1988 Cleveland Browns season

Last updated

1988 Cleveland Browns season
1975-1995 Browns Script.PNG
Owner Art Modell
General manager Ernie Accorsi
Head coach Marty Schottenheimer
Home field Cleveland Municipal Stadium
Local radio WWWE  · WDOK
Results
Record10–6
Division place2nd AFC Central
Playoff finishLost Wild Card Playoffs
(vs. Oilers) 23–24
Pro Bowlers OLB Clay Matthews Jr.
CB Hanford Dixon
CB Frank Minnifield

The 1988 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 39th season with the National Football League.

Contents

Despite taking the Browns to the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year, head coach Marty Schottenheimer was fired at the end of the 1988 season. He left the Browns having compiled a record of 44–27 (a 62% winning percentage) with the team. (Schottenheimer would later go through a similar scenario with the San Diego Chargers: they fired him after the 2006 season, during which the Chargers posted a 14–2 record and then lost their first playoff game.) The Browns finished the season with a 10–6 record, tied for second place in the AFC Central with the Houston Oilers. The Browns were awarded second place by posting a better division record than the Oilers. The Browns clinched a playoff berth for the 4th straight season. In the playoffs, they lost to the Oilers in the Wild Card game, 24–23. As of 2023, this remains the last time the Browns swept the Steelers.

Offseason

NFL Draft

1988 Cleveland Browns draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
121 Clifford Charlton   OLB Florida
250 Michael Dean Perry  *  DT Clemson
377 Van Waiters  OLB Indiana
4103 Anthony Blaylock   CB Winston-Salem State
7188 Thane Gash  S East Tennessee State
8216 J.J. Birden   WR Oregon
9244Danny Copeland  DB Eastern Kentucky
10272Brian Washington DB Nebraska
11300Hendley Hawkins WRNebraska
12328Steve Slayden  QB Duke
      Made roster    †    Pro Football Hall of Fame     *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff

1988 Cleveland Browns staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning


[1]

Roster

1988 Cleveland Browns roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

 Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

 Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

None

47 active, 9 inactiveReserve


Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendanceRecap
1September 4at Kansas City Chiefs W 6–31–0 Arrowhead Stadium 55,654 Recap
2September 11 New York Jets L 3–231–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 74,434 Recap
3September 19 Indianapolis Colts W 23–172–1Cleveland Municipal Stadium75,148 Recap
4September 25at Cincinnati Bengals L 17–242–2 Riverfront Stadium 54,943 Recap
5October 2at Pittsburgh Steelers W 23–93–2 Three Rivers Stadium 56,410 Recap
6October 9 Seattle Seahawks L 10–163–3Cleveland Municipal Stadium78,605 Recap
7October 16 Philadelphia Eagles W 19–34–3Cleveland Municipal Stadium78,787 Recap
8October 23at Phoenix Cardinals W 29–215–3 Sun Devil Stadium 61,261 Recap
9October 30 Cincinnati Bengals W 23–166–3Cleveland Municipal Stadium79,147 Recap
10November 7at Houston Oilers L 17–246–4 Houston Astrodome 51,467 Recap
11November 13at Denver Broncos L 7–306–5 Mile High Stadium 75,806 Recap
12November 20 Pittsburgh Steelers W 27–77–5Cleveland Municipal Stadium77,131 Recap
13November 27at Washington Redskins W 17–138–5 RFK Stadium 51,604 Recap
14December 4 Dallas Cowboys W 24–219–5Cleveland Municipal Stadium77,683 Recap
15December 12at Miami Dolphins L 31–389–6 Joe Robbie Stadium 61,884 Recap
16December 18 Houston Oilers W 28–2310–6Cleveland Municipal Stadium74,610 Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Postseason

RoundDateOpponent (seed)ResultRecordVenueRecap
Wild CardDecember 24 Houston Oilers (5)L 23–240–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium Recap

