Cleveland Browns: Who is the team’s main rival?

The Cleveland Browns have not had much success against those teams considered by fans to be rivals.

A question that has been asked in many circles over the years is, “Who is the Cleveland Browns’ current rival?”

Is it the hated Pittsburgh Steelers?

Is it the cross-state Cincinnati Bengals?

Is it the old-Browns, the Baltimore Ravens?

ESPN recently examined all 32 teams and outlined each of their rivals. When it came to the Browns it was clear that the writer, Pat McManamon, wasn’t too sure himself who their rival was anymore.

He went ahead and named the Steelers the Browns biggest rival, but I beg to differ on that.

First off, what is the criteria for a rivalry?

Is it the head-to-head record? Is it the fan bases? Is it city proximity? Is it tied to past events in the two cities being compared?

However you classify what makes up a rivalry, I believe each of these factors factor in when we label a team a “rival.”

But the most important piece of criteria I believe is the head-to-head record and looking at how close are these teams in wins against each other and the memorable moments in their games.

Let’s take a look at the head-to-head records for the Browns versus each AFC North opponent since 1999:

Steelers:  6-29 (Includes 1 playoff game)

Ravens:  9-25

Bengals: 12-22

So based on head-to-head record since 1999 it’s really hard to say if the Browns have much of a rival, as each AFC North team has dominated them by 10 or more games since the team returned.

So with the Browns you are forced to weigh in other factors. Let’s examine each team in the division.

Next: Pittsburgh Steelers