The Philadelphia Eagles and the Cleveland Browns have a much longer history of competition than you might realize. The Eagles trail the all-time series significantly with a 17-32-1 record against the Cleveland Browns. Dating back to the first battles in 1950, the Eagles and Browns were consistent competitors on the gridiron until the AFL-NFL merger in 1966. Philly and Cleveland football meetings became far less frequent as the teams were placed in separate conferences.
However, it’s not all bad news, folks! Philadelphia has had Cleveland’s number since the Browns returned to the league in 1999, but we’ll get there. It’s time to revisit the storied gridiron history between Philly and Cleveland.
Cleveland Dominates the 1950s
When the Cleveland Browns debuted in 1946, the team dominated the All-America Football Conference with a 52-4-3 record over the first 10 years of the league’s existence. The AAFC was shut down in 1949 under a settlement agreement with the NFL that saw the Browns, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Baltimore Colts join the NFL.
The reigning NFL champion Philadelphia welcomed one of the newest league members and reigning AAFC champion Cleveland Browns in the inaugural matchup between the franchises on 09/16/1950 in front of over 71, 000 fans at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium. Philly started well with a field goal to draw first blood on the scoreboard, but Hall-of-Fame quarterback Otto Graham led several unanswered touchdown drives to prove the Browns would be a force in the NFL in a 35-10 beatdown over the Eagles.
Try as they might, the Eagles were unable to get revenge against the Paul Brown coached-Cleveland Browns in the next four matchups. Philly lost the road matchup, 13-7, at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in December 1950. Cleveland won the NFL Championship over the Los Angeles Rams two weeks later on 12/24/1950. Imagine that – an NFL Championship for the Holidays!
Anyway, Cleveland also swept the series against Philadelphia in 1951 as well before Philly managed their first win on the road in November 1952. Combo halfback-cornerback Ralph Goldston scored a pair of 2-yard rushing touchdowns in a 28-20 fourth-quarter comeback for the Eagles. The teams would split meetings in 1953, 1954, and 1955.
The Cleveland Browns were ultimately the superior team of the early 1950s with six straight Eastern Conference crowns and three NFL titles in 1950, 1954, and 1955. It didn’t get easier for Philadelphia, or the NFL at large when the legendary Jim Brown joined Cleveland in 1957. The Eagles won only one of the next six matchups against Cleveland through 1959.
1960 Eagles Stunned By Browns Early
The 1960 Philadelphia Eagles had a magical finish with a 17-13 win handing Vince Lombardi his only playoff loss in his Hall of Fame coaching career. However, the season started on a sour note against… you guessed it, the Cleveland Browns. In the season opener on 09/25/1960 at Franklin Field, the Eagles were unable to slow down the running duo of Bobby Mitchell and Jim Brown who combined for over 300 rushing yards on the day in the 41-24 Cleveland victory. The Eagles exacted revenge in a tight 31-29 road win in Week 5 with a Bobby Walston 38-yard field goal to secure the Philly win.
The teams split the series in 1961 before the 1952 featured everyone’s favorite result – a tie! On 11/04/1962, the Eagles and Browns battled to a 14-14 draw in Cleveland. Each squad alternated touchdown scores with the Eagles striking first and the Browns with the final score. It wasn’t a very pretty season for the 1962 Eagles who finished 3-10-1 and finished 7th in the NFL East division.
Two Long Losing Streaks To Cleveland
Under the final season of Coach Nick Skorich and then incoming boss Joe Kuharich, the Philadelphia Eagles struggled over the next few seasons losing seven straight games to the Browns between 1963 and 1966. While this article features a lot of Cleveland winning, the Browns’ last NFL title came in 1964, so it’s been tough for Browns fans out there for a while now.
Coach Kuharich finally beat Cleveland on the sixth attempt in December 1966 in a 33-21 win at Franklin Field. Philadelphia held off a late Cleveland Brown fourth-quarter rally to earn a 28-24 win in the final game of their at Franklin Field in the rematch in 1967. Despite the loss, Cleveland advanced to play Dallas in the 1967 Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs leading to Super Bowl I. The Browns lost 52-14 at the Cotton Bowl to the Tom Landry-guided Cowboys.
Eagles fans would not enjoy seeing Cleveland on the schedule for the next decade. From 1968 through 1979, Philadelphia would lose six straight matchups to the Cleveland Browns.
Limited Interactions in 80’s & 90’s
Philadelphia and Cleveland traveled separate football orbits in the 1980s and 1990s only interacting four times over the two decades. The Eagles won the 1982 battle before conceding “the rematch” in 1988 to the Browns. Philly claimed a close 2-point victory in 1991, while Cleveland invaded the Vet and disappointed the 700-level with a November 1994 victory.
The Cleveland Browns franchise relocated to Baltimore, Maryland in 1996. The new franchise was named the Baltimore Ravens and the city of Cleveland retained the Browns’ legacy with their revival dependent upon a new stadium being completed within three years of deactivation. The NFL restored the Cleveland Browns in 1998 under the ownership of Al Lerner.
Eagles Turn To Dominate For A Decade
The Philadelphia Eagles have had the upper hand in the series since the start of the 2000s against the Cleveland Browns with a 5-1 record. Donovan McNabb scored three victories over Cleveland in 2000, 2004, and 2008. In those wins, McNabb tossed 10 touchdowns to 2 interceptions as Cleveland struggled to revive its iconic football legacy in a tough NFL landscape.
Michael Vick got in on the fun to open the 2012 season with a 17-16 win over the Browns. Vick survived 4 interceptions while completing 29 passes on 56 attempts. Despite the turnover issues, Vick located tight end Clay Harbor on a 4-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter to secure the one-point victory.
Highly touted first-round selection Carson Wentz debuted on 09/11/2016 in a 29-10 win at Lincoln Financial Field to open the 2016 NFL Season. Wentz completed 22 passes on 37 attempts with two touchdowns to help lead Philly to the win.
Philly Lost Last Meeting in 2020
The Philadelphia Eagles have not faced the Cleveland Browns since 11/22/2020. The Eagles were scuffling towards the end of the season at 3-6-1, while the Browns at 7-2 were finally seeing success under third-year quarterback Baker Mayfield. Veteran signal caller Carson Wentz had a rough day with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, including a first-quarter pick-six in a 22-17 road loss. Mayfield did enough on 12-of-22 passing for 204 yards in the Browns win.
Philadelphia and Cleveland will do battle for the 51st time overall and the first time in almost four years this upcoming Sunday. The Eagles host the Browns at Lincoln Financial Field for a 1 pm EST kick-off on 10/13/2024.
Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
