The Cleveland Browns play in the AFC North Division of the NFL. Established in 1944, the Browns played in the All American Football Conference from 1946-1949, winning all the championships during their appearances. The Browns have been an NFL franchise since 1950 and play in the FirstEnergy Stadium in Ohio (since 1999). They were suspended for three seasons (1996-98) due to the formation of the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens were formed with the entire roster of the Browns when new owner Art Modell faced backlash from the people of Ohio for wanting to shift the team to Baltimore. Although the Browns logo and intellectual property were retained, the entire roster was shifted to the Ravens team. The Browns resumed operations with an entirely new team in 1999.
The Cleveland Browns made it to the NFL Championship in all of their first ten years of establishment. The Browns made it to the NFL playoffs 25 times (since 1950), although they enjoyed a majority of their playoff success in the 1950s and 1960s. The Browns are yet to appear in a Super Bowl, although they have won 11 Conference Championships (pre-1970 NFL-AFL merger) and 12 Divisional Championships as of December 2024.
Cleveland Browns Playoff Appearances Year-by-Year
The Cleveland Browns had a 17-22 playoff record against 39 games as of December 2024. The Browns went through 15 divisional rounds, winning seven, and five conference championships, winning none. They are among the four NFL teams that, as of December 2024, have yet to appear in the Super Bowl.
The Cleveland Browns playoff appearances year-by-year are as follows:
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result | Score |
| 2023 | WildCard | Houston Texans | Loss | 14-45 |
| 2020 | WildCard | Pittsburgh Steelers | Win | 48-37 |
| 2020 | Division | Kansas City Chiefs | Loss | 17-22 |
| 2002 | WildCard | Pittsburgh Steelers | Loss | 33-36 |
| 1994 | WildCard | New England Patriots | Win | 20-13 |
| 1994 | Division | Pittsburgh Steelers | Loss | 9-29 |
| 1989 | Division | Buffalo Bills | Win | 34-30 |
| 1989 | ConfChamp | Denver Broncos | Loss | 21-37 |
| 1988 | WildCard | Houston Oilers | Loss | 23-24 |
| 1987 | Division | Indianapolis Colts | Win | 38-21 |
| 1987 | ConfChamp | Denver Broncos | Loss | 33-38 |
| 1986 | Division | New York Jets | Win | 23-20 |
| 1986 | ConfChamp | Denver Broncos | Loss | 20-23 |
| 1985 | Division | Miami Dolphins | Loss | 21-24 |
| 1982 | WildCard | Los Angeles Raiders | Loss | 10-27 |
| 1980 | Division | Oakland Raiders | Loss | 12-14 |
| 1972 | Division | Miami Dolphins | Loss | 14-20 |
| 1971 | Division | Baltimore Colts | Loss | 3-20 |
| 1969 | Division | Dallas Cowboys | Win | 38-14 |
| 1969 | ConfChamp | Minnesota Vikings | Loss | 7-27 |
| 1968 | Division | Dallas Cowboys | Win | 31-20 |
| 1968 | ConfChamp | Baltimore Colts | Loss | 0-34 |
| 1967 | Division | Dallas Cowboys | Loss | 14-52 |
| 1965 | Championship | Green Bay Packers | Loss | 12-23 |
| 1964 | Championship | Baltimore Colts | Win | 27-0 |
| 1958 | Division | New York Giants | Loss | 0-10 |
| 1957 | Championship | Detroit Lions | Loss | 14-59 |
| 1955 | Championship | Los Angeles Rams | Win | 38-14 |
| 1954 | Championship | Detroit Lions | Win | 56-10 |
| 1953 | Championship | Detroit Lions | Loss | 16-17 |
| 1952 | Championship | Detroit Lions | Loss | 7-17 |
| 1951 | Championship | Los Angeles Rams | Loss | 17-24 |
| 1950 | Division | New York Giants | Win | 8-3 |
| 1950 | Championship | Los Angeles Rams | Win | 30-28 |
| 1949 | Division | Buffalo Bills | Win | 31-21 |
| 1949 | Championship | San Francisco 49ers | Win | 21-7 |
| 1948 | Championship | Buffalo Bills | Win | 49-7 |
| 1947 | Championship | New York Yankees | Win | 14-3 |
| 1946 | Championship | New York Yankees | Win | 14-9 |
Cleveland Browns Playoff Win-Loss Record
| Round | Games | Wins | Losses |
| All-Time Playoffs | 39 | 17 | 22 |
| Wild Card Round | 6 | 2 | 4 |
| Divisional Round | 15 | 7 | 8 |
| Conference Championship | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Super Bowl | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Championship (pre-1966) | 13 | 8 | 5 |
Cleveland Browns Conference Championships Record
The Cleveland Browns' conference championship record, after the AFL-NFL merger, is as follows:
| Year | Opponent | Result | Score |
| 1989 | Denver Broncos | Loss | 21-37 |
| 1987 | Denver Broncos | Loss | 33-38 |
| 1986 | Denver Broncos | Loss | 20-23 |
| 1969 | Minnesota Vikings | Loss | 7-27 |
| 1968 | Baltimore Colts | Loss | 0-34 |
How many playoff games has Otto Graham played at the FirstEnergy Stadium?
One of the legends of the Cleveland Browns is quarterback Otto Graham, who has played for the team since their establishment in 1946. The Browns home stadium was known as the Cleveland Stadium (re-established as the FirstEnergy Stadium in 1999), which Graham graced for 10 seasons. In the NFL, he appeared in seven playoff games and played two of them at the Cleveland Stadium. The two appearances at the Cleveland Stadium were NFL Championship games, which he won on both occasions (1950, 1954).
Cleveland Browns Playoff Stats
Total Playoff Games Played: 39
Overall Playoff Record (Wins-Losses): 17-22
All-time Passing Leader: Brian Sipe 1,944/3,439, 23,713 yds, 154 TD
All-time Rushing Leader: Jim Brown 2,359 att, 12,312 yds, 106 TD
All-time Receiving Leader: Ozzie Newsome 662 rec, 7,980 yds, 47 TD
All-time Scoring Leader: Lou Groza 1,608 points
All-time AV Leader: Clay Matthews 125 AV
Coach with most wins: Paul Brown 158-48-8
FAQs on Cleveland Browns
A. The Cleveland Browns' last playoff win was in the 2020 season, when they won in the Wild Card round against the Pittsburgh Steelers 48-37.
A. No, the Cleveland Browns have not yet made a Super Bowl appearance as of December 2024.
A. The Cleveland Browns made it to three AFC Championship games within 4 years between 1986 and 1990. However, each time they lost to the Denver Broncos.
A. The most successful coach in the Cleveland Broswns history is Paul Brown with a record of 158-48-8.
A. The owners of the Cleveland Browns are Dee and Jimmy Haslam.
