Buccaneers vs. Browns: All-Time Matchup History
Head-to-Head Snapshot
- All-Time Record: Browns lead series 7–4 (.364)
- First Meeting: 1976
- Most Recent Meeting: 2022 season
- Postseason Meetings: None
Last Five Matchups
- 2022: Browns 23, Buccaneers 17 (away)
- 2018: Buccaneers 26, Browns 23 (home)
- 2014: Browns 22, Buccaneers 17 (away)
- 2010: Buccaneers 17, Browns 14 (home)
- 2006: Buccaneers 22, Browns 7 (away)
Series Overview
Though the Buccaneers played the Browns in their winless inaugural season of 1976, the two teams only met five teams before the original team moved to Baltimore in 1996 and became the Ravens. Cleveland won all five of those matchups. Since the Browns returned to play in 1999, there have been six more meetings and Tampa Bay has won four of them; all six of those contests were relatively low-scoring affairs.
Notable Matchups
- 2018 Regular Season: The Browns rally from 14 points down in the fourth at Raymond James Stadium behind two Baker Mayfield touchdown passes but the Bucs win in overtime, 26-23, on Chandler Catanzaro's 59-yard field goal.
- 2002 Regular Season: The Super Bowl-bound Bucs win their fifth straight game, overwhelming the Browns 17-3 as Mike Alstott ran for 126 yards and two touchdowns.
- 1989 Regular Season: Despite gaining 398 yards to 271 for the Browns, the Buccaneers fall 42-31 in Tampa as Bernie Kosar throws three touchdown passes and Vinny Testaverde is picked off four times.
Series Trends
- The Bucs are 3-3 at home against the Browns but have won just once in Cleveland, in 2006
- The last two Bucs-Browns games have gone to overtime, with each team winning once
- Neither team has scored 30 or more points in a game in this series in the last seven meetings
- The only game played in this series in a season in which both teams made the playoffs was in 2002
2025-26 Cleveland Browns Season Snapshot
- 2025 Record: 5–12
- Division Finish: 4th in AFC North
- Playoffs: None
- 2026 Head Coach: Todd Monken (first year)
2026 Key Additions
T Spencer Fano, T Tytus Howard, G Zion Johnson, OL Elgton Jenkins, T Austin Barber, WR K.C. Concepcion, WR Denzel Boston, LB Quincy Williams, S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S Daniel Thomas, CB Myles Bryant, DL Kalia Davis, LB Justin Jefferson, TE Jack Stoll, WR Tylan Wallace
2026 Key Departures
G Joel Bitonio, T Jack Conklin, G Wyatt Teller, LB Devin Bush, OLB Cam Thomas, RB Jerome Ford, LB Mohamoud Diabate
Notable Players
QB Shedeur Sanders, QB Deshaun Watson, RB Quinshon Judkins, WR Jerry Jeudy, TE Harold Fannin, DE Myles Garrett, DT Mason Graham, LB Carson Schwesinger, CB Denzel Ward, S Grant Delpit
Full Matchup History
| Season | Winner | Score | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Browns | 23-17 (OT) | Cleveland |
| 2018 | Buccaneers | 26-23 (OT) | Tampa |
| 2014 | Browns | 22-17 | Cleveland |
| 2010 | Buccaneers | 17-14 | Tampa |
| 2006 | Buccaneers | 22-7 | Cleveland |
| 2002 | Buccaneers | 17-3 | Tampa |
| 1995 | Browns | 22-6 | Cleveland |
| 1989 | Browns | 42-31 | Tampa |
| 1983 | Browns | 20-0 | Cleveland |
| 1980 | Browns | 34-27 | Tampa |
| 1976 | Browns | 24-7 | Tampa |
Historical Note
The Buccaneers played the Browns in Tampa Bay's very first season, as the Bucs were placed in the AFC West for one year and had a schedule that contested of the other 13 teams in the AFC plus expansion sibling Seattle.
FAQs
- Since the NFL expanded to 32 teams and adopted a new rotating-division scheduling format in 2002, what is the Bucs' record against the Browns? The Buccaneers are 4-2 against Cleveland since the 2002 realignment.
- How many of the 11 meetings between the Bucs and Browns have gone to overtime? The last two games in the series, Tampa Bay's 26-23 win in Tampa in 2018 and the Browns' 23-17 win in Cleveland in 2022, are the only two overtime games between the two teams.
- When was Cleveland's last win in Tampa? The Browns last won a game in Tampa in 1989, when the Buccaneers still played in Tampa Stadium.