The 1989 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 40th season with the National Football League. It was the Browns' first season with head coach Bud Carson, who had been the defensive coordinator of the New York Jets the previous season. The Browns finished with a 9-6-1 record, good enough for a division title and the second seed in the playoffs, and reached their third AFC Championship Game in four seasons, and for the third time lost to the Denver Broncos.