The 1973 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 24th season with the National Football League. After a solid 1972 season, which included a playoff appearance, the Browns got off to a solid start, winning three of their first four games on the way to a 7-3-1 start. However, the Browns did not win another game the rest of the season and settled for third place with a 7-5-2 record.
Roster
1973 Cleveland Browns roster |
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Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
{{{reserve_lists}}}
Rookies in italics
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Exhibition schedule
Week |
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
Attendance |
1 |
August 6, 1973 |
San Francisco 49ers |
L 27–16 |
65,707 |
2 |
August 11, 1973 |
at Los Angeles Rams |
T 21–21 |
54,385 |
3 |
August 19, 1973 |
vs. Cincinnati Bengals at Columbus, Ohio |
W 24–6 |
73,421 |
4 |
August 25, 1973 |
vs. Atlanta Falcons at Knoxville |
W 20–17 |
40,831 |
5 |
September 1, 1973 |
Detroit Lions |
L 16–13 |
64,088 |
6 |
September 8, 1973 |
vs. New York Giants at Akron |
L 21–10 |
30,751 |
Regular season schedule
Week |
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
Attendance |
1 |
September 16, 1973 |
Baltimore Colts |
W 24–14 |
74,303 |
2 |
September 23, 1973 |
at Pittsburgh Steelers |
L 33–6 |
49,396 |
3 |
September 30, 1973 |
New York Giants |
W 12–10 |
76,065 |
4 |
October 7, 1973 |
Cincinnati Bengals |
W 17–10 |
70,805 |
5 |
October 15, 1973 |
Miami Dolphins |
L 17–9 |
72,070 |
6 |
October 21, 1973 |
Houston Oilers |
W 42–13 |
61,146 |
7 |
October 28, 1973 |
San Diego Chargers |
T 16–16 |
68,244 |
8 |
November 4, 1973 |
at Minnesota Vikings |
L 26–3 |
45,590 |
9 |
November 11, 1973 |
at Houston Oilers |
W 23–13 |
37,230 |
10 |
November 18, 1973 |
at Oakland Raiders |
W 7–3 |
47,398 |
11 |
November 25, 1973 |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
W 21–16 |
67,773 |
12 |
December 2, 1973 |
at Kansas City Chiefs |
T 20–20 |
70,296 |
13 |
December 9, 1973 |
at Cincinnati Bengals |
L 34–17 |
58,266 |
14 |
December 16, 1973 |
at Los Angeles Rams |
L 30–17 |
73,948 |
Season summary
Week 1
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1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Colts |
0 |
7 | 7 | 0 |
14 |
• Browns |
7 |
10 | 7 | 0 |
24 |
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Scoring summary |
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| Q1 | | CLE | Pitts 26 yard pass from Phipps (Cockroft kick) | CLE 7–0 |
| Q2 | | BAL | Speyrer 33 yard pass from Jones (Hunt kick) | Tie 7–7 |
| Q2 | | CLE | Cockroft 14 yard field goal | CLE 10–7 |
| Q2 | | CLE | Scott 45 yard interception return (Cockroft kick) | CLE 17–7 |
| Q3 | | BAL | Hendricks 2 yard blocked punt return (Hunt kick) | CLE 17–14 |
| Q3 | | CLE | Pitts 8 yard pass from Phipps (Cockroft kick) | CLE 24–14 |
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[2]
Week 3
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1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Giants |
0 |
10 | 0 | 0 |
10 |
• Browns |
0 |
0 | 6 | 6 |
12 |
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Scoring summary |
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| Q2 | | NYG | Gogolak 20 yard field goal | NYG 3–0 |
| Q2 | | NYG | Tucker 20 yard pass from Snead (Gogolak kick) | NYG 10–0 |
| Q3 | | CLE | Cockroft 11 yard field goal | NYG 10–3 |
| Q3 | | CLE | Cockroft 27 yard field goal | NYG 10–6 |
| Q4 | | CLE | Cockroft 30 yard field goal | NYG 10–9 |
| Q4 | | CLE | Cockroft 10 yard field goal | CLE 12–10 |
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[3]
Week 4
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1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Bengals |
3 |
0 | 0 | 7 |
10 |
• Browns |
0 |
7 | 7 | 3 |
17 |
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Scoring summary |
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| Q1 | | CIN | Muhlmann 38 yard field goal | CIN 3–0 |
| Q2 | | CLE | Kelly 3 yard run (Cockroft kick) | CLE 7–3 |
| Q3 | | CLE | Kelly 7 yard run (Cockroft kick) | CLE 14–3 |
| Q4 | | CIN | Curtis 60 yard pass from Anderson (Muhlmann kick) | CLE 14–10 |
| Q4 | | CLE | Cockroft 24 yard field goal | CLE 17–10 |
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[4]
Week 6
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1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Oilers |
0 |
0 | 13 | 0 |
13 |
• Browns |
14 |
14 | 0 | 14 |
42 |
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Scoring summary |
