2017 Cleveland Browns season

2017 Cleveland Browns season
Head coach	Hue Jackson
General manager	Sashi Brown (fired Week 13) John Dorsey
Owner	Jimmy Haslam
Home field	FirstEnergy Stadium
Results
Record	0–16
Division place	4th AFC North
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	LB Joe Schobert
* ← 2016 Browns seasons 2018 →

The 2017 Cleveland Browns season was the franchise's 69th as a professional sports franchise, their 65th season as a member of the National Football League, their second under head coach Hue Jackson and their second and final season under general manager 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 AFL-NFL 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 in Week 11, extending an active NFL record drought of 25 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. With the Buffalo Bills qualifying for the postseason for the first time since 1999, the Browns now have the longest postseason drought in the NFL and the second longest in the four major American sports leagues, only behind the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball.

The Browns finished the season with a losing record for the tenth consecutive season, extending a franchise record. It was the first season in which the team lost every home game since 1999. The Browns also extended their road losing streak to 21 games and their losing streak within the division to 17 games, both date back to the 2015 season. A Week 13 loss moved the Browns to 1–27 in their first 28 games under Jackson, surpassing the 1976–77 Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the worst 28 game start (2–26) for a regime in NFL history. The Browns finished 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. After starting 2014 with a 6–3 record heading into Week 11, the Browns went 5–50 in the 55 games between that point and the end of this season.

On December 7, 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, ending his season. Before his injury, Thomas had not missed a single snap since joining the league in 2007, a total of 10,363 plays. He then decided to retire on March 14, 2018 following the season.

The season saw the Browns play in London for the first time in franchise history, where they lost to the Minnesota Vikings 33–16 on October 29.

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.

Position	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
DT	Gabe Wright	ERFA	Philadelphia Eagles	June 5
DE	Dylan Wynn	ERFA

Releases

Position	Player	Released	2017 team	Signed
OL	Alvin Bailey	April 20
TE	Gary Barnidge	April 28
OT	Josh Boutte	May 15
S	Trae Elston	April 20	Buffalo Bills	April 21
QB	Robert Griffin III	March 10
CB	Joe Haden	August 30	Pittsburgh Steelers	August 30
CB	Tracy Howard	April 20	Jacksonville Jaguars
WR	Andrew Hawkins	February 27	New England Patriots
K	Brett Maher	May 2
QB	Josh McCown	February 7	New York Jets	March 20
CB	Tramon Williams	February 7

Signings

Position	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	S	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	CB	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 Quarterbacks – David Lee Running Backs/Run Game Coordinator – Kirby Wilson Senior Offensive Assistant/Wide Receivers – Al Saunders Tight Ends – Greg Seamon Offensive Line – Bob Wylie Assistant Offensive Line – Mark Hutson 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 Running backs 34 Isaiah Crowell 27 Matthew Dayes 29 Duke Johnson 40 Danny Vitale FB 42 Marquez Williams FB 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 86 Randall Telfer		Offensive linemen 77 Zach Banner T 75 Joel Bitonio G 72 Shon Coleman T 66 Spencer Drango G 79 Geoff Gray G 63 Marcus Martin G 62 Austin Reiter C 64 JC Tretter C 70 Kevin Zeitler G Defensive linemen 99 Caleb Brantley DT 93 Trevon Coley DT 92 Lavar Edwards DE 95 Myles Garrett DE 94 Carl Nassib DE 65 Larry Ogunjobi DT 44 Nate Orchard DE 55 Danny Shelton DT		Linebackers 50 B. J. Bello MLB 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 22 Jabrill Peppers S/RS 35 C. J. Smith (American football) CB 36 Derron Smith FS 21 Jamar Taylor CB Special teams  4 Britton Colquitt P  5 Zane Gonzalez K 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 OT (IR) 26 Derrick Kindred S (IR) 98 Jamie Meder DT (IR) 90 Emmanuel Ogbah DE (IR) 31 Reggie Porter CB (IR) 73 Joe Thomas OT (IR) 23 Howard Wilson CB (PUP) Practice squad 88 C. J. Board WR 57 Austin Calitro LB 60 Laurence Gibson OT 42 Jacob Hagen S 37 Trevon Hartfield S 84 Bug Howard WR 97 T. Y. McGill DT 33 Josh Rounds RB 71 Victor Salako OT 82 Kasen Williams WR (Injured) Rookies in italics 53 Active, 12 Inactive, 10 Practice squad

