The 2014 season was the Cleveland Browns' 62nd in the National Football League (NFL), their 66th overall, and their first under new head coach Mike Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer.
The team started the season 6–3 with sole possession of the AFC North lead, but lost six of their last seven games to finish 7–9 and fail to make the playoffs for the 12th consecutive year, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.
[3] RFA: Restricted free agent ERFA: Exclusive rights free agent FT: Player was designated with the franchise tag TT: Player was designated with the transition tag The Browns did not have selections from rounds 5–7 as a result of the following trades: On May 9, it was announced that wide receiver Josh Gordon could face a possible season-long suspension due to a fourth failed drug test.
[29] On September 12, after the NFL and the NFLPA approved a new drug testing program, Gordon's suspension was retroactively reduced to 10 games.
The comeback attempt fell short as Steelers K Shaun Suisham kicked a 41-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.
For the Browns, this would mark the third straight regular season game that they played in: that would be decided by 3 or fewer points, and that would have a game-winning field goal in the final ten seconds of the fourth quarter.
For his outstanding play on punt and kick coverage, Browns DL Tank Carder was recognized as the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
KR Jordan Poyer attempted to catch the punt at the Browns' 2-yard line; the ball went off his facemask, and the Jaguars recovered, scoring a touchdown on their next drive to make it 17–6.
The Jaguars won their first game of the season to improve to 1–6; The Browns' record dropped to 3–3 as they fell to 4th place in the AFC North.
At the end of the third quarter the Browns finally got the break they needed when S Joe Haden recovered a Darren McFadden fumble deep in Cleveland territory and returned it 34 yards.
Cleveland blocked Murray's first FG attempt, tipped a punt that gained only 12 yards, got 2 interceptions and a fumble recovery, and kept the Bucs out of the end zone in the fourth quarter.
Bengals QB Andy Dalton struggled severely, going 10/33 for 86 yards while throwing 3 interceptions, and being sacked twice on consecutive plays by DT Desmond Bryant.
Cleveland found its sea legs using the "running back by committee" approach, with all three of its starting rushers (Ben Tate, Terrence West, and Isiah Crowell) scoring TDs in compiling 170 yds on the ground.
This marked the first of four games against potential playoff-bound teams in the Texans, Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, and Indianapolis Colts.
Texans DE J. J. Watt, who played tight end in high school, scored the 5th offensive TD of his career.
Defensive linemen John Hughes and Phil Taylor were lost for the season on IR, and Jordan Cameron missed his 3rd straight game due to a concussion.
S Tashaun Gipson left the game in the fourth quarter after colliding with CB Joe Haden and suffering a serious knee injury on the play.
On the Browns' next drive, RB Terrance West fumbled, and the Bills recovered for a touchdown, adding a field goal in the 4th quarter to make it 17–3.
On December 3, head coach Mike Pettine announced that Hoyer would start the Browns' next game against the Indianapolis Colts.
On the next drive, Hoyer led the Browns downfield; Rookie RB Isaiah Crowell ran in for a touchdown to lead 14–7 at halftime.
In the second half, the Colts' turnover problems continued, committing a fumble on their first drive that the Browns couldn't convert into points.
The Browns had a chance to end the game with a stop on 4th and inches at the 3-yard line, but RB Dan Herron avoided the tackle and picked up 2 yards for a Colts first down.
After a failed two-point conversion, and with the Browns having one more chance to win the game, Hoyer threw his 2nd INT with less than 10 seconds remaining, and the Colts ran out the clock.
Punt and kick coverage teams kept returning fan-favorite KR Joshua Cribbs in check, and traded RB Trent Richardson was held to 30 yds.
It was only the second time that the Browns lost when holding a 4th quarter lead at any point (the other loss coming to the Ravens in Week 3).
On December 26, due to injuries to both Hoyer and Manziel, Connor Shaw was announced to be the starting quarterback for the Browns' Week 17 matchup against the Ravens.
Defensive and kicking units kept the game close, as both offenses were disrupted for the entire first half; K's Justin Tucker and Garrett Hartley scored field goals for a 3–3 tie.
In the third quarter, the Browns got key plays from Shaw and rookie RB Terrence West, as he scored on a 2-yard run to take the lead 10–3.
Because of the amount of plays on the field for the defense, however, they ran out of gas in the fourth, and QB Joe Flacco led Baltimore to 17 straight unanswered points, including a pair of passing TDs to Kamar Aiken and Torrey Smith, for the Ravens' 20–10 win.
This marked Thomas' eighth straight Pro Bowl selection, making him the first offensive lineman in NFL history to be nominated in each of his first eight seasons.