History

Year by Year Results: 2009

The 2009 season for the Browns got off to an early start when Eric Mangini was introduced as the 12th full-time head coach in the franchise's history on January 8, 2009.

The Browns started slow, going 1-11 in their first 12 games. Their only win was a 6-3 win at the Buffalo Bills. Punter Dave Zastudil pinned the Bills back inside the 20-yard line a career-high seven times and earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. One of Zastudil's punts was fumbled by Bills returner Roscoe Parrish and recovered by Browns linebacker Blake Costanzo. Billy Cundiff kicked a field goal on the ensuing drive to seal the victory.

Despite the slow start to the season, the Browns found their rhythm offensively and defensively and became just the second team to win its final four games of the year since the NFL switched to a 16-game schedule in 1978. The 1993 New England Patriots were the first franchise in league history to accomplish the feat.

The Browns won their first of four games against the Pittsburgh Steelers on a bitterly cold December night in front of a national television audience on the NFL Network's Thursday Night Football broadcast. The Browns sacked quarterback Ben Roethlisberger eight times and used Joshua Cribbs' rushing skills out of The Wildcat formation to gain the 13-6 win, their first over the Steelers in the last 13 tries.

Ten days later, the Browns ran and returned their way to a 41-34 shootout victory against the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium.

Joshua Cribbs returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, becoming just the second player ever to have two kickoff return touchdowns of 100 or more yards. The only other player to accomplish that feat was Cleveland Glenville product Ted Ginn Jr.

In addition to Cribbs' accomplishments, Jerome Harrison ran for a franchise record 286 yards and three touchdowns. Harrison's total was the third-highest in NFL history, trailing only Jamal Lewis' 295 yards and Adrian Peterson's 296 yards. Harrison's mark broke the Browns' single-game rushing record by 49 yards. Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown set the original mark of 237 yards on November 24, 1957 against the Los Angeles Rams and equally the record nearly four years later against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Cribbs and Harrison combined for 614 total yards, the most-ever all-purpose yards by two teammates. The old record of 550 yards was set by Jerry Rice and Dexter Carter of the San Francisco 49ers on December 18, 1995.

One week later, Harrison set the franchise record for carries in a game with 39 rushing attempts in a 23-9 victory over the Oakland Raiders.

The Browns closed out the 2009 season with a 23-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. During the final four weeks of the 2009 season, the Browns led the NFL with 900 yards rushing on 181 carries. They also had seven rushing touchdowns during the four-game winning streak. The Browns finished the year with 77 penalties, the third-lowest amount in the NFL.