NFL team season
1988 Cleveland Browns season Owner Art Modell Head coach Marty Schottenheimer General manager Ernie Accorsi Home field Cleveland Municipal Stadium Local radio WWWE · WDOK Record 10–6 Division place T-2nd AFC Central Playoff finish Lost Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Oilers ) 23–24
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 the best regular-season record in the NFL 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 2020, this remains the last time the Browns swept the Steelers.
Offseason [ ]
NFL Draft [ ]
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
Personnel [ ]
Staff [ ]
1988 Cleveland Browns staff
Front office
President and Owner – Art Modell
Executive Vice President of Football Operations – Ernie Accorsi
Head coaches
Head Coach – Marty Schottenheimer
Offensive coaches
Defensive coaches
Defensive Coordinator – Dave Adolph
Defensive Line – Tom Pratt
Secondary – Bill Cowher
Special Assistant/Defense – Darvin Wallis
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
[1]
Roster [ ]
1988 Cleveland Browns roster
Quarterbacks
19 Bernie Kosar
18 Gary Danielson
12 Don Strock
7
10 Mike Pagel
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
Reserve lists
Practice squad
Rookies in italics
Regular season [ ]
Schedule [ ]
Week
Date
Opponent
Result
Record
Venue
Attendance
Recap
1
September 4
at Kansas 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
Indianapolis Colts
W 23–17
2–1
Cleveland Municipal Stadium
75,148
Recap
4
September 25
at Cincinnati Bengals
L 17–24
2–2
Riverfront Stadium
54,943
Recap
5
October 2
at Pittsburgh 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
at Phoenix 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
at Houston Oilers
L 17–24
6–4
Houston Astrodome
51,467
Recap
11
November 13
at Denver 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
at Washington 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
at Miami 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.
Postseason [ ]
Round
Date
Opponent (seed)
Result
Record
Venue
Recap
Wild Card
December 24
Houston Oilers (5)
L 23–24
0–1
Cleveland Municipal Stadium
Recap
Game summaries [ ]
Week 1 [ ]
1
2 3 4 Total
• Browns
0
3 0 3
6
Chiefs
0
3 0 0
3
Date: September 4Location: Arrowhead Stadium Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 55,654Game weather: 65 °F; wind 13Referee: Jim TunneyTelevision network: NBC
Scoring summary Q2 KC Lowery 33-yard field goalKC 3–0
Q2 CLE Bahr 19-yard field goalTie 3–3
Q4 CLE Bahr 38-yard field goal CLE 6–3
[2]
Week 2 [ ]
This section is empty. You can help by . (April 2015 )
Week 9 [ ]
1
2 3 4 Total
Bengals
0
10 3 3
16
• Browns
3
7 10 3
23
Date: October 30Location: Cleveland Municipal Stadium Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game weather: 38 °F; wind 9Referee: Dick JorgensenTV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen
Scoring summary Q1 CLE Bahr 34-yard field goalCLE 3–0
Q2 CIN Fulcher 16-yard interception return (Breech kick)CIN 7–3
Q2 CLE Manoa 2-yard run (Bahr kick)CLE 10–7
Q2 CIN Breech 19-yard field goal Tie 10–10
Q3 CLE Bahr 39-yard field goal CLE 13–10
Q3 CLE Fontenot 1 yard blocked punt return (Bahr kick)CLE 20–10
Q3 CIN Breech 32-yard field goal CLE 20–13
Q4 CLE Bahr 29-yard field goal CLE 23–13
Q4 CIN Breech 22-yard field goal CLE 23–16
[3]
Week 14 [ ]
1
2 3 4 Total
Cowboys
0
14 0 7
21
• Browns
7
3 0 14
24
Date: December 4Location: Cleveland Municipal Stadium Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 77,683Game weather: 35 °F; wind 16Referee: Jerry SeemanTV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Kenny Stabler
Scoring summary Q1 CLE Langhorne 73-yard pass from Kosar (Bahr kick)CLE 7–0
Q2 DAL Clack 7-yard pass from Pelluer (Ruzek kick)Tie 7–7
Q2 CLE Bahr 25-yard field goal CLE 10–7
Q2 DAL Folsom 5-yard pass from Peuller (Ruzek kick)DAL 14–10
Q4 CLE Fontenot 14-yard pass from Kosar (Bahr kick)CLE 17–14
Q4 CLE Weathers 36-yard pass from Kosar (Bahr kick)CLE 24–14
Q4 DAL Walker 4-yard run (Ruzek kick)CLE 24–21
[4]
Week 16 [ ]
1
2 3 4 Total
Oilers
10
6 7 0
23
• Browns
0
7 7 14
28
Date: December 18Location: Cleveland Municipal Stadium , Cleveland, Ohio Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game attendance: 74,610Game weather: Snow; 20 °F (−7 °C); wind 13Referee: Dick JorgensenTV announcers (NBC ): Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy
Scoring summary Q1 HOU Tony Zendejas 39-yard field goalHOU 3–0
Q1 HOU Domingo Bryant 36-yard interception return (Tony Zendejas kick) HOU 10–0
Q2 CLE Michael Dean Perry 10-yard fumble return (Matt Bahr kick)HOU 10–7
Q2 HOU Tony Zendejas 42-yard field goal HOU 13–7
Q2 HOU Tony Zendejas 35-yard field goal HOU 16–7
Q3 HOU Haywood Jeffries 7-yard pass from Warren Moon (Tony Zendejas kick)HOU 23–7
Q3 CLE Earnest Byner 2-yard pass from Don Strock (Matt Bahr kick)HOU 23–14
Q4 CLE Earnest Byner 2-yard run (Matt Bahr kick) HOU 23–21
Q4 CLE Webster Slaughter 22-yard pass from Don Strock (Matt Bahr kick)CLE 28–23
[5]
Standings [ ]
Playoffs [ ]
AFC Wild Card Game [ ]
Houston Oilers 24, Cleveland Browns 23
1
2
3 4 Total
Oilers
0
14
0 10 24
Browns
3
6
7 7 23
at Cleveland Stadium , Cleveland, Ohio
Game time : 1:30 p.m. EST Game attendance : 74,977Referee : Jerry Seeman TV announcers (NBC ) : Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy
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.
Awards and records [ ]
References [ ]
Cleveland Browns
Founded in 1946
Based in Cleveland , Ohio
Headquartered in Berea , Ohio
Franchise Stadiums Key personnel Culture and lore Rivalries Playoff appearances (29) Division championships (12) Conference championships (11) League championships (8) Retired numbers
14
32
45
46
76
Hall of Fame inductees Current league affiliations Former league affiliation
League: All-America Football Conference (1946–1949)