1989 Cleveland Browns season

44th season in franchise history August 2023 March 2026 Cleveland Browns 1989 Bud Carson Marc Trestman Dan Radakovich Ernie Accorsi Art Modell Cleveland Municipal Stadium 9–6–1 1st AFC Central Won Divisional Playoffs(vs. Bills) 34–30Lost AFC ChampionshipThe 1990 Conference Championship game between the Browns and the Broncos marked the third time in four years that John Elway defeated Bernie Kosar and the Browns in the AFC championship game.(at Broncos) 21–37 WR Webster SlaughterDT Michael Dean PerryOLB Clay Matthews Jr.MLB Mike JohnsonCB Frank Minnifield Browns seasons The 1989 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 40th season with the National Football League. It was the Browns' first season with head coach Bud Carson, who had been the defensive coordinator of the New York Jets the previous season. The Browns finished with a 9–6–1 record, good enough for an AFC Central Division title. After a 34–30 victory over the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Playoffs, the Browns reached their third AFC Championship Game in four seasons,The Browns had previously reached the AFC Championship Game following the 1986 and 1987 seasons. and for the third time lost to the Denver Broncos. After two close contests, this time Denver won by a comfortable margin of 37–21. It would be the Browns' fifth consecutive season making the playoffs, but it would prove their last until 1994. The team has not won a division title since this season, the longest active drought in the NFL. As of 2026, this is their most recent appearance in the AFC Championship Game. Offseason NFL draft 1989 NFL draft 1989 Cleveland Browns 1 13 Eric Metcalf Running back Texas yes yes no Personnel Staff 1989 Cleveland Browns Owner and president – Art Modell Executive vice-president of football operations – Ernie Accorsi Director of pro personnel – Michael Lombardi Head coach – Bud Carson Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks – Marc Trestman Running backs – George Sefcik Receivers – Richard Mann Special assistant–offense/tight ends – Lionel Taylor Offensive line – Hal Hunter Defensive coordinator/linebackers – Dan Radakovich Defensive line – John Teerlinck Secondary – Jed Hughes Special teams coordinator – Paul Lanham Strength and conditioning – Stan Jones All-Time Assistant Coaches http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/history/assistant.php ClevelandBrowns.com February 6, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20080522125743/http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/history/assistant.php May 22, 2008 dead Roster 1989 Cleveland Browns 19 Bernie Kosar 10 Mike Pagel 26 Keith Jones 34 Kevin Mack 42 Tim Manoa FB 21 Eric Metcalf y KR 33 Mike Oliphant 35 Barry Redden 86 Brian Brennan 88 Reggie Langhorne 89 Gerald McNeil PR 84 Webster Slaughter 85 Lawyer Tillman y 87 Ron Middleton American football 82 Ozzie Newsome 68 Ted Banker G 64 Tom Baugh C/LS 77 Rickey Bolden T 74 Paul Farren T 66 Tony Jones offensive tackle T 73 Gregg Rakoczy C 63 Cody Risien T 72 Kevin Robbins y T 70 Kevin Simons T 60 Al Baker DE 97 Robert Banks American football DE 71 Tom Gibson American football DE 78 Carl Hairston DT 92 Michael Dean Perry DT 75 Chris Pike American football DT 96 Andrew Stewart gridiron football y DE 58 Clifford Charlton OLB 56 Dave Grayson OLB 51 Eddie Johnson linebacker ILB 59 Mike Johnson linebacker ILB 57 Clay Matthews OLB 50 Van Waiters OLB 24 Anthony Blaylock CB 29 Hanford Dixon CB 30 Thane Gash FS 23 Mark Harper American football CB 40 Kyle Kramer y FS 49 Robert Lyons Defensive back y SS 31 Frank Minnifield CB 22 Felix Wright SS  9 Matt Bahr K 15 Bryan Wagner American football P 36 Stephen Braggs CB IR 69 Dan Fike G IR 79 Mike Graybill y T IR 93 Lee Jones American football DT IR 95 Marlon Jones American football DE IR 99 Darryl Sims DT IR -- Wilbur Strozier G IR 47 active, 7 inactive, 5 practice squad 27 Derrick Gainer American football y RB 12 Jeff Graham quarterback y QB 62 Ben Jefferson y G 80 Vernon Joines y WR 54 Kerry Owens y LB Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 10 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 51–0 1–0 Three Rivers Stadium 57,928 2 September 17 New York Jets W 38–24 2–0 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 73,516 3 September 25 at Cincinnati Bengals L 14–21 2–1 Riverfront Stadium 55,996 4 October 1 Denver Broncos W 16–13 3–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 