2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Offseason, Recruits
The Tigers signed a total of 17 recruits, 15 on early signing day and 2 on National Signing Day. The 2018 class was ranked as the best in the ACC and the seventh best nationally by the 247Sports.com Composite Rankings.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Preseason, ACC media poll
The ACC media poll was released on July 24, 2018. Clemson was the consensus pick to repeat as ACC Champion, receiving 145 votes out of 148 to win the Atlantic Division and 139 of 148 votes to win the Conference Championship.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Schedule
Clemson announced its 2018 football schedule on January 17, 2018. The 2018 schedule consisted of seven home games and five away games in the regular season. The Tigers hosted ACC foes Syracuse, NC State, Louisville, and Duke and traveled to Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Florida State and Boston College.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Schedule
The Tigers hosted three of the four non-conference opponents, Furman from the Southern Conference, Georgia Southern from Sun Belt Conference and South Carolina from the SEC, and traveled to Texas A&M from the SEC.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Depth chart
Depth chart shown is one released for Oct 20 game vs. NC State.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Furman
Clemson's first game of the year was against in-state FCS foe Furman. Clemson won in a blowout, 48–7.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Furman
The Tigers' quarterback situation had dominated discussion of the team in the offseason, with 2017 starter Kelly Bryant in jeopardy of losing the starting job to highly touted true freshman Trevor Lawrence. The week before the season opener, head coach Dabo Swinney announced that Bryant would start the game against Furman but Lawrence would see significant playing time. Swinney stuck to the game plan, as Bryant played the first quarter, Lawrence the second, and each quarterback played in two drives to start the second half.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Furman
Clemson opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 40 yard touchdown pass from Kelly Bryant to Amari Rodgers. The next drive ended with a 35-yard field goal from kicker Greg Huegel to make the score 10–0. Trevor Lawrence's first drive in the second quarter also ended with a field goal by Huegel, this time from 49 yards. The next drive was an 11-play, 95-yard drive that ended with Lawrence's first career touchdown, a six-yard pass from Lawrence to Diondre Overton. Travis Etienne added another touchdown on the ground before the half to make the score 27–0. In the second half, Kelly Bryant scored on a 35-yard touchdown run, and Trevor Lawrence added two more touchdowns through the air. Furman scored their first points via a 16-yard touchdown pass with 1:18 left to go, bringing the final score to 48–7.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, at Texas A&M
In Clemson's second game of the season, the Tigers traveled to College Station, Texas to play Texas A&M of the SEC. Clemson held off a late Texas A&M comeback attempt to win 28–26.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, at Texas A&M
Dabo Swinney again said he intended to play both Kelly Bryant and Trevor Lawrence at quarterback in the game against Texas A&M, as he did against Furman in week 1. Bryant started the game, scoring on a one-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter to take a 7–3 lead over the Aggies. Trevor Lawrence was brought in in the second quarter, completing a 64-yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins on his first pass attempt, bringing the score to 14–3. A 50-yard field goal attempt by Texas A&M was blocked by Dexter Lawrence in the second quarter.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, at Texas A&M
Trevor Lawrence and Bryant struggled to score for the rest of the half, however, and the 14–3 score carried into halftime. In the third quarter, Clemson and Texas A&M traded touchdowns for several drives. Kelly Bryant completed an eight-yard touchdown pass to Diondre Overton to make the score 21–6 in favor of Clemson, which was answered by a nine-yard touchdown pass by Texas A&M's Kellen Mond to Kendrick Rogers. Clemson's Travis Etienne capped off a 75-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run, and Texas A&M responded with another touchdown pass from Kellend Mond to bring the score to 28–20 Clemson.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, at Texas A&M
The Aggies were poised to score with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but wide receiver Quartney Davis fumbled the ball near the goal line, which was ruled to have gone out of bounds in the endzone, resulting in a touchback and Clemson's ball. The Aggies forced a three-and-out, however, and regained possession with 1:12 left to play. Kellen Mond's offense marched down the field and scored a 24-yard touchdown completion to Kendrick Rogers with 46 seconds to go. The Aggies' two-point try to potentially tie the game ended with a Kellen Mond interception, however, and Clemson ran out the clock to end the game.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Georgia Southern
