| 1956 Cleveland Browns season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Paul Brown |
| Home field | Cleveland Stadium |
| Local radio | WGAR |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–7 |
| Division place | T-4th Eastern |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | None |
The 1956 Cleveland Browns season was the team's eleventh season, and seventh season with the National Football League.
This was the first season in which the Browns missed the playoffs, and its first season with a losing record. The Browns lost seven games in 1956, after having lost a total of only 17 over the previous ten seasons combined.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 10 | vs. College All-Stars at Chicago | W 26–0 | 75,000 |
| 2 | August 19 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 17–28 | 38,741 |
| 3 | August 24 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 6–17 | 40,175 |
| 4 | September 1 | Green Bay Packers | L 20–21 | 15,456 |
| 5 | September 7 | at Detroit Lions | L 0–17 | 48,105 |
| 6 | September 15 | vs. Detroit Lions at Akron | L 14–31 | 28,201 |
| 7 | September 21 | at Chicago Bears | W 24–14 | 56,543 |
|
Main article: 1956 NFL season |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 30 | at Chicago Cardinals | L 7–9 | 0–1 | Comiskey Park | 20,966 | Recap |
| 2 | October 6 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 14–10 | 1–1 | Forbes Field | 35,398 | Recap |
| 3 | October 14 | New York Giants | L 9–21 | 1–2 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 60,042 | Recap |
| 4 | October 21 | at Washington Redskins | L 9–20 | 1–3 | Griffith Stadium | 23,322 | Recap |
| 5 | October 28 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 16–24 | 1–4 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 50,358 | Recap |
| 6 | November 4 | at Green Bay Packers | W 24–7 | 2–4 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 28,590 | Recap |
| 7 | November 11 | Baltimore Colts | L 7–21 | 2–5 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 42,404 | Recap |
| 8 | November 18 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 16–0 | 3–5 | Connie Mack Stadium | 25,894 | Recap |
| 9 | November 25 | Washington Redskins | L 17–20 | 3–6 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 22,878 | Recap |
| 10 | December 2 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 17–14 | 4–6 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 20,645 | Recap |
| 11 | December 9 | at New York Giants | W 24–7 | 5–6 | Yankee Stadium | 27,707 | Recap |
| 12 | December 16 | Chicago Cardinals | L 7–24 | 5–7 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 25,312 | Recap |
Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text.[1][2]
The post Otto Graham era begins with a 9-7 loss to the Cardinals in Chicago. Cleveland's only score comes on a 46-yard touchdown pass from George Ratterman to Ray Renfro in the first quarter. But Pat Summerall's third field goal, a nine-yarder with 29 seconds remaining, won it for the Cardinals and broke a twelve-game losing streak to the Browns.[3] The Cardinals later won the season finale.
| NFL Eastern Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| New York Giants | 8 | 3 | 1 | .727 | 7–3 | 264 | 197 | W1 | |
| Chicago Cardinals | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 7–3 | 240 | 182 | W1 | |
| Washington Redskins | 6 | 6 | 0 | .500 | 5–5 | 183 | 225 | L2 | |
| Cleveland Browns | 5 | 7 | 0 | .417 | 4–6 | 167 | 177 | L1 | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 5 | 7 | 0 | .417 | 4–6 | 217 | 250 | W1 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 8 | 1 | .273 | 3–7 | 143 | 215 | L3 | |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.