The Cleveland Browns actually took sole possession of first place in the AFC North in 2014, a moment that had their fans buzzing after a Thursday night win over the rival Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a huge deal, ending a 12-year drought for that mountaintop spot. But if you think that was the start of something legendary, you’d be wrong. Dead wrong. Because what happened next? A total collapse.
A Brief Taste of Glory
Under first-year head coach Mike Pettine, the Browns really looked like they were cooking. They hit 3-1 in Week 4, then climbed back to the top spot with a last-second victory against Baltimore in Week 6. Things truly started to look promising, to the point where they appeared on the brink of a memorable campaign. After 11 games, in early November, they beat the Bengals in Week 10. That win, combined with a Steelers victory over the Ravens in Week 9, rocketed Cleveland into outright first place at 6-3.
A playoff berth genuinely seemed to beckon for Pettine’s bunch, even after a loss to the Texans in Week 11. They got things back on track with a Week 12 triumph over the Falcons, pushing their record to 7-4. At that point, Cleveland was comfortably in the race for a Wild Card spot and still had a real chance to contend for a divisional crown.
The Wheels Fell Off, HARD
But man, there were definitely signs that their performances would be tough to maintain. That 2014 Browns defense, led by Pettine, was stout, surrendering a little over 20 points per game. Respectable. Their offense, though? Woof. The Brian Hoyer-led unit finished with fewer than two touchdowns in six different games, and not a single skill player even hit the 1,000-yard mark for the season. You can’t win like that consistently, right? And sure enough, the wheels didn’t just fall off, they completely disintegrated. They dropped *every single one* of their final five games. FIVE!
That brutal five-game skid left them with a pathetic 7-9 record. The offense averaged a putrid 11.4 points during that stretch, which was well behind league averages. They ended the year with just 12 passing touchdowns across 16 games, a dismal tally that was three fewer than the next closest team. And the kicker? The rest of the AFC North continued to flex their might down the stretch, so the Browns, despite being in first place at 7-4, ended up condemned to a last-place finish in the division. It just goes to show you, sometimes a brief dalliance with relevancy isn’t a precursor to yearlong success. That abyss? They wouldn’t escape it for a long, long time.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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