Clemson's third game of the season, a home game against Georgia Southern of the Sun Belt Conference, was put in jeopardy by Hurricane Florence. The hurricane made landfall near Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina the day before the game was set to be played, and was forecast to move south toward South Carolina late Saturday.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Georgia Southern
Clemson officials decided not to cancel or change the location of the game, as was being done for other football games being played in the Carolinas that weekend, but did move game time up to noon from its originally scheduled time of 4:30 p.m. Clemson won the game 38–7 in front of a packed crowd at Memorial Stadium.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Georgia Southern
Clemson followed the pattern of its previous two games by starting Kelly Bryant at quarterback but bringing in Trevor Lawrence for equal playing time. The Tigers three drives in the first quarter all failed to score, ending with an interception thrown by Bryant, a missed field goal, and a fumble by Adam Choice, respectively. In the second quarter, Trevor Lawrence led a  93-yard drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown run by Travis Etienne. Bryant began the following drive at quarterback but came off the field due to an apparent injury.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Georgia Southern
Two plays later, Trevor Lawrence completed a 57-yard touchdown pass to Justyn Ross. Clemson's next drive ended in a one-yard touchdown run by Tavien Feaster, bringing the score to 21–0 just before the half. In the second half, Kelly Bryant did not return from his injury, which head coach Dabo Swinney described as a chest bruise. After Clemson scored a 37-yard field goal by kicker Greg Huegel, Georgia Southern scored their only touchdown on the day early in the fourth quarter via a six-yard touchdown run by Shai Werts.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Georgia Southern
Travis Etienne scored on a 40-yard touchdown run later in the quarter, which was followed by a 10-yard touchdown run by Adam Choice to bring the final score to 38–7. Etienne finished with a career-best 162 yards rushing and two touchdowns in the game. Trevor Lawrence improved his career best to 194 passing yards to go along with one touchdown and one interception.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, at Georgia Tech
Clemson opened its ACC conference schedule with a road game against Georgia Tech. The Tigers won convincingly, 49–21.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, at Georgia Tech
For what would prove to be the final time, Kelly Bryant started the game at quarterback. He played only two drives in the first half, both of which ended in punts, and after which Trevor Lawrence was brought in. Clemson's first score of the game was a fumble recovery in the end zone by Clelin Ferrell. The Tigers' next score came from a 17-yard touchdown pass from Trevor Lawrence to Hunter Renfrow. A 53-yard touchdown pass from Lawrence to Justyn Ross on the next drive made the game 21–0 in the second quarter.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, at Georgia Tech
On the next drive, an intended screen pass from Lawrence deflected off a Clemson lineman and was caught by Georgia Tech's Desmond Branch. Georgia Tech then scored their lone points of the first half via an 11-yard touchdown run by TaQuon Marshall. Clemson led another touchdown drive, ending in a 3-yard pass from Lawrence to Travis Etienne, just before the half to make the score 28–7. The third quarter featured touchdown runs by Tavien Feater and Etienne, after which the score was 42–7.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, at Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech added touchdowns via a two-yard score by Nathan Cottrell and a five-yard pass from Tobias Oliver to Clinton Lynch. The last score of the game was a 30-yard touchdown pass from Trevor Lawrence to Tee Higgins. Lawrence finished the day with 176 passing yards, four touchdown passes and one interception.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Syracuse
Clemson's next game was their conference home opener against Syracuse, the team that had given Clemson their sole regular season loss the previous year. The Tigers led a fourth quarter comeback to win the 2018 match-up, 27–23.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Syracuse
The Clemson quarterback situation came to a head during the week leading up to the game. Head coach Dabo Swinney decided that Trevor Lawrence would be the starter going forward, supplanting 2017 starter Kelly Bryant, who had started each of the first four games but split drives with Lawrence. The next day, Bryant announced he intended to transfer schools. In order to take advantage of a new NCAA rule that allowed players to redshirt after appearing in a maximum of four games, Bryant, a senior, would have to sit the remainder of the year in order to save his remaining eligibility.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Syracuse
