One of the things that makes football great is the number of variables involved in the game. Not only are there 22 players on the field, more than basketball and baseball combined, but weather, field conditions, the fans, and the referees can all impact the game in a variety of ways.
For the Cleveland Browns, all of those variables, on top of decisions on the coaching staff, front office, free agency, and the NFL draft, have led to a lot of losses since The Return in 1999. In the Browns history, the game
officials have made some bad calls, as they have with all teams, but they are not even close to the primary reason for the team’s struggles.
Heading into the 2026 season, replacement referees might become the big story for the NFL:
As noted in the article, the league used replacement officials in 2013, and it “was universally criticized by coaches and players…” The final game with replacement officials was the “Fail Mary” ruling:
Bad calls are a part of the game, but Cleveland fans have a few that likely stand out to them.
The Duke Johnson fumble that he recovered but was still called a turnover, despite Johnson standing outside of the pile with the football (this article’s lead photo), and this helmet-to-helmet hit on Rashard Higgins in the playoffs stand out in recent memory:
(Mike followed it up, noting he was focused on the helmet-to-helmet part of the play, not blaming Higgins)
What other bad calls stand out to you Browns fans? What is the worst call against the orange and brown of all time?
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