The 1971 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 22nd season with the National Football League.
| 1971 Cleveland Browns season | |
|---|---|
| General manager | Harold Sauerbrei |
| Head coach | Nick Skorich |
| Home field | Cleveland Stadium |
| Local radio | WHK |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–5 |
| Division place | 1st AFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Lost Divisional Playoffs (vs. Colts) 3–20 |
| |
After missing the playoffs the previous year, the Browns got off to a good start at 4–1 only to stumble losing 4 straight to fall to 4–5. However, the Browns would rebound to win the final 5 games of the season for the AFC Central Division title. Just as the 1967 Browns returned to the playoffs following a one-year absence, so, too, did the '71 club, which was in its first season under new head coach Nick Skorich after Blanton Collier's final team in 1970 had finished just 7–7, ending a string of three consecutive postseason berths.
As was the case in 1967, the '71 Browns went 9–5 and won a division crown. They captured the AFC Central for the first time, finishing three games in front of the soon-to-emerge Pittsburgh Steelers (6–8). In the playoffs the Browns would fall in the first round 20–3 to the Baltimore Colts. Running back Leroy Kelly was on the downside of his Pro Football Hall of Fame career, but he did manage to rush for 865 yards and 10 touchdowns – still good for a 14-game season. Wide receiver Fair Hooker led the team in receptions with 45.[1]
| 1971 Cleveland Browns draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | Clarence Scott * | DB | Kansas State | |
| 2 | 40 | Bo Cornell | LB | Washington | |
| 3 | 66 | Paul Staroba | WR | Michigan | Played with Browns in 1972 |
| 3 | 68 | Charlie Hall | LB | Houston | |
| 4 | 92 | Bubba Pena | G | UMass | Played with Browns in 1972 |
| 5 | 118 | Stan Brown | WR | Purdue | |
| 6 | 142 | Doug Dieken * | T | Illinois | |
| 6 | 144 | Jay Dixon | DE | Boston University | |
| 7 | 170 | Bob Jacobs | K | Wyoming | |
| 8 | 196 | Larry Zelina | RB | Ohio State | |
| 9 | 222 | Wilmur Levels | DB | North Texas State | |
| 10 | 248 | Steve Casteel | LB | Oklahoma | |
| 11 | 274 | Mike Sikich | G | Northwestern | |
| 12 | 300 | Tony Blanchard | TE | North Carolina | |
| 13 | 326 | Thad Jamula | T | Lehigh | |
| 14 | 352 | Rick Kingrea | LB | Tulane | |
| 15 | 378 | Bill Green | DB | Western Kentucky | |
| 16 | 404 | Dave Smith | WR | Mississippi State | |
| 17 | 430 | Leo Dillon | C | Dayton | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
Practice squad
| ||||||
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 8 | atSan Francisco 49ers | L 24–38 | 0–1 | Candlestick Park | 40,000 |
| 2 | August 13 | Los Angeles Rams | L 5–17 | 0–2 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 52,503 |
| 3 | August 20 | atDallas Cowboys | L 15–16 | 0–3 | Cotton Bowl | 69,099 |
| 4 | August 28 | vs. Chicago Bears | L 19–20 | 0–4 | Notre Dame Stadium | 43,568 |
| 5 | September 4 | New York Giants | W 30–7 | 1-4 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 82,710 |
| 6 | September 10 | atSt. Louis Cardinals | L 13–27 | 1-5 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 46,171 |
There was a doubleheader on September 4, 1971 Jets vs Steelers and Giants vs Browns.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 19 | Houston Oilers | W 31–0 | 1–0 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 73,387 | Recap |
| 2 | September 26 | atBaltimore Colts | W 14–13 | 2–0 | Memorial Stadium | 56,837 | Recap |
| 3 | October 4 | Oakland Raiders | L 20–34 | 2–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 84,285 | Recap |
| 4 | October 10 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 27–17 | 3–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 83,391 | Recap |
| 5 | October 17 | atCincinnati Bengals | W 27–24 | 4–1 | Riverfront Stadium | 60,284 | Recap |
| 6 | October 24 | Denver Broncos | L 0–27 | 4–2 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 75,674 | Recap |
| 7 | October 31 | Atlanta Falcons | L 14–31 | 4–3 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 76,825 | Recap |
| 8 | November 7 | atPittsburgh Steelers | L 9–26 | 4–4 | Three Rivers Stadium | 50,202 | Recap |
| 9 | November 14 | atKansas City Chiefs | L 7–13 | 4–5 | Municipal Stadium | 50,388 | Recap |
| 10 | November 21 | New England Patriots | W 27–7 | 5–5 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 65,238 | Recap |
| 11 | November 28 | atHouston Oilers | W 37–24 | 6–5 | Houston Astrodome | 37,921 | Recap |
| 12 | December 5 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 31–27 | 7–5 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 82,705 | Recap |
| 13 | December 12 | atNew Orleans Saints | W 21–17 | 8–5 | Tulane Stadium | 72,794 | Recap |
| 14 | December 19 | atWashington Redskins | W 20–13 | 9–5 | RFK Stadium | 53,041 | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
The Browns open the regular season by blasting the Oilers, 31-0, in Nick Skorich's first game as coach. Leroy Kelly scores the Browns' first two touchdowns on 1-yard runs, and Bill Nelsen and Mike Phipps both throw a touchdown pass. The Browns intercept five passes (two by rookie Clarence Scott) and yield just 11 first downs.
The Browns survived a late mistake and upset the defending Super Bowl-champion Colts, 14-13 at Baltimore. After Walt Sumner intercepts a Johnny Unitas pass with five seconds left (Cleveland's fifth interception), he attempts to lateral to Scott, who never touches the ball as Baltimore's Ray Perkins recovers at the Cleveland 27. But the Colts, out of timeouts, watch theclock expire before they can get off a field-goal attempt.
The Browns edge the Bengals, 27-24, at Cincinnati on Bo Scott's third touchdown - a 4-yard run with 39 seconds remaining. The win improves Cleveland's record to 4-1 and drops Paul Brown's defending AFC Central-champion Bengals to 1-4. The Browns get a break when defensive end Jack Gregory recovers a fumble at the Cincinnati 10, setting up a Nelsen-to-Scott TD pass.
Week 7: Atlanta Falcons at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 14 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 31 |
| Browns | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
atCleveland Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
The Browns snap a four-game losing streak with a 27-7 win over the Patriots at Cleveland Stadium. Kelly rushes for 113 yards and scores two touchdowns, one on a 7-yard pass from Nelsen for the game's first score. The Browns intercept four passes by New England rookie Jim Plunkett, who has trouble adjusting on a windy day.
The Browns clinch their first AFC Central Division title with a 31-27 win over Cincinnati at Cleveland. Leroy Kelly, who surpassed the 100-yard mark for the 26th time, scores the first and last touchdowns to complement a 224-yard passing performance by Nelsen.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional | December 26 | Baltimore Colts | L 3–20 | 0–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 74,082 | Recap |
| AFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Cleveland Browns | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 5–1 | 7–4 | 285 | 273 | W5 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 4–2 | 5–6 | 246 | 292 | L1 |
| Houston Oilers | 4 | 9 | 1 | .308 | 2–4 | 4–7 | 251 | 330 | W3 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 1–5 | 3–8 | 284 | 265 | L3 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.