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| Q1 | | CLE | Kelly 8 yard run (Cockroft kick) | CLE 7–0 |
| Q1 | | CLE | Phipps 1 yard run (Cockroft kick) | CLE 14–0 |
| Q2 | | CLE | Hooker 21 yard pass from Phipps (Cockroft kick) | CLE 21–0 |
| Q2 | | CLE | Pitts 3 yard pass from Phipps (Cockroft kick) | CLE 28–0 |
| Q3 | | HOU | Hinton 34 yard pass from Pastorini (Butler kick) | CLE 28–7 |
| Q3 | | HOU | Butler 9 yard field goal | CLE 28–10 |
| Q3 | | HOU | Butler 31 yard field goal | CLE 28–13 |
| Q4 | | CLE | Phipps 13 yard run (Cockroft kick) | CLE 35–13 |
| Q4 | | CLE | Scott 2 yard pass from Horn (Cockroft kick) | CLE 42–13 |
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[5]
Week 8
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1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Browns |
3 |
0 | 0 | 0 |
3 |
• Vikings |
3 |
6 | 7 | 10 |
26 |
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Scoring summary |
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| Q1 | | CLE | Don Cockroft 27 yard field goal | CLE 3–0 |
| Q1 | | MIN | Fred Cox 16 yard field goal | Tied 3–3 |
| Q2 | | MIN | Fred Cox 23 yard field goal | MIN 6–3 |
| Q2 | | MIN | Fred Cox 33 yard field goal | MIN 9–3 |
| Q3 | | MIN | Oscar Reed 3 yard rush (Cox kick) | MIN 16–3 |
| Q4 | | MIN | Stu Voigt 7 yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Cox kick) | MIN 23–3 |
| Q4 | | MIN | Fred Cox 41 yard field goal | MIN 26–3 |
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[6]
Week 9
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1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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• Browns |
17 |
0 | 3 | 3 |
23 |
Oilers |
0 |
3 | 3 | 7 |
13 |
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Scoring summary |
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| Q1 | | CLE | Cockroft 30 yard field goal | CLE 3–0 |
| Q1 | | CLE | Phipps 1 yard run (Cockroft kick) | CLE 10–0 |
| Q1 | | CLE | Pruitt 53 yard run (Cockroft kick) | CLE 17–0 |
| Q2 | | HOU | Butler 27 yard field goal | CLE 17–3 |
| Q3 | | HOU | Butler 46 yard field goal | CLE 17–6 |
| Q3 | | CLE | Cockroft 22 yard field goal | CLE 20–6 |
| Q4 | | CLE | Cockroft 45 yard field goal | CLE 23–6 |
| Q4 | | HOU | Alston 39 yard pass from Dickey (Butler kick) | CLE 23–13 |
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[7]
Week 10
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1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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• Browns |
0 |
7 | 0 | 0 |
7 |
Raiders |
0 |
0 | 0 | 3 |
3 |
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[8]
Week 11
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1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Steelers |
7 |
3 | 3 | 3 |
16 |
• Browns |
7 |
7 | 0 | 7 |
21 |
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Scoring summary |
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| Q1 | | PIT | Shanklin 9 yard pass from Gilliam (Gerela kick) | PIT 7–0 |
| Q1 | | CLE | Phipps 1 yard run (Cockroft kick) | Tie 7–7 |
| Q2 | | CLE | Pruitt 15 yard pass from Phipps (Cockroft kick) | CLE 14–7 |
| Q2 | | PIT | Gerela 24 yard field goal | CLE 14–10 |
| Q3 | | PIT | Gerela 14 yard field goal | CLE 14–13 |
| Q4 | | PIT | Gerela 20 yard field goal | PIT 16–14 |
| Q4 | | CLE | Pruitt 19 yard run (Cockroft kick) | CLE 21–16 |
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[9]
References
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Franchise | |
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Stadiums | |
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Key personnel | |
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Culture and lore | |
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Rivalries | |
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Playoff appearances (28) | |
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Division championships (12) | |
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Conference championships (11) | |
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League championships (8) | |
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Retired numbers | |
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Hall of Fame inductees | |
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Media | |
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Current league affiliations | |
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Former league affiliation | |
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Seasons (70) | |
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Championship seasons in bold |