field goals, while the Browns scored nine points on a Baker Mayfield touchdown pass to Rashard Higgins and a Greg Joseph field goal. Joseph, who missed an extra point, had an opportunity to win the game at the end of regulation, but missed a 55-yard field goal attempt. In overtime, both teams were held scoreless during their first two possessions. However, with 0:02 remaining, Joseph hit a 37-yard field goal to win the game.

With the win, the Browns improved to 2–2–1. The Browns ended an 18-game winless streak within the AFC North that dated back to the 2015 season. CB Denzel Ward, who recorded an interception and a blocked field goal, was named NFL Rookie of the Week for the second time this season. It also marked the fourth time in five weeks a Browns player won the award. Ward was also named the AFC special teams player of the week.

Week 6: vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Week Six: Los Angeles Chargers at Cleveland Browns – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Chargers 7 14 14 3 38 Browns 0 6 0 8 14 at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio Date: October 14 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT Game weather: Template:Convert/F, sunny Game attendance: 67,431 Referee: Brad Allen TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter LAC – Melvin Gordon 4-yard run (Michael Badgley kick), 10:14. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 57 yards, 2:32. Second quarter CLE – Greg Joseph 33-yard field goal, 12:47. Chargers 7–3. Drive: 7 plays, 18 yards, 2:13. LAC – Tyrell Williams 45-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Michael Badgley kick), 6:34. Chargers 14–3. Drive: 2 plays, 89 yards, 1:12. LAC – Tyrell Williams 29-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Michael Badgley kick), 0:51. Chargers 21–3. Drive: 6 plays, 77 yards, 1:22. CLE – Greg Joseph 28-yard field goal, 0:00. Chargers 21–6. Drive: 8 plays, 59 yards, 0:51. Third quarter LAC – Melvin Gordon 10-yard run (Michael Badgley kick), 11:49. Chargers 28–6. Drive: 1 plays, 10 yards, 0:05. LAC – Melvin Gordon 11-yard run (Michael Badgley kick), 3:12. Chargers 35–6. Drive: 11 plays, 81 yards, 7:10. Fourth quarter CLE – David Njoku 1-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Baker Mayfield-Antonio Callaway pass), 12:26. Chargers 35–14. Drive: 7 plays, 42 yards, 1:50. LAC – Michael Badgley 44-yard field goal, 4:15. Chargers 38–14. Drive: 5 plays, 9 yards, 2:37. Top passers LAC – Philip Rivers – 11/20, 207 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT CLE – Baker Mayfield – 22/46, 238 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT Top rushers LAC – Melvin Gordon – 18 carries, 132 yards, 3 TD CLE – Duke Johnson – 2 carries, 36 yards Top receivers LAC – Keenan Allen – 4 receptions, 62 yards CLE – David Njoku – 7 receptions, 55 yards, 1 TD

The Chargers dominated the game. Chargers' quarterback Philip Rivers passed for 207 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception and running back Melvin Gordon added 132 rushing yards and three touchdowns. The Los Angeles defense sacked Browns' quarterback Baker Mayfield five times and had two interceptions. The Chargers defeated the Browns 38–14.

With the loss, the Browns fell to 2–3–1.

On October 19, the Browns traded RB Carlos Hyde to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a 2019 fifth-round selection.

