Schedule Note: Intra-division opponents are in
bold text.
Game summaries Week 1: vs. Cincinnati Bengals The Browns opened the season with an
AFC North matchup against the
in-state rival Cincinnati Bengals, marking the 100th meeting between the two franchises. The Browns defense dominated the game, forcing ten Cincinnati punts including seven
three-and-outs, and limiting the Bengals offense to six first downs. Bengals quarterback
Joe Burrow was limited to a career-low 82 passing yards. On offense, the Browns were led by
Nick Chubb's 106 rushing yards on 18 carries. Quarterback
Deshaun Watson had 154 passing yards, 45 rushing yards, a passing touchdown, and a rushing touchdown, despite a 55.2% completion percentage and one interception. Kicker
Dustin Hopkins converted all three of his field goal attempts in his Browns debut. The Bengals' lone score came on an
Evan McPherson field goal. With the win, the Browns opened the season 1–0 for the second consecutive year. This marked the first time the Browns won consecutive season openers since
1993 and
1994.
Week 2: at Pittsburgh Steelers After starting the season with a win, the Browns traveled to Pittsburgh to for a second straight division
rivalry game, this time with the
Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh scored on an
Alex Highsmith interception returned for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage to take a 7–0 lead. Cleveland responded with a
Dustin Hopkins 43-yard field goal to cut the Steelers lead to 7–3, but failed to get closer on the next drive as Hopkins missed a field goal attempt on the next drive. Early in the second quarter, Browns' Pro Bowl running back
Nick Chubb suffered a severe knee injury and was removed from the game; the injury ended Chubb's season. The Browns were able to get into the end zone on that drive on a
Deshaun Watson 2-yard touchdown pass to
Jerome Ford and added a
2-point conversion after a Pittsburgh penalty to take an 11–7 lead. Pittsburgh responded with a
Chris Boswell field goal and a
Kenny Pickett 71-yard pass to
George Pickens to take a 16–11 lead, but the Browns added another Hopkins field goal before halftime to cut the Steelers' lead down to two points. On their first drive of the third quarter, Pittsburgh scored on a Boswell 50-yard field goal. The Browns responded with a 1-yard touchdown run by
Pierre Strong Jr., set up by a 69-yard run by Ford two plays earlier, to take a 22–19 lead after a Watson run for the 2-point conversion. However, in the fourth quarter
T. J. Watt recovered a Watson fumble and returned it for a touchdown to take the lead. The Browns were not able to respond, resulting in a 26–22 Steelers win. With the loss, the Browns fell to 1–1. This was the Browns' 20th straight regular season loss in Pittsburgh.
Week 3: vs. Tennessee Titans The Browns returned home for a Week 3 battle with the
Tennessee Titans. Cleveland had a 12-play drive on the first possession of the game which culminated in a
Dustin Hopkins 48-yard field goal to give the Browns a 3–0 lead. After a Tennessee field goal tied the game early in the second quarter, Cleveland responded with a
Deshaun Watson touchdown pass to
Jerome Ford and another Hopkins field to take a 13–3 lead into halftime. The Browns defense held the Titans scoreless through the second half. On offense, the Browns added two touchdowns on a Ford run, the first rushing touchdown of his career, and a 43-yard pass from Watson to
Amari Cooper, to give the Browns a 27–3 win. With the win, the Browns improved to 2–1.
Week 4: vs. Baltimore Ravens The Browns stayed home to take on the
Baltimore Ravens, in an early battle for the top spot in the
AFC North. In the week leading up to the game, starting quarterback
Deshaun Watson was limited in practice due to a shoulder injury. He was ultimately declared inactive for the game after pre-game warmups. Backup quarterback
Dorian Thompson-Robinson made his first career start in Watson's place. After teams exchanged punts to start the game, a
Brandon Stephens interception was returned to the Browns' 10 yard-line. This set up a
Lamar Jackson touchdown run on the next play to take a 7–0 lead. The Browns responded with a
Dustin Hopkins field goal to get on the scoreboard, but the Ravens dominated the rest of the game. Jackson added a second touchdown run and two touchdown passes to
Mark Andrews to give the Ravens a 28–3 victory. Meanwhile, the Ravens held Thompson-Robinson to 121 yards in the air and recorded three interceptions. The Browns were held to 166 total yards and 93 rushing yards (40 of which coming on a single
Pierre Strong Jr. run in the game's final minute). With the loss, the Browns entered their bye week at 2–2.
