| 1982 Cleveland Browns season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Art Modell |
| Head coach | Sam Rutigliano |
| Home stadium | Cleveland Municipal Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 4–5 |
| Division place | 8thAFC (Would have been 3rd in theAFC Central) |
| Playoffs | LostWild Card Playoffs (atRaiders) 10–27 |
| Pro Bowlers | LBChip Banks |
The1982 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 33rd season with theNational Football League.
The Browns were among eight teams that qualified for the playoffs during thisstrike shortened season, and became one of only six teams to ever qualify for the playoffs despite having a losing record.[1][2][3] The Browns and theDetroit Lions from the same year are the only two teams with a losing record to qualify as wildcards. In the first round of the NFL playoffs, Cleveland lost to the Los Angeles Raiders 27–10.
The Browns' first round draft pick, rookie sensation linebackerChip Banks earned 6.5 sacks in just nine games.
The following were selected in the1982 NFL draft.
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Chip Banks | Linebacker | USC | |
| 2 | 31 | Keith Baldwin | Defensive end | Texas A&M | |
| 4 | 87 | Dwight Walker | Running back | Nicholls State | |
| 5 | 115 | Mike Baab | Center | Texas | |
| 6 | 162 | Mike Whitwell | Defensive back | Texas A&M | |
| 8 | 199 | Mark Kafentzis | Defensive back | Hawaii | |
| 8 | 204 | Van Heflin | Tight end | Vanderbilt | |
| 8 | 211 | Bill Jackson | Defensive back | North Carolina | |
| 9 | 227 | Milton Baker | Tight end | West Texas A&M | |
| 10 | 255 | Ricky Floyd | Running back | Southern Miss | |
| 11 | 282 | Steve Michuta | Quarterback | Grand Valley State | |
| 12 | 310 | Scott Nicolas | Linebacker | Miami |
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
| 1982 Cleveland Browns roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks Running backs Wide receivers
Tight ends | Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
| Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams rookies in italics | ||||
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 12 | atSeattle Seahawks | W 21–7 | 1–0 | Kingdome | 55,907 | |
| 2 | September 19 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 21–24 | 1–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 78,830 | |
| September 27 | Cincinnati Bengals | canceled | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | ||||
| October 3 | atWashington Redskins | RFK Stadium | |||||
| October 10 | atLos Angeles Raiders | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | |||||
| October 17 | Baltimore Colts | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | |||||
| October 24 | atPittsburgh Steelers | postponed | Three Rivers Stadium | ||||
| October 31 | Houston Oilers | canceled | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | ||||
| November 7 | New York Giants | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | |||||
| November 14 | atMiami Dolphins | Miami Orange Bowl | |||||
| 3 | November 21 | New England Patriots | W 10–7 | 2–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 51,781 | |
| 4 | November 25 | atDallas Cowboys | L 14–31 | 2–2 | Texas Stadium | 46,267 | |
| 5 | December 5 | San Diego Chargers | L 13–30 | 2–3 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 54,064 | |
| 6 | December 12 | atCincinnati Bengals | L 10–23 | 2–4 | Riverfront Stadium | 54,305 | |
| 7 | December 19 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 10–9 | 3–4 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 67,139 | |
| 8 | December 26 | atHouston Oilers | W 20–14 | 4–4 | Houston Astrodome | 36,559 | |
| 9 | January 2 | atPittsburgh Steelers | L 21–37 | 4–5 | Three Rivers Stadium | 52,312 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text. | |||||||
Less than nine months after closing the 1981 season in Seattle, the Browns return to the Kingdome and defeat the Seahawks 21–7.Mike Pruitt accounts for 136 of Cleveland's 200 rushing yards and scores two touchdowns. The Browns sackDave Krieg eight teams, three by rookie linebackerChip Banks.
In their first game after the1982 NFL strike that wiped out almost half the regular season, The Browns fight their way through a heavy Cleveland fog and beat New England, 10–7, onMatt Bahr's 24-yard field goal as time expires. Bahr's winner comes three plays after Browns safetyClinton Burrell recovers a fumble byMark van Eeghen at the Patriots' 20.
James Brooks scores two touchdowns andDan Fouts completes 18-of-23 passes as San Diego pounds the Browns 30–13, at Cleveland. Despite the loss,Brian Sipe completes 14 straight passes and stretches his overall streak to a club-record 33. He also surpasses the 20,000-yard career mark. Tight endOzzie Newsome catches a career-high 10 passes and extends his streak of consecutive games with at least one reception to a club-record 45.
Hanford Dixon intercepts three passes and the Browns keep their playoff hopes alive with a 10–9 win over Pittsburgh at rainy, muddy Cleveland Stadium. The poor conditions affect Steelers quarterbackTerry Bradshaw more thanPaul McDonald, who starts his first game in place of the slumping Sipe. Nose tackleBob Golic enjoys a big game with eight tackles and one sack.
The Browns escape with a 20–14 win, thanks to critical fumbles by running backEarl Campbell. The first comes at the Cleveland 4 and the second sets up the Browns' winning touchdown in the fourth quarter.Dave Logan scores one TD on a 56-yard pass from McDonald andCharles White scores the winner on a 1-yard run.
| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | January 8, 1983 | atLos Angeles Raiders (1) | L 10–27 | 0–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 56,555 | Recap |
| AFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Cincinnati Bengals(3) | 7 | 2 | 0 | .778 | 3–1 | 6–2 | 232 | 177 | W2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers(4) | 6 | 3 | 0 | .667 | 3–1 | 5–3 | 204 | 146 | W2 |
| Cleveland Browns(8) | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 2–2 | 4–3 | 140 | 182 | L1 |
| Houston Oilers | 1 | 8 | 0 | .111 | 0–4 | 1–5 | 136 | 245 | L7 |
| # | Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seeded postseason qualifiers | |||||||||
| 1 | Los Angeles Raiders | 8 | 1 | 0 | .889 | 260 | 200 | W5 | |
| 2[a] | Miami Dolphins | 7 | 2 | 0 | .778 | 198 | 131 | W3 | |
| 3[a] | Cincinnati Bengals | 7 | 2 | 0 | .778 | 232 | 177 | W2 | |
| 4[b][c] | Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 3 | 0 | .667 | 204 | 146 | W2 | |
| 5[b][c] | San Diego Chargers | 6 | 3 | 0 | .667 | 288 | 221 | L1 | |
| 6[c] | New York Jets | 6 | 3 | 0 | .667 | 245 | 166 | L1 | |
| 7 | New England Patriots | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 143 | 157 | W1 | |
| 8[d] | Cleveland Browns | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 140 | 182 | L1 | |
| Did not qualify for the postseason | |||||||||
| 9[d] | Buffalo Bills | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 150 | 154 | L3 | |
| 10[d] | Seattle Seahawks | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 127 | 147 | W1 | |
| 11 | Kansas City Chiefs | 3 | 6 | 0 | .333 | 176 | 184 | W1 | |
| 12 | Denver Broncos | 2 | 7 | 0 | .222 | 148 | 226 | L3 | |
| 13 | Houston Oilers | 1 | 8 | 0 | .111 | 136 | 245 | L7 | |
| 14 | Baltimore Colts | 0 | 8 | 1 | .056 | 113 | 236 | L2 | |
| Tiebreakers | |||||||||
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