Syracuse opened the scoring in the game by scoring field goals on each of their first two drives. Trevor Lawrence led a 60-yard drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown run by Travis Etienne to make the score 7–6 Clemson at the end of the first quarter. Syracuse's Eric Dungey responded with a 70-yard drive that ended with him scoring a one-yard rushing touchdown to take the lead for the Orange. The following Clemson drive ended with Trevor Lawrence taking a hard hit to the head. He would not re-enter the game, and since Kelly Bryant could not enter the game without burning his redshirt, third string quarterback Chase Brice would need to lead the Clemson comeback. Syracuse kicked another field goal to bring the score to 16–7 Syracuse at halftime.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Syracuse
In the third quarter, Greg Huegel kicked 43- and 37-yard field goals for Clemson to bring the score to 16–13 in favor of Syracuse. The Orange extended their lead to 10 points after recovering a muffed punt at the Clemson 10 yard line, after which Eric Dungey scored on a one-yard touchdown run. Travis Etienne cut the deficit back to three points with a 26-yard touchdown run with 11 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Syracuse
With six minutes remaining, Chase Brice and Etienne led the go-ahead, 94-yard scoring drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown run by Etienne with 41 seconds remaining in the game. Syracuse failed to move the ball in the final seconds, helped by two sacks by Clemson freshman Xavier Thomas, and the game was over. Travis Etienne ended with a career high 203 rushing yards and three touchdowns.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, at Wake Forest
The Tigers' next game was a conference road game against Wake Forest. Clemson dominated the game, 63–3.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, at Wake Forest
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence, back from the head injury he sustained the previous week, started the game. The Tigers offense struggled early in the game, failing to score on their first three drives. Travis Etienne opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 59-yard touchdown run. He added another touchdown run early in the second quarter to bring the score to 14–0. Trevor Lawrence passed for two first half touchdowns, first on a 55-yard connection to Justyn Ross, then on a 20-yard pass to Tee Higgins just before the half.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, at Wake Forest
In the third quarter, Etienne scored another long touchdown, this one from 70 yards on Clemson's first offensive play of the second half. Wake Forest scored their only points of the game, a 25-yard field goal by Nick Sciba, in the third quarter. Clemson running back Lyn-J Dixon scored two second half touchdowns, including a 65-yard touchdown run. Adam Choice had a 64-yard touchdown run as well. Etienne, Dixon, and Choice all surpassed 125 rushing yards on the day, the first time three Clemson players each surpassed that mark in one game. Players said they considered the rushing performance by the team a fitting tribute to former Clemson running back C.J. Fuller, a member of the 2016 championship team that died unexpectedly from a blood clot the week of this game.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, NC State
After Clemson's win against Wake Forest, the Tigers returned home to face their first ranked opponent in 2018, the 16th-ranked NC State Wolfpack. Clemson won in a rout, 41–7.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, NC State
Clemson's first drive of the game was a 57-yard drive that ended with a three-yard touchdown run by Travis Etienne. Later in the first quarter, Trevor Lawrence completed a 46-yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins as the Tigers jumped out to an early 14–0 lead. With 46 seconds left in the first half, Etienne ran for another short touchdown from two yards out. NC State quarterback Ryan Finley threw an interception to Clemson defender K'Von Wallace, who returned it to the NC State 4 yard line with 19 seconds in the half.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, NC State
Greg Huegel converted the 28-yard field goal to bring the score to 24–0 Clemson at halftime. In the third quarter, Travis Etienne scored his third touchdown of the day, a one-yard run that extended Clemson's lead to 31–0. NC State scored their only points on the day via a nine-yard touchdown run by Reggie Gallaspy II early in the fourth quarter. Clemson added another field goal by Huegel and a two-yard touchdown run by Lyn-J Dixon before the end of the game. Trevor Lawrence finished with a career best 308 passing yards in the game.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, at Florida State
Following the home win against NC State, Clemson traveled to Tallahassee, Florida to face Florida State, seeking to become the first ACC team to ever beat the Seminoles in four consecutive years. Clemson did so by winning in dominant fashion, 59–10.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, at Florida State