78,637 5 October 8 at Miami Dolphins L 10–13 OT 3–2 Joe Robbie Stadium 58,444 6 October 15 Pittsburgh Steelers L 7–17 3–3 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 78,840 7 October 23 Chicago Bears W 27–7 4–3 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 78,722 8 October 29 Houston Oilers W 28–17 5–3 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 78,765 9 November 5 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 42–31 6–3 Tampa Stadium 69,162 10 November 12 at Seattle Seahawks W 17–7 7–3 Kingdome 58,978 11 November 19 Kansas City Chiefs T 10–10 OT 7–3–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 77,922 12 November 23 at Detroit Lions L 10–13 7–4–1 Pontiac Silverdome 65,624 13 December 3 Cincinnati Bengals L 0–21 7–5–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 76,236 14 December 10 at Indianapolis Colts L 17–23 OT 7–6–1 Hoosier Dome 58,550 15 December 17 Minnesota Vikings W 23–17 OT 8–6–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 70,777 16 December 23 at Houston Oilers W 24–20 9–6–1 Houston Astrodome 58,852 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Game summaries Week 1 1989 Pittsburgh Steelers season Browns–Steelers rivalry Cleveland Browns 1989 2; text-align:center collapsed Cleveland Browns (0–0) at Pittsburgh Steelers (0–0) September 10 4:00 p.m. EST Browns 17 13 14 7 Steelers 0 0 0 0 Three Rivers Stadium • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 57,928 Rain • 73 °F °C 1 or • Wind 9 mph km/h knots Johnny Grier NBC Tom Hammond and Joe Namath Pro-Football-Reference.com, The Football Database Browns Bernie Kosar16/25, 207 Yds Mike Oliphant6 Rush, 48 Yds, TD Webster Slaughter4 Rec, 75 Yds Steelers Bubby Brister10/22, 84 Yds, 3 INT Tim Worley10 Rush, 36 Yds Derek Hill2 Rec, 28 Yds Bud Carson begins his Browns head coaching career with a memorable 51–0 victory over the Steelers in Pittsburgh. Carson, Pittsburgh's former defensive coordinator, watches his team force eight turnovers, record seven sacks and score three touchdowns (two by linebacker David Grayson). CLE PIT collapsed 1 5:42 Browns FumbleTD Matthews 3 good Bahr run/pass good/failed/incomplete 7 0 1 2:53 Browns FG 27 Bahr 10 0 1 2:31 Browns FumbleTD Grayson 28 good Bahr run/pass good/failed/incomplete 17 0 2 8:54 Browns FG 20 Bahr 20 0 2 3:28 Browns RushTD Manoa 3 good Bahr run/pass good/failed/incomplete 27 0 2 0:39 Browns FG 27 Bahr 30 0 3 12:26 Browns RushTD Manoa 2 good Bahr run/pass good/failed/incomplete 37 0 3 11:14 Browns IntTD Grayson 14 good Bahr run/pass good/failed/incomplete 44 0 4 11:34 Browns RushTD Oliphant 21 good Bahr run/pass good/failed/incomplete 51 0 Week 2 Jets 0 7 10 7 Browns 0 14 14 10 September 17 Cleveland Municipal Stadium Dale Hamer Marv Albert and Bob Trumpy NBC yes Q2 11:46 NYJ Vick 39 yard run (Leahy kick) NYJ 7–0 Q2 6:01 CLE Slaughter 35 yard pass from Kosar (Bahr kick) Tie 7–7 Q2 4:54 CLE Gash 36 yard interception return (Bahr kick) CLE 14–7 Q3 11:25 NYJ Townsell 49 yard pass from O'Brien (Leahy kick) Tie 14–14 Q3 8:27 CLE Manoa 6 yard pass from Kosar (Bahr kick) CLE 21–14 Q3 7:18 NYJ Leahy 36 yard field goal CLE 21–17 Q3 4:09 CLE Jones 9 yard run (Bahr kick) CLE 28–17 Q4 12:06 NYJ McNeil 1 yard run (Leahy kick) CLE 28–24 Q4 7:53 CLE Newsome 4 yard pass from Kosar (Bahr kick) CLE 35–24 Q4 2:12 CLE Bahr 21 yard field goal CLE 38–24 yes The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Sep-23. Week 4 The Browns snap a 10-game losing streak against Denver with a controversial 16–13 win at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The game was decided by a Matt Bahr 48-yard field goal as time expired – a kick that barely made the crossbar. Bahr's field goal comes after referee Tom Dooley ordered the teams to switch ends of the field, thanks to rowdy Dawg Pound fans who pelt the Broncos with dog biscuits, eggs and other debris. The switch gave the Browns a timely wind advantage. Week 7 Wide receiver Webster Slaughter catches eight passes for 186 yards in leading the Browns to a 27–7 win over the Chicago Bears on ABC's Monday Night Football at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. One of the catches is a 96-yard touchdown pass from Kosar – the longest play from scrimmage in Browns history. Week 8 For the first time in more than a decade Ozzie Newsome did not catch a pass, but the Browns still beat Houston, 28–17. The Browns explode for 326 second-half yards as Kosar