1966 Cleveland Browns season

Season summary

Save for a devastating 16–6 upset loss to a Pittsburgh Steelers team that would finish just 5–8–1, the Browns offense scored points in bunches. In later years, Browns players from that era said the 1966 team had the best offense—even better than the one in 1964, when the club won the NFL championship—and there's evidence to support that contention. The flurry of points started in the opener when the Browns blew out the Washington Redskins 38–14. It continued in a stretch of five straight games in which they lost 34–28 to the St. Louis Cardinals, beat the New York Giants 28–7, routed the Steelers 41–10, turned back the Dallas Cowboys 30–21 and crushed the expansion Atlanta Falcons 49–17.

Then, as they were finishing the season, the Browns outscored the Giants 49–40 and walloped the Cardinals 38–10.

The Browns scored 403 points in all, averaging a healthy 28.8 per contest. Even in the game that eventually did in their playoff chances—a 33–21 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the next-to-last week—they were able to score a decent number of points. Quarterback Frank Ryan was as good – or better – than he was in any of his previous three seasons as the full-time starter, including 1964, when he helped lead the Browns to the NFL championship. He threw for a career-high 2,974 yards and had better than a 2-to-1 ratio of touchdown passes (29) to interceptions (14). He also posted his second-best quarterback rating at 88.2.

NFL draft

The following were selected in the 1966 NFL draft.

Exhibition schedule

There was a doubleheader on August 26, 1966 Redskins vs Vikings and Colts vs Browns.

Regular season

Schedule

• A bye week was necessary in , as the league expanded to an odd-number (15) of teams (Atlanta); one team was idle each week.

Game summaries

Week 1

Week 4 at New York Giants

• Cleveland – Milt Morin 20-yard pass from Frank Ryan (Groza kick), Browns 7–0.

Second Quarter

• Cleveland – Leroy Kelly 3-yard rush (Groza kick), Browns 14–0.
• New York– Homer Jones 17-yard pass from Gary Wood (Gogolak kick), Browns 14–7.

Third Quarter

Fourth Quarter

• Cleveland – Ernie Green 14-yard rush (Groza kick), Browns 21–7.
• Cleveland – Paul Warfield 9-yard pass from Frank Ryan (Groza kick), Browns 28–7.|stats=Top Passers
• Browns – Frank Ryan: 14/24, 171 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
• Giants – Earl Morrall: 10/23, 177 yds, 3 INT Top rushers
• Browns – Leroy Kelly: 20 car, 138 yds. 1 TD
• Giants – Dan Lewis: 9 car, 24 yds, Top receivers
• Browns – Gary Collins: 4 rec, 88 yds.
• Giants – Homer Jones: 4 rec, 88 yds. 1 TD}}

Week 6: at Atlanta Falcons

;First Quarter

• CLE – Kelly 70 yard rush (Groza kick) Browns 7, Falcons 0
• CLE – Warfield 36 yard pass from Ryan (Groza kick) Browns 14, Falcons 0 ;Second Quarter
• ATL – Wheelwright 1 yard rush (Kirouac kick) Browns 14, Falcons 7
• CLE – Collins 17 yard pass from Ryan (Houston pass from Ninowski) Browns 21, Falcons 7
• ATL – Kirouac 23 yard field goal Browns 21, Falcons 10 ;Third Quarter
• CLE – Green 6 yard pass from Ryan (Groza kick) Browns 28, Falcons 10 ;Fourth Quarter
• CLE – Kelly 30 yard pass from Ryan (Groza kick) Browns 35, Falcons 10
• ATL – Hawkins 22 yard pass from Johnson (Kirouac kick) Browns 35, Falcons 17
• CLE – McNeil 44 yard pass from Ninowski (Groza kick) Browns 42, Falcons 17
• CLE – Smith 15 yard pass from Ninowski (Groza kick) Browns 49, Falcons 17 ;Top passers
• CLE – Frank Ryan 13/21, 223 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT
• ATL – Randy Johnson 14/25, 158 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT ;Top rushers
• CLE – Leroy Kelly 14 carr, 98 yds, 1 TD
• ATL – Junior Coffey 17 carr, 117 yds ;Top receivers
• CLE – Gary Collins 4 rec, 48 yds, 1 TD
• ATL – Vern Burke 5 rec, 60 yds ;Turnovers
• CLE – 1
• ATL – 3