Game summaries

Week 1

1234Total
• Browns03036
Chiefs03003
  • Date: September 4
  • Location: Arrowhead Stadium
  • Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
  • Game attendance: 55,654
  • Game weather: 65 °F or 18.3 °C; wind 13 miles per hour (21 km/h; 11 kn)
  • Referee: Jim Tunney
  • Television network: NBC
Scoring summary
Q2KC Lowery 33-yard field goalKC 3–0
Q2CLE Bahr 19-yard field goalTie 3–3
Q4CLEBahr 38-yard field goalCLE 6–3

[2]

Week 2

Week 9

1234Total
Bengals0103316
• Browns3710323
  • Date: October 30
  • Location: Cleveland Municipal Stadium
  • Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 38 °F or 3.3 °C; wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
  • Referee: Dick Jorgensen
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen
Scoring summary
Q1CLE Bahr 34-yard field goalCLE 3–0
Q2CIN Fulcher 16-yard interception return (Breech kick)CIN 7–3
Q2CLE Manoa 2-yard run (Bahr kick)CLE 10–7
Q2CINBreech 19-yard field goalTie 10–10
Q3CLEBahr 39-yard field goalCLE 13–10
Q3CLE Fontenot 1 yard blocked punt return (Bahr kick)CLE 20–10
Q3CINBreech 32-yard field goalCLE 20–13
Q4CLEBahr 29-yard field goalCLE 23–13
Q4CINBreech 22-yard field goalCLE 23–16

[3]

Week 14

1234Total
Cowboys0140721
• Browns7301424
  • Date: December 4
  • Location: Cleveland Municipal Stadium
  • Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game attendance: 77,683
  • Game weather: 35 °F or 1.7 °C; wind 16 miles per hour (26 km/h; 14 kn)
  • Referee: Jerry Seeman
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Kenny Stabler
Scoring summary
Q1CLE Langhorne 73-yard pass from Kosar (Bahr kick)CLE 7–0
Q2DAL Clack 7-yard pass from Pelluer (Ruzek kick)Tie 7–7
Q2CLEBahr 25-yard field goalCLE 10–7
Q2DAL Folsom 5-yard pass from Peuller (Ruzek kick)DAL 14–10
Q4CLE Fontenot 14-yard pass from Kosar (Bahr kick)CLE 17–14
Q4CLE Weathers 36-yard pass from Kosar (Bahr kick)CLE 24–14
Q4DAL Walker 4-yard run (Ruzek kick)CLE 24–21

[4]

Week 16

1234Total
Oilers1067023
• Browns0771428
Scoring summary
Q1HOU Tony Zendejas 39-yard field goalHOU 3–0
Q1HOUDomingo Bryant 36-yard interception return (Tony Zendejas kick)HOU 10–0
Q2CLE Michael Dean Perry 10-yard fumble return (Matt Bahr kick)HOU 10–7
Q2HOUTony Zendejas 42-yard field goalHOU 13–7
Q2HOUTony Zendejas 35-yard field goalHOU 16–7
Q3HOU Haywood Jeffires 7-yard pass from Warren Moon (Tony Zendejas kick)HOU 23–7
Q3CLE Earnest Byner 2-yard pass from Don Strock (Matt Bahr kick)HOU 23–14
Q4CLEEarnest Byner 2-yard run (Matt Bahr kick)HOU 23–21
Q4CLE Webster Slaughter 22-yard pass from Don Strock (Matt Bahr kick)CLE 28–23

[5]

Standings

AFC Central
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
Cincinnati Bengals (1)1240.7504–28–4448329W1
Cleveland Browns (4)1060.6254–26–6304288W1
Houston Oilers (5)1060.6253–37–5424365L1
Pittsburgh Steelers 5110.3131–54–8336421W1

