Browns games on Thanksgiving - Browns Daily Dose

Browns games on Thanksgiving – A Browns holiday history helper

Ad: New 2020 Cleveland Browns Jerseys

By STEVE KING

Two local radio sports talk show hosts the other day were discussing the chances of the Browns playing the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day when the NFL schedule is released at 8 p.m. Thursday.

They wondered when the last time the Browns have played on Thanksgiving, or if they had ever played on that holiday. On and on the conversations and questions went, and as they did, I became increasingly more incredulous.

I don’t want to be disparaging. I really don’t. It’s a negative to play that game, and it makes you sound like some crusty, old curmudgeon who complains about anything and everything. As I always like to say, “There but for the grace of God go I.”

Ad: New 2020 Cleveland Browns Jerseys

In addition, these hosts, who seem like really good guys and nice guys, do an interesting and entertaining show every weekday that is well worth your listenership. We all need interesting and entertaining things to listen to, to get through this coronavirus pandemic. That these guys are helping to provide some, make them A-OK in my book.

But at the same time, I couldn’t help doing some wondering of my own. If you’re talking about the Browns every day, then shouldn’t you know a little about their history? You don’t have to know the history verbatim – I’ll give you that – but you should know something about at least the major stuff, and Thanksgiving Day-related stuff is major.

These are the same guys, who, in the days leading up to the Browns’ new/old uniforms reveal last month, were stating supposed “facts” about the team’s helmet design history that simply weren’t such.

So, I guess I should not have been surprised about their lack of knowledge about Browns games on Thanksgiving.

Anyway, in lieu of the schedule release, let’s clear up the Thanksgiving history, including some things of which you may be unaware.

In their NFL history from 1950-present, the Browns have played three times and have an 0-3 overall record, including a 0-1 mark against the Detroit Lions and an 0-2 mark against the Cowboys:

*1966 – Nov. 24 – Cowboys 26, Browns 14. The NFL was looking to hold a second Thanksgiving game after the Detroit contest, which has started at 12:30 p.m. for years., to stretch out the day, and the Cowboys, who were interested in getting more national exposure, eagerly volunteered to host it. And they wanted it to be against the Browns, with whom, as members of the Eastern Conference, they had had a home-and-home series since their second season in the league in 1961. The Browns were ruling the East back then and, heading into 1966, had represented the conference in the previous two NFL Championship Games. The Cowboys were getting better every year and, as evidenced by their two close losses to the Browns (24-17 and 23-17) in 1965, they were close to getting over the hump. They lost at Cleveland 30-21 midway through the 1966 season, but won the rematch at the Cotton Bowl to take control of the conference race over the Browns. The win served as the catalyst for the Cowboys’ first great run that lasted for 19 years.

*1982 – Nov. 25 – Cowboys 31, Browns 14. This was the second game back for the NFL following a two-month work stoppage because of a labor dispute and the Browns were ill-prepared to handle the short work week.

*1989 – Nov. 23 – Lions 13, Browns 10. This was the second part of a dreadful four-game stretch in which the Browns went 0-3-1 and nearly played their way out of postseason contention.

But before Cleveland entered the NFL, the Browns games on Thanksgiving included three time on the road – all victories — as members of the All-America Football Conference from 1946-49. It went like this:

*1947 – Nov. 27 – Browns 27, Los Angeles Dons 17. The Dons had edged them 13-10 at Cleveland earlier in the year, and this win in the rematch, in the next-to-last regular-season game, pushed the Browns’ record to 6-0-1 since then en route to winning their second straight AAFC title.

*1948 – Nov. 25 – Browns 31, Dons 14. The Browns were in the midst of an incredible, unprecedented stretch in which they played three games in eight days on opposite coasts against their biggest rivals at the time. It increased their record to 12-0, was their 15th straight win over two seasons and upped their unbeaten string during that time to 21 games. They finished a perfect 15-0 and won the league title again.

*1949 – Nov. 24 – Browns 14, Chicago Hornets 6. The Browns finished the regular season 9-1-2 and 2½ weeks later won their fourth AAFC title. As part of a peace agreement with the NFL, the AAFC sent Cleveland, the San Francisco 49ers and the first version of the Baltimore Colts to that league, and then disbanded.

Cleveland Browns:

We may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.