Ranking the 5 Best Browns Teams of All Time

The 2026 Cleveland Browns are 5-2 and standing atop the division.

That's not a position the franchise has been in often during the 21st century. The Browns are far from perfect. They still have a negative point differential through seven games and they have to build on this momentum to cash in on the hot start.

They have an even longer way to go to be considered one of the best teams in franchise history. You wouldn't know it based on the team's recent history, but there are some truly great Browns teams in the franchise's history.

Let's count down the top five teams in franchise history to provide real context for what some of the groups in the team's history have accomplished.

Honorable Mention

AP Photo

Browns QB Bernie Kosar

The Browns have won eight championships if you include the four they won in the AAFC before winning four more in the NFL. So competition to make the top five was tough.

Here are some of the notables that came just short of the cut along with their record.

1980 (11-6): The Kardiac Kids weren't the most dominant team, but they had a knack for pulling out close games late. Sound familiar? Quarterback Brian Sipe won MVP and the Browns earned a playoff berth before seeing its season come to a heartbreaking conclusion on an interception against the Oakland Raiders.

2020 (12-6): This is the best team of the modern era. Kevin Stefanski's first year on the job yielded a team that beat the Steelers in the Wildcard Round and pushed the Kansas City Chiefs to the brink.

1987 (11-6): One of three teams in the 80's to reach the AFC Championship Game. The '87 version ranked third in scoring offense and second in scoring defense. Unfortunately, the season is equally remembered for Earnest Byner's late-game fumble against the Broncos.

1986 (13-5): The best of the 80's-era Browns. Went 12-4 to lock up homefield advantage in the playoffs, only to have John Elway lead The Drive to beat the Browns in the AFC Championship Game.

1955 (10-2-1): The toughest team to leave out of the top five. They won the NFL championship in Otto Graham's final season with one of the league's top offenses and defenses.

5. 1954 (10-3)

AP Photo/Dallas Morning News)

Otto Graham

Season at a Glance: The Browns lost three consecutive championship games before bouncing back in 1954. A 9-3 run in the regular season set the stage for a dominant showing in the championship game to win their second NFL championship.

The Resume: The Browns were first in scoring defense and second in scoring offense. The team had shaky start with two losses in the first four weeks before winning eight straight games to rise to the top of the league. They were led by All-Pro campaigns from Otto Graham, Len Ford, Lou Groza and Abe Gibron.

Defining Moment: The championship game. The Lions snapped the Browns eight-game win streak in the final game of the regular season. The Lions had beaten them in the last two championship games as well.

The Browns took out the frustration of those losses in a 56-10 drubbing that stands out as one of Otto Graham's best performances. He passed for three scores and ran for three more while the Browns' defense forced nine turnovers.

The Caveat: The Browns rough start included a 28-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and a 55-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. They put it all together in the championship game, but it wasn't wire-to-wire dominance.

4. 1946 (13-2)

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Browns HC Paul Brown

Season at a Glance: The first season in franchise history remains one of the best. The 1946 Browns introduced themselves to professional football with an AAFC championship marked by domination on both sides of the ball.

The Resume: The 286-point differential is still the best in the history of the franchise. The Browns inaugural defense was especially suffocating, pitching shutouts in three games and giving up just 137 points in 14 games.

Otto Graham, Marion Motley and Mac Speedie were All-Pro honorees while Dante Lavelli led the league in receiving.

Defining Moment: A 14-9 win over the New York Yankees in the championship game was a harbinger of things to come. However, the Browns inaugural season was defined by the season opener.

They established themselves as a force in a 44-0 win over the Miami Seahawks in which they allowed just 27 yards while racking up 345.

The Caveat: The Browns dropped back-to-back games in the regular season and were facing less competition in the eight-team league. So the dominance comes with an asterisk.

3. 1964 (11-3-1)

AP Photo

Browns RB Jim Brown

Season at a Glance: The 1964 Browns won the NFL championship and were represented the last Cleveland major professional sports championship until the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA title in 2016.

The Resume: The Browns put together 11 wins with just three losses thanks to a dynamic offense led by Jim Brown. The legendary back had one of his best seasons, but the unit was balanced out by rookie Paul Warfield who finished fifth in the league in receiving yards.

The team boasted seven Pro Bowl selections and ultimately upset the Baltimore Colts to become NFL champions.

Defining Moment: The 27-0 win over the Colts in the championship game was an upset of historic proportions. Led by Johnny Unitas, Raymond Berry and John Mackey, they had an even better offense throughout the season and were heavy favorites.

Still, the defense limited Unitas to just 95 passing yards in the shutout. Gary Collins was the offensive hero, hauling in three touchdowns as the Browns completed one of the biggest playoff upsets in history.

The Caveat: For all of the team's achievements, the championship shutout was largely an anomaly. The defense was mostly average, ranking 14th in the league in yards allowed. The Browns won a lot of shootouts on their way to the championship, making them a little less complete than the top two teams on our list.

2. 1950 (12-2)

AP Photo/File

Otto Graham and Paul Brown

Season at a Glance: The 1950 season marked the Cleveland Browns debut in the NFL. They made a statement with a 10-2 regular-season record and a championship that brought credibility to the former AAFC teams.

The Resume: A roster that boasted seven Pro Bowlers was second in the league in yards allowed. They ripped off eight consecutive victories after a 4-2 start to claim the NFL championship and finished 25th in the NFL's Top 100 Teams of All-Time list.

Defining Moment: The 30-28 win over the Rams in the championship game would be the easy answer, but the Browns don't even see that game if they don't overcome the Giants in an 8-3 win in the American Conference Championship Game.

The Browns' previous two losses came against the Giants. However, Otto Graham used his legs to set up a field goal late in the fourth quarter, exemplifying the resilience of Paul Brown's squads.

The Caveat: The 1950 team was great, but they didn't quite reach perfection. Overcoming the Giants was a great narrative arc. However, they still lose a few points for losing to the same team twice.

1. 1948 (15-0)

AP Photo/Harry Hall, File

Marion Motley

Season at a Glance: The 1948 Cleveland Browns were the first professional football team to go undefeated. They capped off an unbeaten and untied season with an AAFC Championship.

The Resume: The undefeated record is obviously the best achievement, but the dominance wasn't just confined to the zero in the loss column. They owned the No. 1 defense in the league while finishing second in scoring.

Otto Graham led the league in passing and Marion Motley led the league in rushing. Both were All-Pro picks along with Mac Speedie.

Defining Moment: The Browns put the finishing touches on the storybook season with a 49-7 drubbing of the Buffalo Bills. Cleveland outgained Buffalo 333-167 with Motley finding the endzone three times on 14 carries in the championship game.

The Caveat: There's no questioning the dominance, but the fact that this happened in the AAFC opens debate for strength of schedule. There's a case to be made that the NFL championship teams walked a harder road to their titles.