Both offenses were held scoreless in the first quarter. Early in the second quarter, Trevor Lawrence opened the scoring for the Tigers with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins. The next Clemson drive ended the same way, with a three-yard touchdown pass from Lawrence to Higgins. Later in the quarter, Clemson lined up on the goal-line in a "Fridge Package" with defensive linemen Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence in the backfield. Wilkins received the handoff and scored his first career rushing touchdown.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, at Florida State
Clemson scored another touchdown via a two-yard run by tight end Garrett Williams to bring the score to 28–0 before the half. In Clemson's first drive of the second half, Trevor Lawrence connected with Amari Rodgers for a 58-yard touchdown pass. The two connected again later in the quarter for a 68-yard score, after which it was 45–0 Clemson. Florida State kicker Ricky Aguayo completed a 35-yard field goal in the third quarter to break up the shutout. In the fourth quarter, Clemson running back Adam Choice scored on a 15-yard run. Florida State's final points came via a 73-yard pass from quarterback James Blackman to Keyshawn Helton with 4:43 left to go in the game. The final score of 59–10 was Florida State's worst home loss in program history.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Louisville
After the win against Florida State, Clemson returned home once again to play Louisville. The Tigers won in another blowout, 77–16.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Louisville
Clemson received the kickoff the start the game, and on their opening drive marched down the field 75 yards and scored via a 10-yard touchdown run by Travis Etienne. The next Clemson drive was over after one play thanks to a 70-yard touchdown run by Tavien Feater, and the Tigers were up 14–0 less than three minutes into the game. After Louisville kicked a 25-yard field goal, Clemson finished another 75-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown completion from Trevor Lawrence to Tee Higgins. Early in the second quarter, Louisville quarterback Jawon Pass threw a pass that was intercepted by Clemson's Isaiah Simmons and returned 27 yards for a touchdown. In the final minute of the half, Lawrence completed a three yard touchdown pass to Amari Rogers, and the score was 35–3 at halftime.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Louisville
Early in the third quarter, Clemson brought out the "Fridge Package" on the goal-line, as they had done the week prior against Florida State. This time it was defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence that scored his first career rushing touchdown from two yards out. Louisville's next drive ended in another intercepted pass, returned to the Louisville nine yard line by Tanner Muse. Clemson running back Tavien Foster scored a three-yard touchdown three plays later.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Louisville
Backup quarterback Chase Brice played the rest of the game, and his next two drives ended in touchdown passes, first on a six-yard pass to Trevion Thompson, then on a 59-yard completion to Justyn Ross, after which the score was 63–3, still in the third quarter. Louisville's Steven Sawicki returned the ensuing kick-off 93 yards for their first touchdown of the day. Clemson running back Lyn-J Dixon ended the next drive with a 55-yard touchdown run.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Louisville
Louisville added another touchdown via a 10-yard run by Malik Cunningham, and Clemson ended the scoring on the day with Chase Brice's third touchdown pass, to Will Swinney for eight yards. Clemson's 77 points on the day were the most for the Tigers since an 82–24 victory over Wake Forest in Clemson's 1981 championship season.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, at Boston College
Clemson next traveled to play 17th-ranked Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, with a chance to clinch the ACC's Atlantic Division for the fourth consecutive year. The Tigers did just that, winning the game handily, 27–7.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, at Boston College
Clemson received the kick-off and got as far as the Boston College 12 yard line but settled for a 30-yard field goal to take the 3–0 lead. Boston College's first possession ended with starting quarterback Anthony Brown being taken down by Clemson defensive lineman Christian Wilkins, suffering an apparent injury. He walked off the field under his own power but did not return to the game. Clemson's next possession ended in a punt, which was returned 74 yards for a touchdown by Boston College's Michael Walker.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, at Boston College
Clemson responded with a 70-yard touchdown drive that ended with a two-yard pass from Trevor Lawrence to Milan Richard to retake the lead. Clemson added another field goal from 23 yards out early in the second quarter. Both teams failed to score for the rest of the half, and the 13–7 score carried into halftime. Clemson's first offensive drive of the second half ended with Trevor Lawrence's first career rushing touchdown, a six yard run. Early in the fourth quarter, Amari Rogers returned a Boston College punt 58 yards for a touchdown, which brought the score to 27–7, which held until the end of the game.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Duke