throws touchdown passes of 80 and 77 yards to Slaughter. Newsome's club record streak of 150 consecutive games with a reception ends. Week 9: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cleveland Browns 1989 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 9: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Cleveland Browns November 5, 1989 1:00 p.m. CST Browns 7 28 0 7 Buccaneers 7 10 7 7 Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida Overcast, 85 F C NBC Tom Hammond and Joe Namath First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers TAM – Vinny Testaverde – 27/50, 370 yards, 2 TD, 4 INT CLE – Bernie Kosar – 18/22, 164 yards, 3 TD Top rushers TAM – James Wilder – 6 rushes, 23 yards CLE – Eric Metcalf – 17 rushes, 87 yards, 1 TD Top receivers TAM – James Wilder – 8 receptions, 107 yards, 2 TD CLE – Eric Metcalf – 7 receptions, 52 yards, 1 TD With the win, Cleveland improved to 6-3 and 2-0 against the NFC Central. This marked the Browns last win in Tampa Bay until 2026. Week 11 Former coach Marty Schottenheimer, returning to Cleveland with his Chiefs, has to settle for a 10–10 tie as Kansas City kicker Nick Lowery misses three makeable field goal attempts: 45- and 39- yard attempts In the final 10 seconds of regulation and a 47-yard attempt with seven seconds left in overtime. The Browns fumble four times, throw one interception and punt a club-record-tying 12 times. This was the first Browns' tie since the introduction of overtime in regular season games in 1974. The Browns would not record another tie until week 1 of the 2018 season. Week 12: at Detroit Lions Cleveland Browns 1989 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 12: Cleveland Browns at Detroit Lions – Game summary November 23, 1989 12:30 p.m. EDT Browns 0 10 0 0 Lions 0 10 3 0 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan 65,624 NBC Dick Enberg and Bill Walsh Box score First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter DET – Eddie Murray 39-yard field goal, 12:31. Detroit 3–0 Drive: 8 plays, 30 yards, 3:20. CLE – Matt Bahr 35-yard field goal, 7:33. Tied 3–3 Drive: 10 plays, 60 yards, 4:58. DET – Richard Johnson 27-yard pass from Bob Gagliano, 3:21. Detroit 10–3 Drive: 7 plays, 67 yards, 4:12 CLE – Barry Redden 38-yard rush (Matt Bahr kick good), 1:07. Tied 10–10 Drive: 8 plays, 94 yards, 2:14. Third quarter DET – Eddie Murray 35-yard field goal, 3:43. Detroit 13–10 Drive: 10 plays, 48 yards, 3:45. Fourth quarter No scoring plays Top passers CLE – Bernie Kosar – 28/38, 296 yards, INT DET – Bob Gagliano – 9/19, 143 yards, TD Top receivers CLE – Reggie Langhorne – 5 receptions, 72 yards DET – Richard Johnson – 3 receptions, 57 yards, TD Top rushers CLE – Barry Redden – 1 rush, 38 yards, TD DET – Barry Sanders – 28 rushes, 145 yards Week 16 With the AFC Central title and a wild-card berth at stake, the Browns blow a 17-point lead before bouncing back to defeat the Oilers, 24–20 at the Astrodome. The Browns march 58 yards with no timeouts and Kevin Mack scores on a 4-yard touchdown run with 39 seconds left to save the day. This excludes the three seasons from 1996 to 1998 when the Browns franchise was inactive. With the win, Cleveland clinched the AFC Central and finished 9–6–1. However, as of 2025, this would be the last the Browns would clinch their division. Since then, they have gone 36 years without clinching a division title, which currently stands as the longest active drought in the NFL. Postseason 1989–90 NFL playoffs Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue Recap Divisional January 6, 1990 Buffalo Bills (3) W 34–30 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 77,706 Recap AFC Championship January 14, 1990 at Denver Broncos (1) L 21–37 Mile High Stadium 76,005 Recap AFC divisional playoff Buffalo Bills (9–7) at Cleveland Browns (9–6–1) Cleveland Browns 34, Buffalo Bills 30 Bills 7 7 7 9 Browns 3 14 14 3 Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio Saturday, January 6, 1990. 