Cleveland made numerous roster moves before the season, adding tackle Derrell Palmer, linebacker Tommy Thompson, and defensive back Warren Lahr, all of whom remained with the team for many years.

The regular season was shortened to twelve games and a new playoff system was introduced, with the top four teams competing in a two-week (semifinals, final) postseason.

The Browns finished the 1948 season with a perfect record and defeated the Buffalo Bills to win the AAFC championship for the third time in a row.

[2] Palmer came in a trade with the New York Yankees and Thompson, a rookie from William & Mary, helped solidify the team's defense for the next five seasons.

[3] After suffering from poor attendance in the previous season, the Brooklyn Dodgers dissolved and some of its players joined the cross-town New York Yankees as part of a partial merger.

[9] Ed Sustersic, the Browns' third-string fullback, ran two yards for another touchdown in the second quarter, giving Cleveland a 14–0 lead.

[10] The 49ers took the lead seven minutes into the first period when Otto Graham attempted a lateral pass that was deflected by tackle Lou Rymkus and rolled backward into the Browns' own end zone.

[10] Cleveland scored two touchdowns in the third quarter and took a 21–14 lead; the first was a pass to end Dante Lavelli and the second a 35-yard rush by halfback Ara Parseghian.

[12] Cleveland's Cliff Lewis returned the kick 74 yards to the Yankees' 20-yard line, setting up a second touchdown on a pass from Graham to Lavelli.

[12] New York scored a touchdown on its next possession in the first quarter, a long pass from quarterback Don Panciera to end Dan Garza, narrowing Cleveland's lead to 14–7.

[13] Groza, who suffered a pulled leg muscle in the preseason, continued to sit out, and Saban handled the Browns' kicking duties.

[14] A 70-yard drive on five plays at the beginning of the third quarter was capped by a touchdown throw from Graham to end Dante Lavelli to give the Browns a 14–0 lead.

[17] The Browns' scoring began in the third quarter with a 17-yard touchdown run by Edgar Jones that was set up by a 47-yard return of a Colts missed field goal by Cliff Lewis.

[17] Baltimore responded with a long touchdown pass from Tittle to Billy Stone, but Cleveland sealed the 28–20 victory with an eight-yard rush by Edgar Jones.

[18] Two of them were on trap runs by Marion Motley, who returned from a series of injuries and ended the game with 139 yards of rushing, the second-highest total of his career.

[15] They had scored an average of almost 35 points a game in their first five weeks, led by an offensive attack that featured quarterback Frankie Albert, fullback Joe Perry and end Alyn Beals.

[24] Groza missed an extra point after a fourth-quarter touchdown because of a high snap, but his field goal proved to be the difference in the close game.

[24] 49ers coach Buck Shaw used a novel play-calling strategy during the game, relaying offensive sequences to Albert by writing them down on note paper and having substitutes give them to him.

[25] A field goal attempt in the first quarter by Groza was blocked, but the Browns scored their first points soon thereafter, a four-yard touchdown run by Dub Jones that capped a 49-yard drive.

[26] Warren Lahr intercepted Ratterman again on the Bills' next drive, but Buffalo evened the score in the second quarter following a series of punts.

[26] Buffalo's Tommy Colella punted to Cliff Lewis, who signaled for a fair catch, but the ball slipped through his hands and the Bills recovered.

[30] A fumble by Warren Lahr led to a Hornets touchdown in the second quarter, although kicker Jim McCarthy missed the extra point.

[29] The AAFC instituted a Shaughnessy playoff system for the 1949 season after the Brooklyn Dodgers went out of business, reducing the number of teams in the league to seven.

[31] Cleveland began its first postseason game against the Bills with two scoring drives in the first quarter, one ending with a 51-yard touchdown pass from Graham to Lavelli and the other with a 31-yard field goal by Groza.

[32] The first score was set up by an interception of a Graham pass by Bob Livingston on the last play of the first quarter, while the second one came on a long drive at the end of the first half that was extended by a roughing the kicker penalty against the Browns.

[32] The Browns regained the lead in the third quarter after Lou Saban intercepted Ratterman and returned the ball to the Bills' two-yard line.

[35] Paul Brown criticized the deal the owners eventually agreed upon, preferring a unified two-league setup like the one in Major League Baseball.

[38] A 68-yard rush by Motley for a touchdown gave the Browns a 14–0 lead in the third quarter despite slippery conditions that limited passing and made running difficult.

[38] Cleveland then scored again after the next kickoff, however, an 11-play drive capped by a Dub Jones touchdown with six minutes left that turned out to be the last in the AAFC's four-season history.

[39] While a Houston-based AAFC team was no longer possible with the league's demise, McCarthy hoped that a well-attended game would convince NFL owners of the viability of a franchise for the city.