2006 Cleveland Browns season

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In the second half, Frye completed an 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kellen Winslow, marking his first career touchdown reception. However, the Saints burgeoned their lead, with opposing quarterback Drew Brees completing a 12-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marques Colston. In the fourth quarter, Frye brought the Browns within two points of the lead when he rushed for a 1-yard touchdown. A 20-yard field goal from Carney put the Saints up for good, 19-14. The Browns were threatening in Saints territory as the clock was winding down, but a Frye pass deflected off Edwards' chest and into the hands of safety Josh Bullocks.

Week 2 at Cincinnati Bengals

"at McAfee Coliseum, Oakland, California"

The Browns flew to McAfee Coliseum to take on the Oakland Raiders, still hoping for their first win of the year. From the get-go, things immediately got ugly, as RB Reuben Droughns fumbled and LB Sam Williams picked up the ball for a 30-yard return touchdown. In the second quarter, the Browns' woes continued, as QB Andrew Walter completed a 5-yard TD pass to WR Randy Moss. Cleveland would get a 28-yard field goal by kicker Phil Dawson, but Oakland continued to pour on the hurt as RB LaMont Jordan ran 59 yards for a touchdown. The Browns would get a touchdown before halftime, as QB Charlie Frye completed a 3-yard TD pass to TE Darnell Dinkins. In the third quarter, Cleveland finally managed to click on all cylinders, as Frye completed two more TD passes to TE Kellen Winslow (a 2-yard pass) and WR Joe Jurevicius (a 5-yard pass) to take the lead. Afterwards, the Browns held on for the rest of the game to finally get their first win of the year.

Week 5 at Carolina Panthers

"at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio"

The Browns entered week 8 against the New York Jets with Jeff Davidson taking over for Carthon as offensive coordinator. An 8-minute opening drive by the Jets would result in a Mike Nugent 27-yard field goal, which the Browns matched with a Phil Dawson 47-yard kick. In the 2nd quarter, an interception by the Browns' Sean Jones set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Reuben Droughns. The Browns failed to score on a deep drive at the end of the half, with Dawson missing a 26-yard field goal try,and the teams headed into the break at 10-3.

The Browns opened the third quarter with a 57-yard drive capped by a Kellen Winslow touchdown reception for 30 yards. Later in the quarter, a Leon Washington fumble led to another field goal for the Browns. Justin Miller would answer back, however, by taking the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. After a Browns punt, the Jets moved down the field and got a 47-yard field goal from Nugent. The Browns offense stalled out in the fourth quarter, but the defense played well. Sean Jones got another interception midway through the fourth quarter, and a late drive by the Jets failed as Chad Pennington's final throw to the endzone was caught by Chris Baker; however, the officials ruled that he would have landed out of bounds even if the Browns' Brodney Pool hadn't pushed him. The play was not reviewed even after the Jets called a time-out for the booth official to think it over, and the Browns hung on to win.

Week 9 at San Diego Chargers

"at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio"

Hoping to build off their road win over the Falcons, the Browns returned home for Round 1 of their rust belt battle with the Pittsburgh Steelers. After a scoreless first quarter, the Browns struck first as CB Daven Holly returned an interception 57 yards for a touchdown. Later, kicker Phil Dawson completed a 23-yard field goal. In the third quarter, Steelers kicker Jeff Reed completed a 43-yard field goal for the only score of the period. In the fourth quarter, the true nature of the rivalry would commence. Dawson would give Cleveland a 35-yard field goal, but Pittsburgh responded with QB Ben Roethlisberger completing a 20-yard TD pass to rookie WR Santonio Holmes. WR Joshua Cribbs would return a kick off 92 yards for a touchdown to give the Browns a 20-10 lead. However, the Steelers would take the lead with RB Willie Parker getting a 1-yard TD run and a 4-yard TD reception. The Browns final drive of the game almost came up successful, but QB Charlie Frye's 22-yard pass to WR Braylon Edwards fell incomplete. With the loss, Cleveland fell to last place in the AFC North at 3-7.

Week 12 vs Cincinnati Bengals

"at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania"

Coming off a surprising upset over the Chiefs, the Browns flew to Heinz Field for Round 2 of the Rustbelt Rivalry with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night. In the first quarter, Cleveland trailed as QB Ben Roethlisberger completed a 49-yard TD pass to WR Nate Washington for the only score of the period. In the second quarter, the Browns trailed even further as kicker Jeff Reed nailed a 23-yard field goal for the only score of the period. In the third quarter, Cleveland's ineffectiveness against Pittsburgh continued as Roethlisberger scored a touchdown on a 2-yard QB sneak, while RB Willie Parker got a 3-yard TD run. In the fourth quarter, Reed managed to put the game well out the Browns' reach with a 28-yard field goal. Cleveland would score a touchdown as QB Derek Anderson completed a 45-TD pass to WR Braylon Edwards, yet it would be their only score and their only highlight of the game, as the receiving corps had many dropped passes. With another sweep by the Steelers, the Browns fell to 4-9.

Week 15 at Baltimore Ravens

"at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas"

Trying to end their season on a high note, the Browns flew to Reliant Stadium for the third-straight year to take on the Houston Texans. Charlie Frye convinced Coach Crennel to allow him to start despite having a deep bone bruise in his wrist. After a scoreless first quarter, the Browns struck first with kicker Phil Dawson getting a 43-yard field goal for the only score of the period. However, in the third quarter, Cleveland's ineffectiveness continued to show as Texans RB Chris Taylor got a 5-yard TD run, while DT Anthony Maddox returned a fumble 47 yards for a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, the only thing that the Browns could muster was Dawson's 36-yard field goal. With four-straight losses to end the season, Cleveland ended its season at 4-12. The Browns season ended with 12 players in the Injured Reserve list, many of them starters.

Division standings

References