Week 9 at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 12 at Cowboys

First quarter

• DAL – Danny Villanueva 11-yard field goal. ''Cowboys 3-0. '''Drive:'''''
• DAL – Danny Villanueva 31-yard field goal. ''Cowboys 6-0. '''Drive:''''' Second quarter
• CLE – Leroy Kelly 1-yard run (Lou Groza kick). ''Browns 7-6. '''Drive:'''''
• DAL – Dan Reeves 6-yard pass from Don Meredith (Danny Villanueva kick). ''Cowboys 13-7. '''Drive:'''''
• CLE – Ernie Green 16-yard pass from Frank Ryan (Lou Groza kick). ''Browns 14-13. '''Drive:''''' Third quarter
• DAL – Danny Villanueva 12-yard field goal. ''Cowboys 16-14. '''Drive:'''''
• DAL – Danny Villanueva 13-yard field goal. ''Cowboys 19-14. '''Drive:''''' Fourth quarter
• DAL – Don Perkins 9-yard run (Danny Villanueva kick). ''Cowboys 26-14. '''Drive:''''' ;Top passers
• CLE – Frank Ryan – 12/26, 190 yards, TD
• DAL – Don Meredith – 16/24, 131 yards, TD ;Top rushers
• CLE – Leroy Kelly – 15 rushes, 115 yards, TD
• DAL – Don Perkins – 23 rushes, 111 yards, TD Receiving
• CLE – Gary Collins – 5 receptions, 92 yards
• DAL – Bob Hayes – 6 receptions, 54 yards

Week 13 vs New York Giants

• New York – Clarence Childs 90-yard kickoff return (Gogolak kick), Giants 7–0.
• New York – Gary Wood 5-yard rush (Gogolak kick), Giants 14–0.
• Cleveland – Leroy Kelly 1-yard rush (Groza kick), Giants 14–7.

Second Quarter

• New York – Gary Wood 16-yard rush (Gogolak kick), Giants 21–7.
• Cleveland – Gary Collins 3-yard pass from Frank Ryan (Groza kick), Giants 21–14.
• New York – Joe Morrison 33-yard pass from Gary Wood (Gogolak kick), Giants 28–14.
• New York – Pete Gogolak 26-yard field goal, Giants 31–14.

Third Quarter

• New York – Pete Gogolak 13-yard field goal, Giants 34–14.
• Cleveland – Leroy Kelly 3-yard rush (Groza kick), Giants 34–21.
• New York – Pete Gogolak 38-yard field goal, Giants 37–21.
• Cleveland – Leroy Kelly 2-yard rush (Groza kick), Giants 37–28.

Fourth Quarter

• New York – Pete Gogolak 16-yard field goal, Giants 40–28.
• Cleveland – Ralph Smith 19-yard pass from Frank Ryan (Groza kick), Giants 40–35.
• Cleveland – Ernie Green 31-yard pass from Frank Ryan (Groza kick), Browns 42–40.
• Cleveland – Bill Glass 13-yard fumble return (Groza kick), Browns 49–40.|stats=Top Passers
• Giants – Gary Wood: 9/18, 120 yds, 1 TD
• Browns – Frank Ryan: 16/27, 326 yds, 3 TD, 3 INT

Top rushers

• Giants – Allen Jacobs: 26 car, 94 yds
• Browns – Leroy Kelly: 13 car, 126 yds. 3 TD

Top receivers

• Giants – Joe Morrison: 5 rec, 75 yds. 1 TD
• Browns – Gary Collins: 5 rec, 120 yds. 1 TD}}

Standings

Personnel

Roster

Staff/coaches

References

References

1. "1966 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com".
2. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-15.
3. "1966 Cleveland Browns Starters, Roster, & Players".
4. [https://www.profootballarchives.com/1966nflcle.html 1966 Cleveland Browns (NFL) - Pro Football Archives]