12:30 p.m. EST NBC Charlie Jones and Merlin Olsen Dick Jorgensen 77,706 In a shootout, 33-year-old Browns linebacker Clay Matthews intercepted Bills quarterback Jim Kelly at the Cleveland 1-yard line with three seconds left to preserve a 34–30 victory. Kelly threw for 405 yards and four touchdowns while Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar threw for 251 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Browns receiver Webster Slaughter had the best postseason performance of his career with three receptions for 114 yards and two touchdowns. The game was played on a cold icy field that would have a big impact on the game. The Browns took their first drive into Bills territory but came up empty when Matt Bahr slipped while planting his foot on a 45-yard field goal attempt. On Buffalo's second play after the missed kick, Kelly threw a short pass to Andre Reed. Felix Wright slipped while going into coverage, leaving Reed wide open and he ended up taking the ball 72 yards to the end zone. But Cleveland struck back with an 18-yard completion from Kosar to Slaughter on the first play after the kickoff, which led to a 45-yard field goal by Bahr. Then after a punt, the Browns drove 79 yards and scored on a 52-yard touchdown pass from Kosar to Slaughter in the second quarter. Buffalo receiver Don Beebe returned the ensuing kickoff 32 yards to the 34-yard line. On the next play, Kelly completed a 21-yard pass to James Lofton. The Bills were on the move and did not stop until Kelly finished the drive with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Lofton that put the Bills back in the lead, 14–10. With less than 5 minutes left in the second quarter, the Browns took advantage of a short 34-yard punt by John Kidd that gave them the ball on their o9-yard line. Fullback Kevin Mack carried the ball 4 times for 31 yards as the team drove to retake the lead with Ron Middleton's 3-yard touchdown catch shortly before the end of the first half.[5] Buffalo responded with a drive to the Browns 40-yard line. But on a 4th and 1 conversion attempt, Cleveland defensive end Carl Hairston sacked Kelly to force a turnover on downs. On the second drive of the second half, the first turnover of the game occurred when Mark Harper intercepted a pass from Kelly on the Cleveland 46. Kosar then hooked up with Slaughter for another touchdown pass, this one 44 yards, to increase their lead to 24–14. The Bills gave the ball up again on their next drive when Larry Kinnebrew lost a fumble that was recovered on the Browns 25-yard line by defensive back Felix Wright. But on the next play, they took it back as Fred Smerlas forced a fumble from Mack that was recovered by Bills safety Mark Kelso on the 26. A few plays later on 3rd and 8, Kelly completed a 15-yard pass to running back Thurman Thomas on the Browns 4-yard line, setting up his 6-yard touchdown pass to Thomas to make the score 24–21. But Browns running back Eric Metcalf returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown to give his team a 31–21 lead by the end of the third quarter. Buffalo responded by driving 67 yards, including a 27-yard completion from Kelly to Thomas, to score on Scott Norwood's 30-yard field goal, cutting their deficit to 31–24. Cleveland struck back with a 51-yard drive to score a field goal of their own, a 46-yard kick by Bahr, retaking their two-score lead at 34–24 with 6:57 left in the game. Buffalo then drove 77 yards entirely on receptions by Thomas and fellow running back Ronnie Harmon, who hauled in a 22-yard catch on the Browns 3-yard line. On the next play, Kelly's 3-yard touchdown pass to Thomas cut their deficit to 34–30 with 3:56 left in regulation. But Scott Norwood slipped on an icy patch of the field while attempting the extra point, forcing the Bills to attempt to score a touchdown instead of a field goal on their final drive. After Buffalo's defense forced the Browns to go three-and-out, Kelly led the Bills to Cleveland's 11-yard line, converting two fourth downs on the way there. But Harmon dropped a potential game-winning catch in the end zone [6] and Kelly was intercepted by Matthews on the next play. Metcalf finished with 169 all-purpose yards. Thomas set a playoff record with 13 receptions for 150 yards and 2 touchdowns, while also rushing for 27 yards. This was the first postseason meeting between the Bills and Browns.[3] As of 2025, this remains the Browns last win in the AFC Divisional Round. Since then, Cleveland has held the longest Conference Championship appearance in the NFL at 36 years. Standings Notes References External links 1989 Cleveland Browns at Pro Football Reference (Profootballreference.com) 1989 Cleveland Browns Statistics at jt-sw.com 1989 Cleveland Browns Schedule at jt-sw.com 1989 Cleveland Browns at DatabaseFootball.com Cleveland Category:Cleveland Browns seasons Category:AFC Central championship seasons Cleveland