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	Template:Dow tooltip	New Orleans Saints	W 20–14	1–0	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
2	Template:Dow tooltip	New York Giants	W 10–6	2–0	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
3	Template:Dow tooltip	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 13–9	3–0	Raymond James Stadium	Recap
4	Template:Dow tooltip	at Chicago Bears	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 Steelers	L 18–21	0–1	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
2	September 17	at Baltimore Ravens	L 10–24	0–2	M&T Bank Stadium	Recap
3	September 24	at Indianapolis Colts	L 28–31	0–3	Lucas Oil Stadium	Recap
4	October 1	Cincinnati Bengals	L 7–31	0–4	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
5	October 8	New York Jets	L 14–17	0–5	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
6	October 15	at Houston Texans	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 Vikings	L 16–33	0–8	Twickenham Stadium (London)	Recap
9	Bye
10	November 12	at Detroit Lions	L 24–38	0–9	Ford Field	Recap
11	November 19	Jacksonville Jaguars	L 7–19	0–10	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
12	November 26	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 16–30	0–11	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
13	December 3	at Los Angeles Chargers	L 10–19	0–12	StubHub Center	Recap
14	December 10	Green Bay Packers	L 21–27 (OT)	0–13	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
15	December 17	Baltimore Ravens	L 10–27	0–14	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
16	December 24	at Chicago Bears	L 3–20	0–15	Soldier Field	Recap
17	December 31	at Pittsburgh Steelers	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: 63 °F (17 °C), 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.

With their 13th straight season–opening loss, which extended an NFL record, the Browns started 0–1. The Browns also lost their 12th straight game against a divisional opponent.

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: 80 °F (27 °C), 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 to play 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 made 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.

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 was followed by Kizer running for a touchdown 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.

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: 63 °F (17 °C), 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 was followed by Dalton's fourth touchdown pass of the game: Another one to Kroft from 16 yards out made 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.

With the loss, the Browns 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: 67 °F (19 °C), 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 increased 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. 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. The Browns tied the game up when Zane Gonzalez kicked a 41-yard field goal making the score 3-3. Afterwards, the Texans scored 30 unanswered points: Later 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.

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: 74 °F (23 °C), 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 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. During the third quarter, ten-time Pro Bowl 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 turned out to be his last 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: 56 °F (13 °C), 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 Vikings 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. It didn't last long, and the Vikings retook the lead later 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.

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 made 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 was short-lived, 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, clinching a losing record for the 10th consecutive season, extending their franchise record drought. The San Francisco 49ers' win over the New York Giants later that day left the Browns as the only winless team in the NFL through 10 weeks of the season.

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: 38 °F (3 °C), 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 CLE 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 scored 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 five turnovers, including two interceptions and two lost fumbles from Kizer.

With the loss, the Browns fell to 0–10. Combined with the Pittsburgh Steelers' victory the Browns were mathematically eliminated from AFC North contention, marking the 25th consecutive season the Browns did not win a division title.

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: 46 °F (8 °C), 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.

With the loss, the Browns fell to 0–11 and were eliminated from playoff contention for the 15th 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: 68 °F (20 °C), 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, Travis Coons kicked two field goals for the Chargers, from 21 and 40 yards, for a 6-0 lead. The Browns countered when DeShone Kizer found David Njoku on a 28-yard pass to make it 7-6. The Chargers moved back into the lead when Coons kicked his third field goal of the day from 22 yards out to make it 9-7. This remained 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 was followed by Coons' fourth field goal, from 27 yards, 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, making the final score 19–10

With the loss, the Browns fell to 0–12. 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 head coach and general manager in NFL history.

On December 7, Sashi Brown was fired as general manager. Hours later, the Browns announced former Kansas City Chiefs general manager John Dorsey as their new general manager.

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: 29 °F (−2 °C), 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. 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: 36 °F (2 °C), 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 defeated the Browns 27-10,

With the loss, the Browns fell to 0-14. The Browns were held winless at home for the first time since 1999.

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: 24 °F (−4 °C), 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 was followed by Mitchell Trubisky's 4-yard run for a touchdown to make it 20-3. With the fourth quarter scoreless, this was the final score.

With their 20th consecutive away loss, the Browns fell to 0-15. They also became the first franchise in NFL history to have multiple seasons with 15 or more losses. The loss also secured the #1 overall draft pick for a second straight season. The Browns became the first team since the 1999 and 2000 Browns to have the #1 overall pick in back-to-back drafts, and the first non-expansion team to do so since the 1994 and 1995 Cincinnati Bengals.

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: 11 °F (−12 °C), 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, who had been effectively locked into the #2 seed in the playoffs, 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 made 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, the worst 32-game record since the league adapted a 16-game schedule in 1978. The Browns tied their franchise record of 17 straight losses. It also was their 21st consecutive road loss, 17th consecutive loss against a divisional opponent, and 14th consecutive loss in Pittsburgh. The Browns lost 50 of 55 games between Week 10 of the 2014 season and the end of the 2017 season.

Later that afternoon, the Buffalo Bills' win over the Miami Dolphins - coupled with the Cincinnati Bengals win over the Baltimore Ravens - gave the Bills a playoff berth, ending their 17-year playoff drought. As a result, the Browns now hold the longest active postseason drought of any NFL team going back to 2002. This is the second longest playoff drought in the four major American sports, ahead of the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball who last made the playoffs in 2001.

2018 Pro Bowl

Despite the team's historically awful performance, LB Joe Schobert was named to the AFC team for the 2018 Pro Bowl. This marked Schobert's first Pro Bowl Selection.

T Joe Thomas, who was injured during the season, was not selected for the Pro Bowl for the first and only time of his career. He retired after the season.

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. The parade's route went in the shape of a circle, signifying the number zero. 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

• Official website

Template:2017 NFL season by team