ClutchPoints
The Cleveland Browns have been around since the 1946 season, with the exception of the team’s hiatus from 1996 to 1998. Although the team hasn’t had too much success since being revived before the 1999 season, there is still a rich history that runs through the club’s past. For the first 20 years of the Browns’ existence, they were one of pro football’s best teams.
These years were filled with winning records, playoff appearances, and even championship wins. Many team legends played at this time, including quarterback Otto Graham, running Jim Brown and defensive end Bill Willis. They were coached by Hall of Fame head coach Paul Brown, who later went on to establish the Cincinnati Bengals. His family still owns the Browns’ rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals, today.
Due to the team’s struggles over the past 20 plus years, each of Cleveland’s best versions of their NFL franchise are from these early days of the franchise. When Brown roamed the sidelines. When Graham’s gritty style of play defended the Browns. When Hall of Fame kicker Lou Groza made his name. Every single one of the teams below had winning records and playoff berths. From there, their paths ultimately diverge. The tenth slot on our list? Brown’s 1953 squad.
Coming in at number ten on the list, the 1953 Browns went 11-1 on the season. Brown won Coach of the Year, and Graham won the league MVP. They started their season 11-0 before losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in their regular season finale. Cleveland had a strong offense, scoring at least 20 points in 10 of their 11 games. They were also the winners of the NFL’s Eastern Conference, with the Eagles coming in second with a 7-4 record.
At 10-2, the Detroit Lions won the Western Conference. This set up a matchup between the two teams for the NFL Championship. In front of almost 55,000 fans, the Lions narrowly defeated the Browns 17-16. Despite the accolades that Brown, Graham and the rest of the organization had received that season, they came up short in their bid for the title. Did the loss to Philadelphia two weeks prior help contribute to Cleveland’s close loss in the title game? It’s a question that Browns fans may never know the answer to.
The 1951 Browns shared a lot with the 1953 version. Both teams went 11-1. They won their conference, called the American Conference. Graham won MVP and Brown won Coach of the Year in 1951 too. Lastly, both teams lost in the NFL Championship Game. In 1951, the Browns lost to the Los Angeles Rams 24-17 on the road. This was after an 11-game winning streak that began with a win against the Rams in the same stadium in Week 2.
The Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers seemed to be a wakeup call for the ’51 squad. They scored 20 points or more in eight of their 11 wins....