Week 7: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week Seven: Cleveland Browns at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Browns 2 0 7 14 23 Buccaneers 3 13 7 0 26 at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida Date: October 21 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT Game weather: Template:Convert/F, clear Game attendance: 53,682 Referee: Shawn Hochuli TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, Ronde Barber and Shane Bacon Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter CLE – Safety, Trevon Coley tackled Peyton Barber in the end zone, 9:22. Browns 2–0. TB – Chandler Catanzaro 38-yard field goal, 3:04. Buccaneers 3–2. Drive: 11 plays, 52 yards, 4:26. Second quarter TB – DeSean Jackson 14-yard run, (PAT failed), 15:00. Buccaneers 9–2. Drive: 6 plays, 55 yards, 1:44. TB – Jameis Winston 14-yard run, (Chandler Catanzaro kick), 8:05. Buccaneers 16–2. Drive: 10 plays, 76 yards, 5:22. Third quarter CLE – David Njoku 15-yard pass from Baker Mayfield, (Greg Joseph kick), 13:08. Buccaneers 16–9. Drive: 3 plays, 26 yards, 1:22. TB – Ronald Jones 2-yard run, (Chandler Catanzaro kick), 0:32. Buccaneers 23–9. Drive: 13 plays, 73 yards, 6:30. Fourth quarter CLE – Nick Chubb 1-yard run, (Greg Joseph kick), 12:25. Buccaneers 23–16. Drive: 7 plays, 51 yards, 3:11. CLE – Jarvis Landry 16-yard pass from Baker Mayfield, (Greg Joseph kick), 2:36. Tied 23–23. Drive: 1 play, 16 yards, 0:08. Overtime TB – Chandler Catanzaro 59-yard field goal, 1:55. Buccaneers 26–23. Drive: 6 plays, 2 yards, 1:22. Top passers CLE – Baker Mayfield – 23/34, 215 yards, 2 TD TB – Jameis Winston – 32/52, 365 yards, 2 INT Top rushers CLE – Nick Chubb – 18 carries, 80 yards, TD TB – Jameis Winston – 10 carries, 55 yards, TD Top receivers CLE – Jarvis Landry – 10 receptions, 97 yards, TD TB – Mike Evans – 7 receptions, 107 yards

The Buccaneers opened a 16–2 lead in the second quarter on the a Jameis Winston touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson and a Winston touchdown run. The Browns answered early in the third quarter with a Baker Mayfield touchdown pass to David Njoku, but Tampa Bay answered on a Ronald Jones run near the end of the quarter. The Browns scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter on a Nick Chubb run and a Mayfield pass to Jarvis Landry to force overtime. In overtime, Buccaneers kicker Chandler Catanzaro, who had earlier missed an extra point and a 40-yard field goal attempt, hit a 59-yard field goal to win the game.

With the loss, the Browns fell to 2–4–1. Mayfield was named NFL Rookie of the Week for Week 7, marking his second such honor and the fifth time a Browns player was named Rookie of the Week this season.

Week 8: at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week Eight: Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Browns 6 0 6 6 18 Steelers 0 14 9 10 33 at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Date: October 28 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT Game weather: Template:Convert/F, cloudy Game attendance: 63,780 Referee: Carl Cheffers TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts and Evan Washburn Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter CLE – Greg Joseph 34-yard field goal, 9:15. Browns 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 66 yards, 5:50. CLE – Greg Joseph 45-yard field goal, 2:38. Browns 6–0. Drive: 6 plays, 29 yards, 2:20. Second quarter PIT – Antonio Brown 43-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Chris Boswell kick), 11:35. Steelers 7–6. Drive: 6 plays, 69 yards, 2:03. PIT – Antonio Brown 1-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Chris Boswell kick), 0:10. Steelers 14–6. Drive: 16 plays, 87 yards, 7:12. Third quarter PIT – Penalty on Desmond Harrison assessed in CLE end zone for a safety, 8:13. Steelers 16–6. CLE – Antonio Callaway 1-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (kick failed), 5:29. Steelers 16–12. Drive: 4 plays, 24 yards, 2:43. PIT – James Conner 12-yard run (Chris Boswell kick), 2:49. Steelers 23–12. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:42. Fourth quarter PIT – Chris Boswell 42-yard field goal, 13:33. Steelers 26–12. Drive: 7 plays, 31 yards, 2:46. PIT – James Conner 22-yard run (Chris Boswell kick), 2:10. Steelers 33–12. Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 5:37. CLE – Seth DeValve 24-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (pass failed), 0:13. Steelers 33–18. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 1:58. Top passers CLE – Baker Mayfield – 22/36, 180 yards, 2 TD, INT PIT – Ben Roethlisberger – 24/36, 257 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers CLE – Nick Chubb – 18 rushes, 65 yards PIT – James Conner – 24 rushes, 146 yards, 2 TD Top receivers CLE – Jarvis Landry – 8 receptions, 39 yards PIT – Antonio Brown – 6 receptions, 74 yards, 2 TD

The Browns traveled to Pittsburgh for a Week 8 battle with their AFC North rival Steelers. The Browns opened the scoring with a pair of Greg Joseph field goals, but the Steelers answered with two Ben Roethlisberger touchdown passes to Antonio Brown to take a 14–6 lead into halftime. The Browns gave up a safety on a holding penalty early in the third quarter to extend the Steelers' lead to 10, but Pittsburgh failed to secure the ensuing free kick, giving the Browns possession in Pittsburgh territory. The Browns capitalized on a Baker Mayfield touchdown pass to Antonio Callaway, cutting the lead to 16–12. The Steelers would then pull away with 17 straight points and come away with a 33–18 win.