Playoffs

AFC wild card game

Houston Oilers 24, Cleveland Browns 23
Quarter1234Total
Oilers01401024
Browns367723

at Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Oilers cornerback Richard Johnson's interception set up kicker Tony Zendejas' game-clinching 49-yard field goal with 1:54 left in the game. After the Browns scored first on a 33-yard field goal by Matt Bahr, Houston marched 91 yards to score on quarterback Warren Moon's 14-yard touchdown pass to running back Allen Pinkett. Then on Cleveland's next drive, Oilers defensive lineman Richard Byrd recovered quarterback Don Strock's fumble to set up Pinkett's 16-yard touchdown run. Bahr later made two field goals to cut Houston's lead, 14–9, before halftime. In the third quarter, backup quarterback Mike Pagel, who replaced an injured Strock, threw a 14-yard touchdown completion to wide receiver Webster Slaughter to put the Browns ahead, 16–14. However, the Oilers marched on a 76-yard drive that was capped with running back Lorenzo White's 1-yard rushing touchdown. After Johnson's interception and Zendejas' subsequent game-clinching 49-yard field goal, Slaughter caught a 2-yard touchdown reception to close out the scoring.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marty Schottenheimer</span> American football player and coach (1943–2021)

Martin Edward Schottenheimer was an American professional football linebacker and coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons. He was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 1984 to 1988, the Kansas City Chiefs from 1989 to 1998, the Washington Redskins in 2001, and the San Diego Chargers from 2002 to 2006. Eighth in career wins at 205 and seventh in regular season wins at 200, Schottenheimer has the most wins among the league's head coaches to not win an NFL championship. After coaching in the NFL, he won a 2011 championship in his one season with the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League (UFL). He was inducted to the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame in 2010.

The National Football League playoffs for the 1988 season began on December 24, 1988. The postseason tournament concluded with the San Francisco 49ers defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII, 20–16, on January 22, 1989, at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1987–88 NFL playoffs</span> American football tournament

The National Football League playoffs for the 1987 season began on January 3, 1988. The postseason tournament concluded with the Washington Redskins defeating the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII, 42–10, on January 31, at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Right 88</span> 1981 American football play and game

In American football, Red Right 88 is the name given to a passing play called by the Cleveland Browns during a National Football League (NFL) playoff game against the Oakland Raiders on January 4, 1981. In the years since, the term has been used to refer to both the play itself and the game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Epic in Miami</span> American football playoff game in 1982

The Epic in Miami was the National Football League AFC divisional playoff game between the San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins that took place on January 2, 1982 in the Miami Orange Bowl. The game, won by the Chargers in overtime, 41–38, is one of the most famous in National Football League lore because of the enormity of scoring, the conditions on the field, the performances of players on both teams, and the numerous records that were set.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 Cleveland Browns season</span> 49th season in franchise history

The 1994 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 45th season with the National Football League and 49th overall. It was the only season that the Browns qualified for the playoffs under head coach Bill Belichick. The Browns finished as the NFL's number one defense in terms of points surrendered per game. In the playoffs, Belichick got his first playoff victory as a head coach in the AFC wild card game against the New England Patriots by a score of 20–13. The Browns would lose to the Steelers 29–9 in the divisional round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1982 Cleveland Browns season</span> NFL team season

The 1982 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 33rd season with the National Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1983 Cleveland Browns season</span> NFL team season

The 1983 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 34th season with the National Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 Cleveland Browns season</span> NFL team season

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1986 Cleveland Browns season</span> NFL team season

The 1986 Cleveland Browns season was the team’s 37th season with the National Football League. The death of Don Rogers, a promising young defensive back who was preparing to enter his third season in the NFL, cast a black cloud over the team as it prepared for the 1986 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1989 Cleveland Browns season</span> 44th season in franchise history

The 1989 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 40th season with the National Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1980 Cleveland Browns season</span> 35th season in franchise history, nicknamed the "Kardiac Kids"

The 1980 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 35th overall, and 31st season in the National Football League. The Browns finished the regular season with eleven wins and five losses, and their first division title since 1971, winning a tiebreaker with the Houston Oilers. The 1980 Browns were known as the Kardiac Kids for having several games decided in the final moments. The 1980 season was the first time that Cleveland had qualified for the postseason since 1972. Also, for the second straight year, Browns head coach Sam Rutigliano was named NFL Coach of the Year, and quarterback Brian Sipe was named the league's Most Valuable Player.

