Today, our third NFL Thursday miniseries takes us from Los Angeles to Cleveland, which is interesting since professional football left Cleveland for L.A.—only to get a replacement that turned out to be far superior, at least in the beginning. The Brown first played in the All-America Football Conference before merging into the NFL and dominating it for a decade. Today’s Cleveland franchise? Isn’t the same, obvi.

Overall, the Browns have won four NFL titles, despite never appearing in a Super Bowl. Cleveland has made the postseason 29 times (including 4 AAFC titles) overall and posted a .509 winning percentage—which tells any current NFL fans decent in maths just how good the Browns were for a long time … a long time ago. Interestingly enough, Cleveland is merely the second-oldest franchise to never reach the Super Bowl. Ouch!

No. 5: 1960 Cleveland Browns

This team posted an 8-3-1 record to finish second in the NFL East Division, behind the eventual champion Philadelphia Eagles. These Browns were No. 1 on offense and No. 4 on defense, combining for the overall No. 1 SRS ranking—and Cleveland split its two games against Philly, despite outscoring the Eagles by 15 points in the two matchups combined. In an era with no wild-card playoff spots, this team was forgotten.

Fullback Jim Brown (21), halfback Bobby Mitchell (19), and quarterback Milt Plum (16) led this team in Approximate Value. On defense, cornerbacks Bernie Parrish (12) and Jim Shofner (10) led the way. But these Browns were done in by close losses: the four blemishes on the record came by a combined 11 points, including the tie. Those narrows ones, as always, would cost a team everything, especially in this era.

No. 4: 1955 Cleveland Browns

This group won the team’s third NFL title in a six-year span, thanks to a 9-2-1 record that clinched the East. These Browns earned a clean sweep of the top spots: the No. 1 offense, the No. 1 defense, and the No. 1 SRS ranking overall. Playing the championship game on the road in L.A., Cleveland forced 7 Rams turnovers on its way to building up a 38-7 lead before cruising to a 38-14 victory. Yeah, it was that easy for this team.

Quarterback Otto Graham was our pick for the MVP that didn’t exist in this, his final season. His 94.0 QB rating was excellent for the time period, and he was supported by HB Fred Morrison (824 rushing yards) and FB Ed Modzelewski (619). Three different defensive players, including linebacker Chuck Noll, came up with 5 interceptions each. Makes you wonder how this team lost twice by double digits each time, huh?

No. 3: 1953 Cleveland Browns

Cleveland won its division and played in the NFL title game for six straight seasons after joining the NFL in 1950. This club went 11-1 in dominant fashion, thanks to the No. 4 offense, the No. 1 defense, and the No. 1 overall SRS ranking. But the Browns lost the championship game, 17-16, to the Detroit Lions, despite being 4.5-point favorites on the road. At the time, it was the third consecutive title game defeat for Cleveland.

Graham posted a 99.7 QB rating during this season, while also rushing for 6 touchdowns. This was a pass-first offense, with three receivers going over 630 yards in receptions: end Dante Lavelli (783), flanker Ray Renfro (722), and end Pete Brewster (632). The Lions won the title game by shutting down this passing game and holding Graham to just 2 completions, which is shocking to think about in today’s contexts.

No. 2: 1951 Cleveland Browns

This was another 11-1 Browns squad that lost the title game, somehow. Despite boasting the No. 3 offense, the No. 1 defense, and the No. 1 overall SRS ranking, Cleveland came up short in the NFL Championship, losing to the Rams by a 24-17 score. It took a surprising, 73-yard pass for a TD in the fourth quarter for Los Angeles to win on its home field, as the Browns committed 4 turnovers while out-gaining the Rams.

Graham only posted a 79.2 QB rating for the season, but HB Dub Jones topped 1,000 yards from scrimmage while joining two other receivers in the 500-plus yards club (Lavelli and E Mac Speedie). This team lost just 6 fumbles in the regular season, so the turnovers in the title game did hurt the Browns in the end. Cleveland also lost 47 yards due to sacks against the Rams, which contributed to the offensive struggles for Graham.

No. 1: 1950 Cleveland Browns

The best team in organizational history also happens to be the first NFL team in franchise history: the best NFL debut ever. Of course, these Browns were well seasoned after four seasons in the AAFC. They posted a 10-2 record and sported the No. 4 offense, the No. 2 defense, and the No. 1 SRS ranking overall. In tying with the New York Giants for the division, Cleveland won a playoff game, 8-3, to advance to the title game.

Graham had a rough season, throwing more INTs than TDs, but FB Marion Motley won our MVP nod with a strong season. Jones was almost as effective, while Lavelli and Speedie were once again pretty strong players. The Giants game was a defensive battle, with neither team scoring a TD or surpassing 200 yards in offense. Against the Rams in the title game, which Cleveland won 30-28, Graham led a late comeback.