With the loss, the Browns fell to 2–5–1. This marked the Browns' 15th consecutive loss in Pittsburgh.

On October 29, head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley were fired. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was named the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Freddie Kitchens was the interim offensive coordinator.

Week 9: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week Nine: Kansas City Chiefs at Cleveland Browns – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Chiefs 7 14 13 3 37 Browns 3 12 0 6 21 at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio Date: November 4 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST Game weather: Template:Convert/F, sunny Game attendance: 67,431 Referee: Ronald Torbert TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green, Bruce Arians and Melanie Collins Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter KC – Kareem Hunt 50-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes (Harrison Butker kick), 8:14. Chiefs 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 95 yards, 2:43. CLE – Greg Joseph 51-yard field goal, 2:45. Chiefs 7–3. Drive: 11 plays, 42 yards, 5:29. Second quarter KC – Travis Kelce 11-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes (Harrison Butker kick), 13:30. Chiefs 14–3. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 4:15. CLE – Nick Chubb 3-yard run (pass failed), 6:29. Chiefs 14–9. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 7:01. KC – Kareem Hunt 1-yard run (Harrison Butker kick), 2:24. Chiefs 21–9. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 4:05. CLE – Duke Johnson 19-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (pass failed), 0:26. Chiefs 21–15. Drive: 9 plays, 79 yards, 1:58. Third quarter KC – Travis Kelce 13-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes (Harrison Butker kick), 10:03. Chiefs 28–15. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:57. KC – Kareem Hunt 10-yard run (kick failed), 7:28. Chiefs 34–15. Drive: 2 plays, 21 yards, 0:35. Fourth quarter CLE – Duke Johnson 5-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (pass failed), 14:57. Chiefs 34–21. Drive: 15 plays, 75 yards, 7:31. Top passers KC – Patrick Mahomes – 23/32, 375 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT CLE – Baker Mayfield – 29/42, 297 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT Top rushers KC – Kareem Hunt – 17 carries, 91 yards, 2 TD CLE – Nick Chubb – 22 carries, 85 yards, 1 TD Top receivers KC – Travis Kelce – 7 receptions, 99 yards, 2 TD CLE – Duke Johnson – 9 receptions, 78 yards, 2 TD

With the loss, the Browns fell to 2-6-1. Mayfield was named NFL Rookie of the Week for the third time this season.

Week 10: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Week Ten: Atlanta Falcons at Cleveland Browns – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Falcons 0 10 0 6 16 Browns 7 7 14 0 28 at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio Date: November 11 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST Game weather: Template:Convert/F, sunny Game attendance: 62,144 Referee: Pete Morelli TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Ronde Barber and Sara Walsh Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter CLE – Rashard Higgins 28-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Greg Joseph kick), 4:36. Browns 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 88 yards, 4:55. Second quarter ATL – Giorgio Tavecchio 40-yard field goal, 12:18. Browns 7–3. Drive: 14 plays, 53 yards, 7:18. ATL – Julio Jones 1-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Giorgio Tavecchio kick), 5:04. Falcons 10–7. Drive: 6 plays, 45 yards, 3:26. CLE – Nick Chubb 13-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Greg Joseph kick), 0:55. Browns 14–10. Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 4:09. Third quarter CLE – Duke Johnson 11-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Greg Joseph kick), 10:27. Browns 21–10. Drive: 6 plays, 41 yards, 3:00. CLE – Nick Chubb 92-yard run (Greg Joseph kick), 8:45. Browns 28–10. Drive: 2 plays, 92 yards, 0:16. Fourth quarter ATL – Austin Hooper 3-yard pass from Matt Ryan (pass failed), 4:24. Browns 28–16. Drive: 13 plays, 69 yards, 4:03. Top passers ATL – Matt Ryan – 38/52, 330 yards, 2 TD CLE – Baker Mayfield – 17/20, 216 yards, 3 TD Top rushers ATL – Tevin Coleman – 11 carries, 44 yards CLE – Nick Chubb – 20 carries, 176 yards, TD Top receivers ATL – Julio Jones – 7 receptions, 107 yards, TD CLE – Antonio Callaway – 2 receptions, 39 yards

