Cleveland Browns Set NFL Record by Losing 10th Straight Season Opener

With Sunday's 30-27 loss to the archrival Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cleveland Browns set a new NFL record by losing a 10th consecutive season opener, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Previously, the Browns had been tied at nine seasons with the 1968-76 Philadelphia Eagles, a team that was consistently bad during that stretch, topping out at 7-7 in 1974. All in all, the Eagles posted 37-84-5 over that nine-year span, good for a .313 winning percentage.

The Browns have fared a bit better during their own streak of season-opening futility, with Sunday's loss dropping their record since the beginning of 2005 to 47-98, which equates to a winning percentage of .324. Cleveland also has a winning season to show for the stretch, though its 10-6 record wasn't quite enough to qualify for the playoffs in 2007.

Speaking of which, the Browns still hold out some hope—though not much—of ending a more important streak, that being their playoff drought which dates to 2002. The Browns and Oakland Raiders are tied for the second-longest postseason drought, trailing only a Buffalo Bills franchise that hasn't qualified since bowing out on the "Music City Miracle" in 1999.

On the other side of the coin, a New England Patriots franchise that has qualified for 10 of the last 11 postseasons saw its 10-game winning streak in season openers snapped by the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, per ESPN Stats & Info. The Patriots have qualified for the playoffs in five straight seasons, tied with the Green Bay Packers for the NFL's longest active streak.