Week 6: vs. San Francisco 49ers The Browns returned from their bye week with a game against the 5–0
San Francisco 49ers. San Francisco took their first drive 84 yards in five plays, culminating in a touchdown pass from
Brock Purdy to
Christian McCaffrey to take an early 7–0 lead. On the Browns' first possession, quarterback
P. J. Walker, getting the start in place of the injured
Deshaun Watson, threw an interception which was returned to the Cleveland 25-yard line. However, San Francisco could not capitalize as kicker
Jake Moody missed a long field goal attempt. In the second quarter, a Moody field goal increased San Francisco's lead to 10–0, but the Browns cut it to 10–7 on a
Kareem Hunt 16-yard touchdown run. The Browns opened the second half with a
Dustin Hopkins field goal to tie the score and took a 13–10 lead late in the third quarter on another Hopkins field goal. Early in the fourth quarter, another Walker interception set the 49ers up at the Cleveland 8-yard line, and they would score a touchdown the next play to retake a 17–13 lead. The Browns took the ensuing drive 14 plays for 43 yards and cut the 49ers' lead to one point with Hopkins' third field goal of the half. After their defense forced a
three-and-out, The Browns took their next drive deep into San Francisco territory but settled for another Hopkins field goal to take a 19–17 lead with 1:40 remaining in the game. San Francisco quickly drove into Cleveland territory but had to settle for a Moody field goal attempt with nine seconds remaining. Moody missed the kick wide right, preserving the Browns' win. With the win, the Browns improved to 3–2. Hopkins was named AFC Special Teams Player of the week after his four field goal performance which included the game-winner. Hopkins also became the first player in franchise history to kick a field goal of at least 50 yards in four straight games. Hopkins was named AFC Special Teams Player of the week for a second consecutive week. He kicked four field goals on the day, three of which were over 50 yards, and became the first player in NFL history to make a field goal of at least 50 yards in five consecutive games. This also marked Flacco's 100th career win as a starting quarterback. Hopkins set a franchise record with his 31st made field goal of the season, besting the previous record of 30 held by
Phil Dawson.
Week 15: vs. Chicago Bears The Browns stayed home to take on the
Chicago Bears. After both teams punted on their first four possessions, the Bears opened the scoring on a
Justin Fields 5-yard touchdown pass to
Cole Kmet which was set up by
Eddie Jackson intercepting a
Joe Flacco pass and returning the ball to the Cleveland 1-yard line. The Browns responded on their next drive going 84 yards and scoring on a Flacco 2-yard touchdown pass to
David Njoku to make the score 7–7 at halftime. Early in the third quarter, Chicago extended its lead to 14–7 on a
Tremaine Edmunds 45-yard interception return touchdown. Chicago extended its lead to 17–7 later in the quarter on a
Cairo Santos 41-yard field goal. Early in the fourth quarter, Cleveland cut Chicago's lead to 17–10 on a
Dustin Hopkins 33-yard field goal. The Browns later tied the game on a 51-yard touchdown pass from Flacco to
Amari Cooper. After forcing a Bears' three-and-out, the Browns took a 20–17 lead on a Hopkins 34-yard field goal with 36 seconds remaining. This field goal was set up by a pair of Flacco passes to Njoku for 31 and 34 yards. The Bears drove to around midfield. On the final play of the game, they attempted a
Hail Mary pass which was batted down and fell into
Darnell Mooney's hands. However Mooney could not hang onto the football ball and kicked it into the air, which was promptly intercepted by
D'Anthony Bell to preserve the win. With the win, the Browns improved to 9–5. The Browns set a franchise record with their fifth win this season in which they had the game-winning score in the final two minutes of regulation. They also secured their first winning season since
2020, and their fourth since returning to the NFL in
1999.