The Browns opened the scoring with a Baker Mayfield touchdown pass to Rashard Higgins – the team's first touchdown scored in the first quarter of any game this season. However, the Falcons would score the next ten points before the Browns scored a touchdown on a Mayfield pass to Nick Chubb to take a 14–10 led into halftime. The Browns opened up their lead to 28–10 in the third quarter on a Mayfield pass to Duke Johnson and a Chubb run of 92 yards – the longest run in Browns' franchise history. Atlanta added a late fourth-quarter touchdown to make the final score 28–16.

With the win, the Browns went into their bye week at 3–6–1. Chubb was named the FedEx Ground Player of the Week and the NFL Rookie of the Week. This marked Chubb's second Rookie of the Week award and the team's seventh in 2018.

Week 12: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week Twelve: Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Browns 14 14 7 0 35 Bengals 0 7 7 6 20 at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio Date: November 25 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST Game weather: Template:Convert/F, cloudy Game attendance: 56,122 Referee: Jerome Boger TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon and Steve Tasker Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter CLE – Nick Chubb 1-yard rush (Greg Joseph kick), 9:11. Browns 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 78 yards, 5:49. CLE – Antonio Callaway 13-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Greg Joseph kick), 1:37. Browns 14–0. Drive: 4 plays, 56 yards, 1:24. Second quarter CLE – David Njoku 6-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Greg Joseph kick), 9:18. Browns 21–0. Drive: 12 plays, 96 yards, 5:47. CLE – Nick Chubb 14-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Greg Joseph kick), 2:25. Browns 28–0. Drive: 11 plays, 59 yards, 6:44. CIN – John Ross 2-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Randy Bullock kick), 0:32. Browns 28–7. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 1:53. Third quarter CLE – Darren Fells 6-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Greg Joseph kick), 12:56. Browns 35–7. Drive: 2 plays, 7 yards, 0:45. CIN – Tyler Boyd 28-yard pass from Jeff Driskel (Randy Bullock kick), 4:56. Browns 35–14. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 5:39. Fourth quarter CIN – Jeff Driskel 2-yard rush (kick failed), 7:57. Browns 35–20. Drive: 14 plays, 94 yards, 6:54. Top passers CLE – Baker Mayfield – 19/26, 258 yards, 4 TD CIN – Jeff Driskel – 17/29, 155 yards, 1 TD Top rushers CLE – Nick Chubb – 28 carries, 84 yards, 1 TD CIN – Joe Mixon – 14 carries, 89 yards Top receivers CLE – David Njoku – 5 receptions, 63 yards, 1 TD CIN – Tyler Boyd – 7 receptions, 85 yards, 1 TD

The Browns raced to a 28–0 lead late in the second quarter. They scored touchdowns on their first four drives with a Nick Chubb run and Baker Mayfield passes to Antonio Callaway, David Njoku, and Chubb. The Bengals responded with an Andy Dalton touchdown pass to John Ross to close the Browns' lead to 28–7 at halftime. Mayfield threw a fourth touchdown pass, this one to Darren Fells, to extend the Browns' lead to 35–7. The Bengals would close the gap to 35–20 with a touchdown pass and run by backup quarterback Jeff Driskel, who filled in for an injured Dalton, but the Browns held on for the win.

With the win, the Browns improved to 4–6–1. The Browns won consecutive games for the first time since 2014, snapped a 7-game losing streak to the Bengals, and ended their 25-game losing streak in away games, one short of tying the 2007–10 Detroit Lions record of 26 straight away losses. This win also assured the Browns will not be swept by any of their division opponents in a season for the first time since returning to the NFL in 1999. Mayfield was named the NFL Rookie of the Week for the fourth time this season. Mayfield was also named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for November

