Expectations were sky-high for Kevin Stefanski’s Cleveland Browns entering 2021, fresh off a rare playoff victory. Instead, Cleveland stumbled to an 8-9-0 record, finishing a disappointing third in the AFC North and completely missing the postseason. The front office went all-in during the offseason, retooling the defense via free agency with Jadeveon Clowney, John Johnson, and Anthony Walker, while drafting rookies Greg Newsome II and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Dawg Pound fans anticipated a legitimate Super Bowl run, but injuries and late-season regression turned this roster into a frustrating underachiever.

The offense was completely split between a dominant ground game and a broken aerial attack. Cleveland leaned on a physical scheme that finished fourth in the NFL with 2,471 rushing yards and led the league with 5.1 yards per carry. Nick Chubb spearheaded this clinic, racking up 1,259 yards and eight touchdowns to secure a Pro Bowl nod. Conversely, the passing game cratered to twenty-seventh with 3,320 yards. Baker Mayfield struggled through a shoulder injury, tossing seventeen touchdowns against thirteen interceptions while absorbing forty-three sacks. Following Odell Beckham Jr.’s midseason exit, Jarvis Landry and Donovan Peoples-Jones could not salvage an offense that finished twentieth in scoring with 349 points (20.5 ppg).

While the offense sputtered, the defense transformed into a powerhouse, finishing fifth in total yards allowed and thirteenth in points allowed conceding 371 (21.8 ppg). Myles Garrett was an unblockable force, earning first-team All-Pro honors with sixteen sacks, seventeen tackles for loss, and thirty-three quarterback hits. Jadeveon Clowney revived his career opposite Garrett with nine sacks, while linebacker Anthony Walker cleaned up the middle with a team-high 113 tackles. In the secondary, Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward snagged three interceptions, including a ninety-nine-yard pick-six, anchoring the league's fifth-ranked pass defense alongside the rookie Newsome.

Cleveland’s season was defined by agonizing close losses and late-game collapses. It began in Week 1 with a heartbreaking 33-29 defeat against the Kansas City Chiefs, followed by a wild 47-42 shootout loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 5. The true turning point came after a dominant 41-16 thrashing of the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9; the Browns went into a tailspin, losing five of their final eight games. Heartbreaking December losses to the Las Vegas Raiders and a Christmas Day defeat to Green Bay, where Mayfield threw four interceptions, officially ended their playoff hopes.

Missing the postseason entirely, the 2021 Browns left a legacy of squandered potential. Historically, this campaign marked the functional end of the Baker Mayfield era, proving how quickly a playoff window can close in the NFL. Individual triumphs like Garrett’s All-Pro season and Pro Bowl nods for Chubb and Ward were overshadowed by team failure. Despite a league-leading 5.1 yards per carry showing the roster’s elite infrastructure, Cleveland could not overcome its passing-game deficiencies, turning a promising year into another chapter of agonizing disappointment.