| 1988 Cleveland Browns season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Art Modell |
| General manager | Ernie Accorsi |
| Head coach | Marty Schottenheimer |
| Home field | Cleveland Municipal Stadium |
| Local radio | WWWE · WDOK |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 2nd AFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Oilers) 23–24 |
| Pro Bowlers | OLB Clay Matthews Jr. CB Hanford Dixon CB Frank Minnifield |
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The 1988 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 39th season with the National Football League.
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.
| 1988 Cleveland Browns draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | Clifford Charlton | OLB | Florida | |
| 2 | 50 | Michael Dean Perry * | DT | Clemson | |
| 3 | 77 | Van Waiters | OLB | Indiana | |
| 4 | 103 | Anthony Blaylock | CB | Winston-Salem State | |
| 7 | 188 | Thane Gash | S | East Tennessee State | |
| 8 | 216 | J.J. Birden | WR | Oregon | |
| 9 | 244 | Danny Copeland | DB | Eastern Kentucky | |
| 10 | 272 | Brian Washington | DB | Nebraska | |
| 11 | 300 | Hendley Hawkins | WR | Nebraska | |
| 12 | 328 | Steve Slayden | QB | Duke | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
47 active, 9 inactive
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| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 4 | atKansas City Chiefs | W 6–3 | 1–0 | Arrowhead Stadium | 55,654 | Recap |
| 2 | September 11 | New York Jets | L 3–23 | 1–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 74,434 | Recap |
| 3 | September 19 | Indianapolis Colts | W 23–17 | 2–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 75,148 | Recap |
| 4 | September 25 | atCincinnati Bengals | L 17–24 | 2–2 | Riverfront Stadium | 54,943 | Recap |
| 5 | October 2 | atPittsburgh Steelers | W 23–9 | 3–2 | Three Rivers Stadium | 56,410 | Recap |
| 6 | October 9 | Seattle Seahawks | L 10–16 | 3–3 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 78,605 | Recap |
| 7 | October 16 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 19–3 | 4–3 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 78,787 | Recap |
| 8 | October 23 | atPhoenix Cardinals | W 29–21 | 5–3 | Sun Devil Stadium | 61,261 | Recap |
| 9 | October 30 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 23–16 | 6–3 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 79,147 | Recap |
| 10 | November 7 | atHouston Oilers | L 17–24 | 6–4 | Houston Astrodome | 51,467 | Recap |
| 11 | November 13 | atDenver Broncos | L 7–30 | 6–5 | Mile High Stadium | 75,806 | Recap |
| 12 | November 20 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 27–7 | 7–5 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 77,131 | Recap |
| 13 | November 27 | atWashington Redskins | W 17–13 | 8–5 | RFK Stadium | 51,604 | Recap |
| 14 | December 4 | Dallas Cowboys | W 24–21 | 9–5 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 77,683 | Recap |
| 15 | December 12 | atMiami Dolphins | L 31–38 | 9–6 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 61,884 | Recap |
| 16 | December 18 | Houston Oilers | W 28–23 | 10–6 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 74,610 | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | December 24 | Houston Oilers (5) | L 23–24 | 0–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | Recap |
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| AFC Central | |||||||||
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W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Cincinnati Bengals(1) | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 448 | 329 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns(4) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 6–6 | 304 | 288 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers(5) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 7–5 | 424 | 365 | L1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 4–8 | 336 | 421 | W1 |
Houston Oilers 24, Cleveland Browns 23
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Oilers | 0 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 24 |
| Browns | 3 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 23 |
atCleveland 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.
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| Franchise |
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| Stadiums |
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| Key personnel |
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| Lore |
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| Rivalries |
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| Playoff appearances (30) |
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| Division championships (12) |
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| Conference championships (11) |
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| League championships (8) |
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| Retired numbers |
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| Hall of Fame inductees |
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Bold indicates AAFC championship (through 1949) or NFL championship (1950–1969) |
