2017 Cleveland Browns season

2017 Cleveland Browns season
OwnerJimmy Haslam
General managerSashi Brown[1] (fired Week 13)
John Dorsey
Head coachHue Jackson
Home fieldFirstEnergy Stadium
Results
Record0–16
Division place4th AFC North
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersLB Joe Schobert

The 2017 season was the Cleveland Browns' 65th in the National Football League (NFL), their 69th overall, their second under head coach Hue Jackson and their second and final season under general manager Sashi Brown. The Browns failed to improve on their 1–15 record from the previous season, as they instead joined the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only teams in NFL history to finish a season 0–16 since the season was expanded to 16 games in 1978, and the last due to the NFL expanding its regular season schedule to 17 games in 2021. They extended a losing streak that began in the final game of the previous season. The Browns became the twelfth NFL team to have gone winless playing eight games or more and the fourth since the AFL–NFL merger in 1970.

In going 0–16, the Browns became the first franchise in NFL history to have multiple and consecutive seasons with 15 or more losses.[2] They were eliminated from the AFC North title contention in Week 11, extending an active NFL record drought of 25 consecutive seasons without a division title and would subsequently be eliminated from playoff contention the next week, extending their franchise-record playoff drought to 15 consecutive seasons.[3] With the Buffalo Bills qualifying for the postseason for the first time since 1999, the Browns had the longest postseason drought in the NFL and the second longest in the four major American sports leagues, only behind the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball.[4]

The Browns finished the season with a losing record for the tenth consecutive year, extending a franchise record. With the Los Angeles Rams posting a winning record, the Browns now had the most consecutive losing seasons in the NFL. It was the first season in which they lost every home game since 1999. The Browns also extended their away losing streak to 21 games and their losing streak within the AFC North to 17 games, both dating back to the 2015 season. The Browns finished the 2017 season with combined 1–31 record over the previous two seasons, an NFL record for worst winning percentage over a two-season span. After starting the 2014 season with a 6–3 record heading into Week 11, the Browns lost 50 of 55 games between that point and the end of this season.

On December 7, Brown was relieved of his duties as executive vice president. John Dorsey, formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs, was hired as general manager the same day.[5] To further add to these failures, offensive tackle Joe Thomas missed the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career, as he tore his left triceps on October 22, ending his season. Before his injury, Thomas had not missed a single snap since joining the league in 2007, a total of 10,363 plays.[6] He then retired on March 14, 2018, following the season.

The season saw the Browns play in London for the first time in franchise history, in a 33–16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on October 29.

  1. ^ Brown was the de facto general manager. His official title was "Executive Vice-president, Football Operations."
  2. ^ "What happened to recent NFL teams after they went 0-16, 1-15? What does history tells us is next for the Browns?". SB Nation. December 31, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  3. ^ "NFL playoff picture 2017: Where teams stand after Week 12". SB Nation. November 26, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  4. ^ Benjamin, Cody (January 1, 2018). "Bills' playoff berth snaps longest postseason drought in pro American sports". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  5. ^ "Browns name John Dorsey General Manager". Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  6. ^ Feldman, Jacob (October 23, 2017). "The Joe Thomas Injury: A Streak Snapped and a New Low in the Factory of Sadness". SI.com. Retrieved January 6, 2018.