Clemson's last conference game was a home game against Duke. The Tigers secured a perfect conference finish by beating the Blue Devils 35–6.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Duke
Clemson's offense started out slow, punting on each of their first three drives, and the defense allowed two Duke field goals, bringing the score to 6–0 in favor of Duke at the end of the first quarter. But Clemson completed a 75-yard drive that ended with a two-yard Tavien Feaster touchdown run early in the second quarter to take the lead. With 1:16 left in the first half, the Tigers added another touchdown via a 19-yard pass from Trevor Lawrence to Justyn Ross, and the score was 14–6 at the half.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Duke
In the second half, Clemson scored on three straight drives to bring the game out of reach. First, Travis Etienne scored a 27-yard touchdown run, followed by a 29-yard touchdown run on the next drive. Trevor Lawrence completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Chase early in the fourth quarter to bring the score to 35–6, which held until the end of the game. Lawrence finished with 251 yards and two touchdowns on the day.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, South Carolina
Clemson's last game of the regular season was against in-state rival South Carolina, a member of the Southeastern Conference. Clemson won the game 56–35 to secure a perfect 12–0 regular season, their first since 2015 and third in school history.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, South Carolina
South Carolina received the opening kick-off, and marched down the field 75 yards on their first drive and scored on a nine-yard touchdown pass from Jake Bentley to Deebo Samuel. Clemson responded with their own 75-yard drive, which ended with a one-yard score by Adam Choice. The next Clemson drive ended with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Trevor Lawrence to Tee Higgins, bringing the score to 14–7 Clemson. One drive later, defensive lineman Christian Wilkins scored on fourth and one from the South Carolina one yard line, his second rushing touchdown on the year.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, South Carolina
South Carolina responded with a 67-yard touchdown pass from Bentley to Kiel Pollard, and the score was 21–14 Clemson in the second quarter. Clemson and South Carolina traded touchdowns again before the end of the half, first with Clemson's Adam Choice scoring a two-yard touchdown run, followed by a 75-yard connection from South Carolina's Jake Bentley to Deebo Samuel. Clemson's Greg Huegel missed a 39-yard field goal at the end of the half, and the score was 28–21 Clemson at halftime.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, South Carolina
The Tigers started the second half with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by Travis Etienne. The two following Clemson drives ended with a 13-yard touchdown run by Tavien Feaster and then a 15-yard touchdown run by Adam Choice to extend their lead to 49–21 early in the fourth quarter. South Carolina added two touchdowns, first by a 32-yard touchdown pass from Bentley to Samuel, then by a 20-yard touchdown pass from Bentley to Shi Smith with 3:37 left to play.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, South Carolina
Travis Etienne added another Clemson touchdown via a 7-yard run in the last minute of the game, bringing the final score to 56–35. The 35 points surrendered by the Tigers was the most given up by the team since the 2016 ACC Championship Game against Virginia Tech. Trevor Lawrence threw for a career-high 393 yards in the game.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Pittsburgh – ACC Championship Game
Clemson, champions of the Atlantic Coast Conference's Atlantic Division, faced off against Coastal Division champion Pittsburgh in the 2018 ACC Championship Game, played in Charlotte, North Carolina. Clemson won the game in a blowout, 42–10, to secure their fourth consecutive ACC title.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Pittsburgh – ACC Championship Game
On the very first offensive play of the game, Clemson running back Travis Etienne ran 75 yards for a touchdown to give the Tigers the early lead. Later in the first quarter, Clemson safety Isaiah Simmons forced a Pittsbugh fumble on their own 21 yard line, which was returned to the three yard line by Christian Wilkins. Travis Etienne scored on a three-yard run on the next play. Pittsburgh got on the board later in the quarter with a 37-yard field goal by Alex Kessman.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Pittsburgh – ACC Championship Game
A one-yard touchdown run by Pittsburgh's Qadree Ollison made the score 14–10 Clemson midway through the second quarter. Trevor Lawrence extended the lead with a five-yard touchdown completion to Tee Higgins. In the final minute of the half, Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett threw an interception to Clemson's A.J. Terrell, who returned it to the Pittsburgh 10 yard line. Lawrence and Higgins connected again on the following play to bring the score to 28–10 at halftime.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Pittsburgh – ACC Championship Game
