ESPN Puts The Browns On A Notably Painful List

It was almost 60 years ago, which makes it very easy to forget that the Cleveland Browns were just one victory away from making it to two of the first four Super Bowls. It took a while for them to get that close again, and it’s easier to remember that those journeys ended in heartbreaking fashion.

Since being reinstated into the NFL as an expansion franchise, the Browns haven’t come close at all. In fact, they have finished last in their division 18 times.

Based on that history, the Browns have landed on an infamous list of NFL teams that have never made it to any of the LX Super Bowls.

“There was a time when the Browns were the class of the NFL, winning seven championships with three runner-up finishes in their first 10 years as a franchise. However, it’s been a different story in the Super Bowl era. Cleveland reached the AFC Championship Game three times after the 1986, 1987 and 1989 seasons but lost all three to John Elway and the Denver Broncos. Over the last 30 years, Cleveland has posted more winless seasons (one) than division titles and Super Bowl appearances combined (zero),” ESPN wrote.

Cleveland debuted in 1946 as part of the All-American Football Conference. The Browns dominated the AAFC, winning four straight championships, and after the league dissolved, they joined the National Football League in 1950.

The Browns proved their dominance was not a fluke, winning the NFL championship in their first season. Cleveland lost the next three championship games before winning two more and making the championship game again in 1957, then winning it in 1964, and losing it in 1965.

The NFL and AFL agreed to merge in 1966, setting the stage for what would become the first Super Bowl. After losing in the first round of the playoffs in 1967, the next year, the Browns were shut out by the Baltimore Colts, falling one game short of Super Bowl III. The following season, they lost to the Minnesota Vikings, missing out on Super Bowl IV.

It would turn out to be the Browns’ destiny, with three AFC Championship Game losses to the Broncos added to the list. Of the three other teams that have never made it to the Super Bowl – the Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Houston Texans – no one has been as close as many times as the Browns have.

While they are not expected to make the playoffs this season, the Browns could turn their impressive collection of young talent into a Super Bowl appearance in the coming years to finally get off this list once and for all.