Week 13: at Houston Texans

Week Thirteen: Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Browns 0 0 7 6 13 Texans 10 13 3 3 29 at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas Date: December 2 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed) Game attendance: 71,741 Referee: Walt Coleman TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green, Bruce Arians and Melanie Collins Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter HOU – Ka'imi Fairbairn 35-yard field goal, 8:12. Texans 3–0. Drive: 13 plays, 63 yards, 6:48. HOU – Jordan Thomas 11-yard pass from Deshaun Watson (Ka'imi Fairbairn kick), 0:38. Texans 10–0. Drive: 10 plays, 82 yards, 5:38. Second quarter HOU – Zach Cunningham 38-yard interception return (Ka'imi Fairbairn kick), 7:36. Texans 17–0. HOU – Ka'imi Fairbairn 42-yard field goal, 3:24. Texans 20–0. Drive: 7 plays, 27 yards, 3:13. HOU – Ka'imi Fairbairn 48-yard field goal, 0:05. Texans 23–0. Drive: 10 plays, 50 yards, 1:39. Third quarter CLE – Nick Chubb 2-yard run (Greg Joseph kick), 9:42. Texans 23–7. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 5:21. HOU – Ka'imi Fairbairn 53-yard field goal, 5:31. Texans 26–7. Drive: 9 plays, 40 yards, 4:13. Fourth quarter HOU – Ka'imi Fairbairn 38-yard field goal, 5:50. Texans 29–7. Drive: 8 plays, 44 yards, 3:59. CLE – Rashard Higgins 17-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (pass failed), 2:58. Texans 29–13. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 2:48. Top passers CLE – Baker Mayfield – 29/43, 397 yards, TD, 3 INT HOU – Deshaun Watson – 22/31, 224 yards, TD Top rushers CLE – Nick Chubb – 9 carries, 31 yards, TD HOU – Lamar Miller – 19 carries, 103 yards Top receivers CLE – Jarvis Landry – 6 receptions, 103 yards HOU – DeAndre Hopkins – 7 receptions, 91 yards

The Texans built a 23–0 lead in the first half, on the strength of a Deshaun Watson touchdown pass, a Zach Cunningham interception return for a touchdown, and three field goals. The Browns got onto the scoreboard in the third quarter with a Nick Chubb touchdown run and added a Baker Mayfield touchdown pass to Rashard Higgins, but the Texans prevailed 29–13. Mayfield set a Browns rookie record with 398 passing yards, but was hurt by three interceptions.

With the loss, the Browns fell to 4–7–1.

Week 14: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week Fourteen: Carolina Panthers at Cleveland Browns – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Panthers 7 10 3 0 20 Browns 7 10 0 9 26 at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio Date: December 9 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST Game weather: Template:Convert/F, sunny Game attendance: 59,392 Referee: Walt Anderson TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Cris Carter, Mark Schlereth and Jennifer Hale Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter CAR – Christian McCaffrey 4-yard rush (Chandler Catanzaro kick), 9:17. Panthers 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 5:43. CLE – Jarvis Landry 3-yard rush (Greg Joseph kick), 7:41. Tied 7–7. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:36. Second quarter CAR – Christian McCaffrey 1-yard rush (Chandler Catanzaro kick), 14:13. Panthers 14–7. Drive: 5 plays, 17 yards, 2:18. CLE – Jarvis Landry 51-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Greg Joseph kick), 8:27. Tied 14–14. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 5:46. CAR – Chandler Catanzaro 30-yard field goal, 4:03. Panthers 17–14. Drive: 8 plays, 70 yards, 4:24. CLE – Greg Joseph 49-yard field goal, 0:59. Tied 17–17. Drive: 8 plays, 44 yards, 3:04. Third quarter CAR – Chandler Catanzaro 34-yard field goal, 7:11. Panthers 20–17. Drive: 10 plays, 38 yards, 4:26. Fourth quarter CLE – Nick Chubb 4-yard rush (kick failed), 13:05. Browns 23–20. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:31. CLE – Greg Joseph 41-yard field goal, 8:46. Browns 26–20. Drive: 6 plays, 40 yards, 3:55. Top passers CAR – Cam Newton – 26/42, 265 yards, 1 INT CLE – Baker Mayfield – 18/22, 238 yards, 1 TD Top rushers CAR – Christian McCaffrey – 16 carries, 63 yards, 2 TD CLE – Nick Chubb – 13 carries, 66 yards, 1 TD Top receivers CAR – Curtis Samuel – 4 receptions, 80 yards CLE – Breshad Perriman – 2 receptions, 81 yards

The game went back and forth between the two teams. The Panthers scored two first-half touchdowns on Christian McCaffrey runs, while the Browns had two first half touchdowns on a Jarvis Landry run and a Landry catch. The teams exchanged field goals late in the second quarter to make the score 17–17 at halftime. After a Panthers field goal, Nick Chubb added a touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to take the lead for good, as the Browns would win, 26–20.

