1985 Cleveland Browns season
| 1985 Cleveland Browns season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | AFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Dolphins) 21–24 |
| Pro Bowlers | TE Ozzie Newsome FB Kevin Mack NT Bob Golic OLB Clay Matthews Jr. OLB Chip Banks |
The 1985 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 36th season with the National Football League.
This was the first of three consecutive AFC Central titles for the Browns. In Marty Schottenheimer's first full year as head coach, the Browns bounced back from a 5–11 season in 1984 to make the playoffs, despite a .500 season. Rookie quarterback
In the Divisional Playoffs, the Browns led the Miami Dolphins 21–3 in the third quarter, but in a scene that would be repeated 4 more times in the 1980s, the Browns collapsed down the stretch as the Dolphins came back to score three touchdowns to win the game 24–21.
In 2004, Football Outsiders named the 1985 Browns as one of the "worst playoff teams ever":[1]
Opponents outscored them 287–294, and they were blown out in two of their last three games (31–13 by the Seahawks and 38–10 by the Jets). They took a 21–3 lead over the Dolphins in the playoffs, only to watch Dan Marino and company score 21 unanswered points to win the game.
The 1985 Browns are probably best known for having two 1,000-yard rushers in Earnest Byner and Kevin Mack. Despite that impressive feat, the Browns were only fourth in the AFC in team rushing yards. They were 13th in the conference in passing yards, thanks to rookie quarterback Bernie Kosar and journeyman Gary Danielson. What that team did very well was play defense and take advantage of a weak division. The Browns swept the 5–11 Oilers and split with the 7–9 Bengals and Steelers. A 28–21 win in week 15 against the Oilers proved to be the division capper: Kosar threw three TDs to open up a 28–7 lead, and the defense withstood a comeback driven by Warren Moon.
Until 2011, Cleveland's .500 winning percentage held the record for the lowest such percentage for a division winning playoff team in a non-strike season; the record was tied by the 2008 San Diego Chargers, then broken by the 2010 Seattle Seahawks.[a] (Incidentally, in 1985 and 2008, teams with 11–5 records – Denver in 1985, New England in 2008—missed the playoffs.)
Personnel
Staff
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
| ||||||
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8 | St. Louis Cardinals | L 24–27 | 0–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium
|
62,107 | Recap |
| 2 | September 16 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 17–7 | 1–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 79,042 | Recap |
| 3 | September 22 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 7–20 | 1–2 | Texas Stadium | 61,456 | Recap |
| 4 | September 29 | at San Diego Chargers | W 21–7 | 2–2 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 52,107 | Recap |
| 5 | October 6 | New England Patriots | W 24–20 | 3–2 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 62,139 | Recap |
| 6 | October 13 | at Houston Oilers | W 21–6 | 4–2 | Houston Astrodome
|
38,386 | Recap |
| 7 | October 20 | Los Angeles Raiders | L 20–21 | 4–3 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 77,928 | Recap |
| 8 | October 27 | Washington Redskins | L 7–14 | 4–4 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 78,540 | Recap |
| 9 | November 3 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 9–10 | 4–5 | Three Rivers Stadium | 51,976 | Recap |
| 10 | November 10 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 10–27 | 4–6 | Riverfront Stadium | 57,293 | Recap |
| 11 | November 17 | Buffalo Bills | W 17–7 | 5–6 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 54,478 | Recap |
| 12 | November 24 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 24–6 | 6–6 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 74,439 | Recap |
| 13 | December 1 | at New York Giants | W 35–33 | 7–6 | Giants Stadium | 66,482 | Recap |
| 14 | December 8 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 13–31 | 7–7 | Kingdome | 58,477 | Recap |
| 15 | December 15 | Houston Oilers | W 28–21 | 8–7 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 50,793 | Recap |
| 16 | December 22 | at New York Jets | L 10–37 | 8–8 | Giants Stadium | 59,073 | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Postseason
| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional | January 4, 1986 | at Miami Dolphins (2) | L 21–24 | 0–1 | Miami Orange Bowl | 75,128 | Recap |
Standings
AFC Central
| |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Cleveland Browns(3) | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–2 | 7–5 | 287 | 294 | L1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–2 | 5–7 | 441 | 437 | L2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–3 | 6–6 | 379 | 355 | L1 |
| Houston Oilers | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 4–8 | 284 | 412 | L4 |
Notes
- ^ It has also been subsequently beaten by the 2014 Carolina Panthers and by Washington in 2020.
References
- ^ Football Outsiders: Skin of the Teeth: The Worst Playoff Teams Ever
- ^ "All-Time Assistant Coaches". ClevelandBrowns.com. Archived from the original on May 22, 2008. Retrieved February 6, 2009.
- ^ "1985 Cleveland Browns Starters, Roster, & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
External links
- 1985 Cleveland Browns at Pro Football Reference
- 1985 Cleveland Browns Statistics at jt-sw.com
- 1985 Cleveland Browns Schedule at jt-sw.com
- 1985 Cleveland Browns at DatabaseFootball.com