Week 16: at Houston Texans The Browns traveled to Houston to play the
Texans in a game with playoff implications for both teams. The Browns scored a touchdown on their first possession on a
Jerome Ford 4-yard run, set up by a 53-yard pass from
Joe Flacco to
Amari Cooper on the first play from scrimmage. The Browns doubled their lead to 14–0 early in the second quarter on a 75-yard touchdown pass from Flacco to Cooper. However, Houston's
Dameon Pierce returned the ensuing kickoff for a 98-yard touchdown to cut the Browns' lead to 14–7. During that play, Browns' kicker
Dustin Hopkins injured his hamstring attempting to chase Pierce, forcing Hopkins' early exit and limiting the Browns' kicking options. The Browns added a touchdown and two-point conversion late in the half on a Flacco 21-yard pass to
David Njoku to take a 22–7 halftime lead. After forcing a Houston punt early in the third quarter, the Browns went on an 18-play, 94-yard drive which took almost ten minutes off the clock, culminating in a 7-yard touchdown pass from Flacco to Cooper to extend their lead to 28–7. In the fourth quarter, the Browns extended their lead to 36–7 on a
Kareem Hunt touchdown run. Houston added two late touchdowns on
Davis Mills passes to
Nico Collins and
Andrew Beck to make the final score 36–22. With the win, the Browns improved to 10–5. Cooper was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week with 11 receptions, 265 yards, and two touchdowns. His 265 receiving yards set a franchise record, breaking the previous record of 261 yards held by
Josh Gordon. Flacco was named FedEx Air Player of the week after completing 27 of 42 passes, 368 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. He became the first Browns player to record at least 350 passing yards in consecutive games and became the second to have 300 passing yards in three straight games, joining
Josh McCown.
Week 17: vs. New York Jets The Browns returned home for a
Thursday night game against the
New York Jets. Both offenses scored touchdowns on their first drive, with the Browns scoring on a
Joe Flacco 7-yard pass to
Jerome Ford and the Jets on a
Trevor Siemian pass to
Breece Hall. On the Browns' next drive, they added another touchdown on a
Kareem Hunt run to take a 13–7 lead following a failed extra point. The Browns extended their lead to 20–7 on a
Ronnie Hickman interception return late in the first quarter. In the second quarter, Cleveland added another touchdown on a Flacco pass to
Elijah Moore to take a 27–7 lead. However, on the Browns' next drive, Flacco threw an interception to
Jermaine Johnson II which was returned for a touchdown, cutting Cleveland's lead to 27–14. The Browns scored a touchdown on their next drive on a Flacco 50-yard touchdown pass to Ford, while the Jets closed out the half with a
Greg Zuerlein field goal to make the score 34–17. Defense reigned in the second half. After the Jets took the opening possession into the Browns' 10-yard line, they came up scoreless as the Zuerlein's field goal attempt was blocked by
Shelby Harris. After several punts and turnovers, each team kicked a field goal in the second half to make the final score 37–20. With the win, the Browns improved to 11–5 and clinched a playoff berth for the first time since
2020 and the third time since returning to the NFL in
1999. The Browns finished 8–1 at home. Flacco became the first player in Browns history to have at least 300 passing yards in four consecutive games. On December 31,
Baltimore defeated
Miami to clinch the AFC North. This assured the Browns of the 5-seed and marked the Browns’ 31st consecutive season without a division title, the longest active streak in the NFL.
Week 18: at Cincinnati Bengals With Cleveland being assured of the 5-seed no matter what the outcome of this game or any other game in Week 18, the Browns announced they would rest some starters for the game;
Jeff Driskel was named the starting quarterback. The Browns set a franchise record for most starting quarterbacks in a season and become the first team since the
1987 New England Patriots to start five quarterbacks in a season. With most Cleveland starters not playing, Cincinnati dominated the first half and raced to a 24–0 halftime lead on the strength of two
Joe Mixon touchdown runs, a
Jake Browning touchdown pass to
Andrei Iosivas, and an
Evan McPherson field goal. In the second half, Cincinnati extended its lead to 31–0 on a second touchdown pass from Browning to Iosivas. The Browns added two late touchdown passes from Driskel to
David Bell to make the final score 31–14. With the loss, the Browns finished the season 11–6. They finished 3–5 in away games.
Standings Division Conference Team leaders Regular season ==Postseason==