# 1972 Cleveland Browns season

The 1972 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 23rd season with the National Football League. The Browns finished at 10–4 which qualified the team for the NFL Playoffs as a Wild Card. In the Divisional Playoffs they played the undefeated Miami Dolphins and held a one-point lead in the 4th quarter. But a late Dolphins touchdown put them up for good, and the Browns lost 20–14.
For the first time since joining the league, the Browns had no players selected to the Pro Bowl.

## Offseason

1972 Cleveland Browns draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 1 | 18 | Thom Darden * | Defensive back | Michigan | |
| 2 | 45 | Clifford Brooks | Defensive back | Tennessee State | |
| 2 | 51 | Lester Sims | Defensive end | Alabama | |
| 5 | 122 | George Hunt | Kicker | Tennessee | |
| 5 | 128 | Greg Kucera | Running back | Northern Colorado | |
| 6 | 149 | Leonard Forey | Guard | Texas A&M | |
| 7 | 174 | Don Wesley | Tackle | Maryland Eastern Shore | |
| 8 | 201 | Hugh McKinnis | Running back | Arizona State | Made roster in 1973 |
| 9 | 226 | Larry McKee | Guard | Arizona | |
| 9 | 230 | Billy Lefear | Running back | Henderson State | |
| 10 | 253 | Herschell Mosier | Defensive tackle | Northwestern Oklahoma State | |
| 11 | 278 | Mel Long | Linebacker | Toledo | |
| 12 | 305 | Bernie Chapman | Defensive back | UTEP | |
| 13 | 330 | Brian Sipe * | Quarterback | San Diego State | made practice squad |
| 14 | 357 | Ed Stewart | Guard | East Central | |
| 15 | 382 | Jewel McCuller | Linebacker | Chico State | |
| 16 | 409 | Richard Wakefield | Wide receiver | Ohio State | |
| 17 | 434 | Bill Portz | Defensive back | Sterling | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

## Season summary

1972 marked the end of a nine-year span in which the Browns made the playoffs seven times; it would be the Browns' last playoff appearance until 1980.
The 1972 Cleveland Browns not only made it to the postseason as a wild card team with a 10–4 record, but also nearly pulled off what would have been one of the biggest upsets in team and NFL playoff history. Playing in the AFC divisional round in Miami against a Dolphins team that would go 17–0 and win the Super Bowl, the Browns lost 20–14 after blowing a 14–13 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
The Browns started the year with veteran quarterback Bill Nelsen as their starter; Nelsen had arrived from the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 1968 trade. But Nelsen, who had knee problems, struggled early, and the team followed suit by getting off to a rocky 2–3 start. The move was made to start Mike Phipps, drafted in 1970 with the No.3 overall pick the Browns obtained by trading Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Paul Warfield to Miami. Although Phipps didn't have a very good year statistically—he completed only 47.2 percent of his passes and threw for just 13 touchdowns with 16 interceptions—he was able to make plays when he had to.
The Browns were only 2–3 and had been outscored 48–7 in their last two games, and 74–17 in their three losses, before a six-game winning streak ensued. Included in the streak was a last-second, 26–24 comeback win at home over the Steelers, who were trying to win the AFC Central title and make the playoffs for the second time in franchise history and first time since 1947. The Browns finished second to the Steelers (11–3) by a game after winning eight of their last nine contests, the only loss being a 30–0 decision in the rematch in Pittsburgh. The Browns also turned back the Denver Broncos on the road 27–20.
Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Leroy Kelly, in his last productive season, rushed for 811 yards. Wide receiver Frank Pitts led the team in receptions with 36, good for eight touchdowns—or 62 percent of the team total of 13. But it was primarily the defense that saved the season for the Browns. The unit gave up over 30 points only twice all year, posted a shutout and kept foes to 17 points or less eight times.

## Exhibition schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | August 4 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 3–13 | 0–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 64,803 |
| 2 | August 13 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 13–20 | 0–2 | Candlestick Park | 58,364 |
| 3 | August 20 | at Detroit Lions | L 7–34 | 0–3 | Tiger Stadium | 58,422 |
| 4 | August 26 | Minnesota Vikings | L 17–20 | 0–4 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 70,583 |
| 5 | September 3 | vs. Cincinnati Bengals | L 17–27 | 0–5 | Ohio Stadium | 84,816 |
| 6 | September 10 | at New York Giants | L 13–27 | 0–6 | Yankee Stadium | 60,152 |

## Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
| 1 | September 17 | Green Bay Packers | L 10–26 | 0–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 75,771 | Recap |
| 2 | September 24 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 27–17 | 1–1 | Veterans Stadium | 65,720 | Recap |
| 3 | October 1 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 27–6 | 2–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 81,564 | Recap |
| 4 | October 8 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 7–31 | 2–2 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 83,819 | Recap |
| 5 | October 15 | Chicago Bears | L 0–17 | 2–3 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 72,339 | Recap |
| 6 | October 22 | at Houston Oilers | W 23–17 | 3–3 | Houston Astrodome | 38,113 | Recap |
| 7 | October 29 | at Denver Broncos | W 27–20 | 4–3 | Mile High Stadium | 51,656 | Recap |
| 8 | November 5 | Houston Oilers | W 20–0 | 5–3 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 61,985 | Recap |
| 9 | November 13 | at San Diego Chargers | W 21–17 | 6–3 | San Diego Stadium | 54,205 | Recap |
| 10 | November 19 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 26–24 | 7–3 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 83,009 | Recap |
| 11 | November 26 | Buffalo Bills | W 27–10 | 8–3 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 70,104 | Recap |
| 12 | December 3 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 0–30 | 8–4 | Three Rivers Stadium | 50,350 | Recap |
| 13 | December 9 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 27–24 | 9–4 | Riverfront Stadium | 59,524 | Recap |
| 14 | December 17 | at New York Jets | W 26–10 | 10–4 | Shea Stadium | 62,614 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. ||||||||
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

## Postseason

| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
| Divisional | December 24 | at Miami Dolphins | L 14–20 | 0–1 | Miami Orange Bowl | 78,196 | Recap |

## Standings

AFC Central :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 4–2 | 9–2 | 343 | 175 | W4 |
| Cleveland Browns | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 5–1 | 9–2 | 268 | 249 | W2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 3–3 | 6–5 | 299 | 229 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers | 1 | 13 | 0 | .071 | 0–6 | 1–10 | 164 | 380 | L11 |