The 1967 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 18th season with the National Football League. The Browns were back in the playoffs after a one-year absence. They finished 9–5, the same as in 1966, but this time, it was good enough for them to get in as they won the Century Division championship in the first year of play after the NFL split the Eastern and Western conferences into two divisions each. The division race was not close, as the Browns finished two games ahead of the runner-up New York Giants (7–7), their old arch rival in the 1950s and early 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 New England Patriots season</span> Season of National Football League team the New England Patriots

The 1994 New England Patriots season was the team's 35th season, and 25th in the National Football League (NFL). It was the first under owner Robert Kraft, who purchased the team after preventing previous owner James Orthwein from moving the Patriots to St. Louis. The Patriots finished the season with a record of ten wins and six losses, and finished tied for first in the AFC's East division.

The 1961 AFL Championship Game was a rematch of the first American Football League title game, between the Houston Oilers and the San Diego Chargers. It was played on December 24 at Balboa Stadium in San Diego, California, and the Oilers were three-point favorites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990 San Diego Chargers season</span> NFL team 31st season

The 1990 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 21st season in the National Football League (NFL) and its 31st overall. After a 1–4 start, the Chargers recovered to 5–5, only half a game out of the playoff places. Five losses in their final six games, however, saw them finish with a 6–10 record for the third consecutive season. Only one of San Diego's six victories came against a team with a winning record, and none were against eventual playoff teams. As had been the case in 1989, close finishes were a problem—the Chargers were 0–5 in games decided by seven points or fewer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1989 San Diego Chargers season</span> NFL team season

The 1989 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 20th season in the National Football League (NFL), its 30th overall and the first season under head coach Dan Henning, whose predecessor, Al Saunders, had been fired shortly after the previous season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1987 Houston Oilers season</span> NFL team season

The 1987 Houston Oilers season was the franchise's 18th season in the National Football League and the 28th overall. The Oilers came into the season looking to improve on their 5–11 record from 1986, and make the playoffs for the first time since 1980. The 1987 NFL season was affected by a players strike that took place in week 3 of the season, which canceled all week 3 games. As a result, the Oilers canceled there was-to-be week 3 game against the Los Angeles Raiders. The Oilers began the season 3–1, their best start to a season since 1980. After the Oilers lost at home to the Patriots 21–7 in week 5, the Oilers defeated the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals to give them a 5–2 start to the season. After the Oilers lost to the 49ers on the road, they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road, 23–3, for their first win in Pittsburgh since 1978. The Oilers would then play 2 disastrous games against the Browns and the Colts, as they allowed 40+ points in each game, losing 40–7 to Cleveland at home and losing 51–27 to the Colts in Indianapolis. The Oilers would defeat the Chargers the next week, rebounding from those 2 bad losses. The Oilers would clinch a playoff spot in the season's final week with a 21–17 win over Cincinnati, thus ending their 6-year playoff drought. This was the first of seven consecutive playoff appearances for the Oilers. In the playoffs, they defeated the Seattle Seahawks 23–20 in overtime on a Tony Zendejas field goal. However, the next week, they lost to the Broncos 34–10 in the Divisional Round, ending their season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1988 Houston Oilers season</span> NFL team season

The 1988 Houston Oilers season was the franchise's 19th season in the National Football League and the 29th overall. The franchise scored 424 points, which was second in the AFC and second overall in the NFL. The defense gave up 365 points. Their record of 10 wins and 6 losses resulted in a third-place finish in the AFC Central Division. The Oilers appeared once on Monday Night Football and appeared in the playoffs for the second consecutive year. Warren Moon would be selected for the Pro Bowl. In the playoffs, they defeated the Cleveland Browns 24-23 in the Wild Card game. However, in the divisional playoffs, they lost 17-10 to the Bills.

The 1989 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 30th overall season as a football team and the 20th in the National Football League. The Bills finished in first place in the AFC East and finished the National Football League's 1989 season with a record of 9 wins and 7 losses. Although Buffalo won the division and qualified for the postseason, their record was a drop off from their 12–4 mark in 1988.

References

  1. ↑ "All-Time Assistant Coaches". ClevelandBrowns.com. Archived from the original on May 22, 2008. Retrieved February 6, 2009.
  2. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Apr-12.
  3. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2016-Dec-02.
  4. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2016-Jan-31.
  5. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2013-Dec-22.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.