1958 Cleveland Browns season

1958 Cleveland Browns season
Head coach Paul Brown
Home field Cleveland Stadium
Results
Record 9–3–0
Division place T-1st NFL Eastern
Playoff finish Lost Eastern Conference Playoffs

The 1958 Cleveland Browns season was the team's ninth season with the National Football League.

Season summary

For the second straight year, one of their rivals had gotten revenge for something that had happened earlier in the decade.

After the Detroit Lions whipped the Browns 59–14 in the 1957 NFL Championship Game to atone for the 56–10 pounding they had absorbed from Cleveland in the title contest three years earlier, the 1958 New York Giants took their turn. The Giants shut out the Browns 10–0 in a special playoff game at Yankee Stadium to determine the Eastern Conference champion. The last time the two teams met in such a special playoff contest was 1950, when Cleveland edged New York 8–3 to win the title in the American Conference, the forerunner of the Eastern Conference, and advance to the league championship game.

As was the case in 1950, the 1958 Giants also beat Cleveland twice during the regular season, 21–17 and 13–10, as the teams tied for first with a 9–3 record. The Browns went into the latter game at 9–2, needing only a victory to clinch the division crown, and led 7–0 early in the first quarter and 10–3 in the fourth quarter. But Pat Summerall – yes, that Pat Summerall – kicked a 49-yard field goal in a snowstorm to provide the win even though he made barely 50 percent (12-of-23) of his attempts during the regular season. Then in the playoff, Summerall added a 26-yard field goal in a game highlighted by the fact the Giants held Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown to a career-low eight yards rushing on seven carries, and limited the Browns to just 86 yards of total offense.

The Giants went on to lose 23–17 to the Baltimore Colts in overtime in the league championship contest, later dubbed "The Greatest Game Ever Played."

Aside from the Giants, the only team to beat the Browns in 1958 were the Lions, who gained a 30–10 decision midway through the year.

Exhibition Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 August 16, 1958 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers at Akron W 10–0
27,202
2 August 22, 1958 at Detroit Lions L 17–7
36,662
3 August 29, 1958 at Los Angeles Rams W 13–10
41,387
4 September 7, 1958 at San Francisco 49ers L 21–16
31,339
5 September 12, 1958 at Chicago Bears L 42–31
52,669
6 September 20, 1958 Detroit Lions W 41–7
35,343

Regular Season Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 September 28, 1958 at Los Angeles Rams W 30–27
69,993
2 October 5, 1958 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 45–12
31,130
3 October 12, 1958 Chicago Cardinals W 35–28
65,403
4 October 19, 1958 Pittsburgh Steelers W 27–10
66,852
5 October 26, 1958 at Chicago Cardinals W 38–24
30,933
6 November 2, 1958 New York Giants L 21–17
78,404
7 November 9, 1958 Detroit Lions L 30–10
75,563
8 November 16, 1958 at Washington Redskins W 20–10
32,372
9 November 23, 1958 Philadelphia Eagles W 28–14
51,319
10 November 30, 1958 Washington Redskins W 21–14
33,240
11 December 7, 1958 at Philadelphia Eagles W 21–14
36,773
12 December 14, 1958 at New York Giants L 13–10
63,192

Playoffs

Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
Divisional December 21, 1958 at New York Giants L 10–0
61,174

Standings

NFL Eastern Conference
W L T PCT CONF PF PA STK
New York Giants 9 3 0 .750 7–3 246 183 W4
Cleveland Browns 9 3 0 .750 8–2 302 217 L1
Pittsburgh Steelers 7 4 1 .636 6–3–1 261 230 W1
Washington Redskins 4 7 1 .364 3–6–1 214 268 W1
Chicago Cardinals 2 9 1 .182 2–7–1 261 356 L6
Philadelphia Eagles 2 9 1 .182 2–7–1 235 306 L4

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

References

  1. ↑ Giants Among Men, Jack Cavanaugh, p.133, 2008, Random House, ISBN 978-1-4000-6717-6
Sources
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