With the win, the Browns improved to 5–7–1 and secured their first winning record at home since the 2007 season. QB Baker Mayfield received his fifth NFL Rookie of the Week honor this season.

Week 15: at Denver Broncos

Week Fifteen: Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Browns 7 3 0 7 17 Broncos 7 3 3 3 16 at Broncos Stadium at Mile High, Denver, Colorado Date: Template:Dow tooltip Game time: 8:20 p.m. EST/6:20 p.m. MST Game weather: Template:Convert/F, partly cloudy Game attendance: 76,596 Referee: Clay Martin TV announcers (NFLN): Mike Tirico, Kurt Warner and Peter Schrager Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter CLE – Breshad Perriman 31-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Greg Joseph kick), 11:49. Browns 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 51 yards, 1:23. DEN – Case Keenum 1-yard run (Brandon McManus kick), 3:18. Tied 7–7. Drive: 13 plays, 88 yards, 6:37. Second quarter DEN – Brandon McManus 44-yard field goal, 8:16. Broncos 10–7. Drive: 12 plays, 61 yards, 6:44. CLE – Greg Joseph 40-yard field goal, 4:53. Tied 10-10. Drive: 9 plays, 53 yards, 3:23. Third quarter DEN – Brandon McManus 42-yard field goal, 1:41. Broncos 13–10. Drive: 8 plays, 36 yards, 4:08. Fourth quarter CLE – Antonio Callaway 2-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Greg Joseph kick), 11:44. Browns 17–13. Drive: 6 plays, 48 yards, 2:57. DEN – Brandon McManus 29-yard field goal, 4:35. Browns 17–16. Drive: 13 plays, 64 yards, 7:09. Top passers CLE – Baker Mayfield — 18/31, 188 yards, 2 TD, INT DEN – Case Keenum — 31/48, 257 yards, 2 INT Top rushers CLE – Nick Chubb — 20 carries, 100 yards DEN – Phillip Lindsay — 14 carries, 24 yards Top receivers CLE – Jarvis Landry — 3 receptions, 37 yards DEN – Tim Patrick — 5 receptions, 65 yards

The Browns traveled to Denver for a Saturday night game against the Broncos. Assistant defensive coordinator Blake Williams, son of interim head coach Gregg Williams, got his first play-calling duties in this game.

With the win, the Browns improved to 6–7–1. The win ended an 11-game losing streak to the Broncos that dated back to 1990.

On the following day, the Steelers defeated the Patriots to improve to 8–5–1 and mathematically eliminated the Browns from AFC North title contention. This will be the Browns' 26th consecutive season without a division title, the longest active streak in the NFL.

On the following Saturday, the Tennessee Titans defeated the Washington Redskins to improve to 9–6 and thus mathematically eliminated the Browns from postseason contention for the 16th consecutive season.

Week 16: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Week Sixteen: Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Bengals 0 0 0 18 18 Browns 0 16 7 3 26 at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio Date: December 23 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST Game weather: Template:Convert/F, cloudy Game attendance: 67,431 Referee: Tony Corrente TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter No scoring plays. Second quarter CLE – David Njoku 3-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Greg Joseph kick), 10:20. Browns 7–0. Drive: 13 plays, 74 yards, 7:23. CLE – Darren Fells 1-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (PAT failed), 7:33 Browns 13–0. Drive: 3 plays, 70 yards, 1:33. CLE – Greg Joseph 37-yard field goal, 0:10 Browns 16–0. Drive: 10 plays, 61 yards, 4:45. Third quarter CLE – Rashard Higgins 17-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Greg Joseph kick), 4:53 Browns 23–0. Drive: 9 plays, 87 yards, 4:58. Fourth quarter CIN – Randy Bullock 51-yard field goal, 14:55 Browns 23–3. Drive: 10 plays, 36 yards, 4:58. CLE – Greg Joseph 31-yard field goal, 7:26 Browns 26–3. Drive: 14 plays, 62 yards, 7:29. CIN – C. J. Uzomah 14-yard pass from Jeff Driskel (Randy Bullock kick), 4:56 Browns 26–10. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:30. CIN – John Ross 3-yard pass from Jeff Driskel (Jeff Driskel pass to Cody Core), 2:56 Browns 26–18. Drive: 3 plays, 23 yards, 0:57. Top passers CIN – Jeff Driskel — 13/19, 133 Yds, 2 TD CLE – Baker Mayfield — 27/37, 284 Yds, 3 TD Top rushers CIN – Joe Mixon — 17 Rush, 68 Yds CLE – Nick Chubb — 19 Rush, 112 Yds Top receivers CIN – C.J. Uzomah — 4 Rec, 49 Yds, TD CLE – Rashard Higgins — 6 Rec, 60 Yds, TD

