Ranking the Top 5 All-Time Thursday Night Football Wins For the Browns

Unlike on Sundays, the Cleveland Browns have been dominant on Thursday nights.

They are 10-6 all-time on Thursday night and have won nine out of their last 10, including seven in a row. Some of the franchise’s biggest moments have come during the mid-week game and the Browns look to add to that Thursday night in Cleveland.

Here are the top five wins that the Browns have earned in primetime on Thursday Night Football:

5. Vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, December 10, 2009, W 13-6

This was Eric Mangini’s first year as the Browns’ head coach and they limped into this matchup at 1-11. The night was frigid in Cleveland and quarterback Brady Quinn only threw for 90 yards. The offense was led by Josh Cribbs in the wildcat formation, rushing for 87 yards. The defense played terrific and amassed eight sacks on Ben Roethlisberger.

This game came at a time when the Steelers consistently ran over the Browns and for this one game, the Browns showed them who was the more physical team. This win led to a four-game winning streak to end the season, preserving Mangini’s job for another year.

4. Vs. Cincinnati Bengals, September 19, 2020, 35-30

The Browns were coming off a whooping against the Baltimore Ravens and Kevin Stefanski’s debut. In this game, they survived a shootout against Joe Burrow as Nick Chubb rushed for 124 yards. They were winning 21-3 at halftime, but let the Bengals back in it in the fourth quarter.

This game would define the season for the Browns as they would get out to big leads and then play soft defense to avoid the big play, letting the opponent come back. This was the first win of many in the season, in which they broke their playoff drought.

3. At Cincinnati Bengals, November 6, 2014, 24-3

The Brian Hoyer led Browns looked like they flipped the page from years of unwatchable football. They entered this game with a 5-3 record and the Bengals were 5-2. Their defense frustrated Andy Dalton all night long as he did not exceed 100 yards passing and threw for three interceptions. Miles Austin and Terrence West led the offense in this game to improved the Browns record to 6-3.

This win filled the city with hope of a magical playoff run under Mike Pettine, but then a couple weeks later, the decision to bench Hoyer for Johnny Manziel was made and the Browns ended on a five-game losing streak.

2. Vs. New York Jets, December 28, 2023, 37-20

Joe Flacco threw all over the field against a bad Jets team and the game was over early. Jerome Ford took an outlet pass from Flacco 50-yards for the touchdown to put the game out of reach.

The city was rocking as the win clinched a playoff berth in a season that saw the Browns start five quarterbacks and sign Flacco off the couch. The party went late into the night with what looked like the veteran nodding off on the sideline.

This would be their last win in a memorable season and the cheers could be heard across Lake Erie.

1. Vs. New York Jets, September 20, 2018, 21-17

Coming off of an 0-16 season and a 1-15 season before that, the Browns were attempting to change their narrative. They retooled with Jarvis Landry, Baker Mayfield, and Nick Chubb in the offseason. They tied the Steelers in Week 1 and lost a heartbreaker to the New Orleans Saints in Week 2. They were so close to ending the embarrassing streak.

The Jets came in and got out to an early 14-point lead with Isaiah Crowell wiping his back side with the football after scoring a touchdown, disrespecting the fans. Then the magic happened. Tyrod Taylor left the game with an injury. Mayfield entered and hit Landry on a seam route to put the Browns in the red zone.

The Browns mounted the comeback capped off by the trick-play that ended with Mayfield catching a pass in the endzone. Joe Schoebert iced the game with an interception and the beer lockers opened, signaling a long-awaited change in the franchise.

From helmets, to snow outs, to season-changing wins, Thursday night has been bountiful for the Browns. They enter tonight’s game with first-place on the line, which should provide another great memory in primetime.

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