1985 Cleveland Browns season

1985 Cleveland Browns season
Head Coach	Marty Schottenheimer
Home Field	Cleveland Stadium
Results
Record	8–8
Place	1st AFC Central
Playoff Finish	Lost Divisional Playoffs
Uniform
Timeline
Previous season	Next season
1984	1986

The 1985 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 36th season with the National Football League.

In Marty Schottenheimer's first full year as head coach, the Browns bounced back from a horrible 5–11 season in 1984 to make the playoffs, despite a .500 season. Rookie quarterback Bernie Kosar led the Browns' offense; Ozzie Newsome's 62 receptions earned him a trip to the Pro Bowl; Earnest Byner and Kevin Mack each rushed for over 1,000 yards.

In the Divisional Playoffs, the Browns led the Miami Dolphins 21–3 in the third quarter, but in a scene that would be repeated 4 more times in the 1980s, the Browns collapsed down the stretch as the Dolphins came back to score three touchdowns to win the game 24–21.

Until 2011, Cleveland's .500 winning percentage held the record for the lowest such percentage for a division winning playoff team in a non-strike season; the record was tied by the 2008 San Diego Chargers, then broken by the 2010 Seattle Seahawks. (Incidentally, in 1985 and 2008, an 11–5 team [Denver in 1985, New England in 2008] missed the playoffs.) Cleveland was able to advance by winning their relatively weak division.

Personnel

Staff

1985 Cleveland Browns staff
	Head Coaches Head Coach – Marty Schottenheimer Offensive Coaches Offensive Coordinator – Joe Pendry Quarterbacks – Greg Landry Running Backs – Steve Crosby Receivers – Richard Mann Offensive Line – Howard Mudd			Defensive Coaches Defensive Coordinator – Tom Bettis Defensive Line – Tom Pratt Linebackers – Tom Olivadotti Special Assistant – Darvin Wallis Special Teams Coaches Special Teams – Bill Cowher Strength and Conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Dave Redding

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 8, 1985	St. Louis Cardinals	L 27–24	62,107
2	September 16, 1985	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 17–7	79,042
3	September 22, 1985	at Dallas Cowboys	L 20–7	61,456
4	September 29, 1985	at San Diego Chargers	W 21–7	52,107
5	October 6, 1985	New England Patriots	W 24–20	62,139
6	October 13, 1985	at Houston Oilers	W 21–6	38,386
7	October 20, 1985	Los Angeles Raiders	L 21–20	77,928
8	October 27, 1985	Washington Redskins	L 14–7	78,540
9	November 3, 1985	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L 10–9	51,976
10	November 10, 1985	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 27–10	57,293
11	November 17, 1985	Buffalo Bills	W 17–7	54,478
12	November 24, 1985	Cincinnati Bengals	W 24–6	74,439
13	December 1, 1985	at New York Giants	W 35–33	66,482
14	December 8, 1985	at Seattle Seahawks	L 31–13	58,477
15	December 15, 1985	Houston Oilers	W 28–21	50,793
16	December 22, 1985	at New York Jets	L 37–10	59,073

Playoffs

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
Divisional	January 4, 1986	at Miami Dolphins	L 24–21	75,128

Standings

AFC Central
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
Cleveland Browns	8	8	0	.500	287	294	L-1
Pittsburgh Steelers	7	9	0	.438	379	355	L-1
Cincinnati Bengals	7	9	0	.438	441	437	L-2
Houston Oilers	5	11	0	.313	284	412	L-4