With the win, the Browns improved to 7–7–1 and finished with a 5–2–1 record at home. It was their first 3 game winning streak since the 2014 season. They swept the Bengals for the first time since the 2002 season. They also secured a winning record within the AFC North for the first time since the division was formed in 2002.

Week 17: at Baltimore Ravens

Week Seventeen: Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Browns 7 0 7 10 24 Ravens 10 10 3 3 26 at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland Date: December 30 Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST Game weather: Template:Convert/F, partly cloudy Game attendance: 70,925 Referee: Shawn Smith TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson Recap, Gamebook Game information First quarter BAL – Justin Tucker 38-yard field goal, 9:27. Ravens 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 41 yards, 3:27. CLE – Breshad Perriman 28-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Greg Joseph kick), 8:22. Browns 7–3. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:05. BAL – Lamar Jackson 25-yard rush (Justin Tucker kick), 4:46. Ravens 10–7. Drive: 7 plays, 69 yards, 3:36. Second quarter BAL – Lamar Jackson 8-yard rush (Justin Tucker kick), 14:54. Ravens 17–7. Drive: 6 plays, 77 yards, 2:54. BAL – Justin Tucker 35-yard field goal, 6:11. Ravens 20–7. Drive: 8 plays, 64 yards, 6:12. Third quarter CLE – Jarvis Landry 48-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Greg Joseph kick), 12:27. Ravens 20–14. Drive: 1 plays, 48 yards, 0:08. BAL – Justin Tucker 44-yard field goal, 7:02. Ravens 23–14. Drive: 12 plays, 49 yards, 5:25. Fourth quarter CLE – Greg Joseph 35-yard field goal, 13:45. Ravens 23–17. Drive: 9 plays, 60 yards, 4:08. BAL – Justin Tucker 23-yard field goal, 7:20. Ravens 26–17. Drive: 12 plays, 78 yards, 6:25. CLE – Antonio Callaway 1-yard pass from Baker Mayfield (Greg Joseph kick), 3:24. Ravens 26–24. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:56. Top passers CLE – Baker Mayfield – 23/42, 376 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT BAL – Lamar Jackson – 14/24, 179 yards Top rushers CLE – Nick Chubb – 9 carries, 24 yards BAL – Kenneth Dixon – 12 carries, 117 yards Top receivers CLE – Jarvis Landry – 5 receptions, 102 yards, TD BAL – Mark Andrews – 4 receptions, 54 yards

With the loss, the Browns finished the season 7–8–1, marking their 11th consecutive losing season, which is a franchise record and the longest active streak in the NFL. The Browns finished 2–6 in away games. Baker Mayfield won his seventh Rookie of the Week award, and, along with Nick Chubb, became finalists for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Standings

Division

Template:2018 AFC North standings

Conference

Template:2018 AFC standings

2019 Pro Bowl

Four Browns players, G Joel Bitonio, DE Myles Garrett, WR Jarvis Landry, and CB Denzel Ward, were named to the AFC Roster for the 2019 Pro Bowl. Garrett was voted as a starter and Ward as a reserve. Bitonio and Landry were named as alternates and later named to the AFC roster to replace injured players. This marks Landry's fourth consecutive and fourth overall Pro Bowl appearance, and the first appearance for the three other players.

In addition, RB Nick Chubb and P Britton Colquitt were named second alternates and QB Baker Mayfield and G Kevin Zeitler were named fourth alternates at their respective positions.

References

External links

• Official website