Schedule Note: Intra-division opponents are in
bold text.
Game summaries Week 1: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 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 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 and a
2019 seventh-round selection to the
New England Patriots for a
2019 fifth-round selection.
Week 3: vs. New York Jets 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 (a
Philly Special that had been flipped to account for Landry being left-handed).
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 (their last win was on December 24, ). 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 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. This was the first time the Browns scored 30 or more points since
2015, and the first time the team scored 40 or more points since
2009. With the loss, the Browns fell to 1–2–1. Chubb was named NFL Rookie of the Week after his 105-yard, two-touchdown performance.
Week 5: vs. Baltimore Ravens 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. Jarvis Landry recorded his 427th career reception, passing
Larry Fitzgerald for the most receptions in his first five NFL seasons.
Week 6: vs. Los Angeles Chargers 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 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 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 then pulled 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. Mayfield was also named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for November.
Week 13: at Houston Texans 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 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 won 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 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. However, 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. A Tennessee Titans win over the Washington Redskins mathematically eliminated the Browns from playoff contention.
Week 16: vs. Cincinnati Bengals On December 22, the day before the Browns' Week 16 contest, the
Tennessee Titans won their Week 16 game to improve to 9–6 and mathematically eliminate the Browns from postseason contention for the 16th consecutive season. Despite being eliminated, the Browns looked to finish their season on a high note with two division wins to end the season. The Browns hosted the Bengals and former head coach
Hue Jackson, who was hired as an assistant with the Bengals.
Baker Mayfield threw three touchdown passes and
Nick Chubb added 112 rushing yards to give the Browns a 26–3 lead early in the fourth quarter. Cincinnati scored a pair of late touchdowns to make it a one-possession game, but the Browns held on for the 26–18 win. With the win, the Browns improved to 7–7–1 and finished with a 5–2–1 record at home, their best home record since 2007, when they went 7–1 at home. It was their first three-game winning streak since 2014 and their first season sweep of the Bengals since 2002. 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 The Browns entered the final game of the season attempting to play the role of spoiler, as the Ravens needed a win – or a
Steelers loss – to clinch the AFC North title. The Ravens built a 20–7 halftime lead on the strength of two touchdown runs by fellow rookie QB
Lamar Jackson. The Browns' score was on a
Baker Mayfield 28-yard pass to former Raven
Breshad Perriman. While the Ravens maintained their lead throughout the game, Mayfield added two touchdown passes in the second half, including a strike to
Antonio Callaway to cut the Ravens' lead to 26–24 with 3:24 remaining. The Browns had one more chance, but Mayfield threw an interception to
C.J. Mosley to seal the game. 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. Mayfield won his seventh Rookie of the Week award.
Standings Division Conference Team leaders ==Individual honors==