Both offenses were held scoreless in the third quarter. In the early fourth quarter, Adam Choice closed out a 69-yard Clemson drive with a one-yard touchdown run. Later in the quarter, Lyn-J Dixon scored on a four-yard touchdown run, bringing the score to 42–10, which held until the end of the game. Travis Etienne finished with 156 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the game.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Notre Dame – Cotton Bowl
In the final College Football Playoff rankings of the year, released on December 2, Clemson was ranked second, which earned them a spot in the CFP semi-final to be played at the 2018 Cotton Bowl Classic. Their opponent was the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, ranked third by the playoff committee and also undefeated. The winner would go on to the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship to play the winner of the other semi-final game, the 2018 Orange Bowl. Clemson opened as an 11.5-point favorite against the Irish by Las Vegas sportsbooks. Prior to the game, starting defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence and two backups, Zach Giella and Braden Galloway, tested positive for a banned substance, ostarine, and were told by the NCAA they must sit out the Cotton Bowl while awaiting results of further tests.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Notre Dame – Cotton Bowl
The Cotton Bowl Classic began with both teams trading field goals in the first quarter. Early in the second quarter, Clemson scored their first touchdown via a 52-yard touchdown pass from Trevor Lawrence to Justyn Ross. Greg Huegel's extra point attempt was blocked, and the score was 9–3 Clemson. Lawrence and Ross connected again later in the quarter, this time on a 42-yard touchdown pass with 1:44 left to go in the half.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Notre Dame – Cotton Bowl
Clemson got the ball back with 46 seconds to go, and Trevor Lawrence led an 80-yard drive in that time that ended with a 19-yard pass to Tee Higgins to extend their lead to 23–3 at halftime. In the third quarter, Travis Etienne scored on a 62-yard touchdown run. Both teams failed to score for the rest of the game, and 30–3 was the final score. Trevor Lawrence finished with 327 yards and was awarded MVP of the game along with defensive lineman Austin Bryant.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Alabama – CFP National Championship
By winning the Cotton Bowl Classic, Clemson advanced to the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship to play the winner of the Orange Bowl, Alabama. This was Clemson's third appearance in the CFP championship game in four years, all of which were played against Alabama. The Crimson Tide won their first CFP match-up in 2016 (2015 season), and Clemson won the rematch in 2017 (2016 season). The Crimson Tide and Tigers also met in the CFP semi-finals the previous season, where Alabama was victorious in the 2018 Sugar Bowl. Alabama opened as the 6.5-point favorite in the 2019 match-up. The three Clemson players that had been suspended for the Cotton Bowl for testing positive for a banned substance, including Dexter Lawrence, were again suspended for the national championship game after NCAA tests confirmed the prior results.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Alabama – CFP National Championship
Clemson received the opening kickoff of the Championship Game but was forced to punt after a three-and-out. The following Alabama drive ended in an uncharacteristic pick-six interception thrown by Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa, returned 44 yards by A.J. Terrell after being tipped by blitzing safety Isaiah Simmons in the backfield. Alabama responded with a three-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 62-yard touchdown from Tagovaila to Jerry Jeudy to even the score at seven apiece. Clemson's next drive included a 62-yard pass from Trevor Lawrence to Tee Higgins and ended with a 17-yard touchdown by Travis Etienne.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Alabama – CFP National Championship
The high-scoring first quarter continued as Alabama marched down the field again and scored on a one-yard pass from Tagovailoa to Hale Hentges. Alabama's extra point missed, and the score was 14–13 Clemson at the end of the first quarter. Early in the second quarter, Alabama's Joseph Bulovas kicked a 25-yard field goal to take the lead for the Crimson Tide. Clemson's next two drives both ended with Travis Etienne touchdowns, the first a one-yard run and the second a five-yard reception from Trevor Lawrence. Clemson kicked a 36-yard field goal in the final minute of the half, bringing a 31–16 lead into halftime.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Alabama – CFP National Championship
In the second half, Alabama received the kick and advanced to the Clemson 24 yard line, but failed to convert a fake field goal on 4th and 6, turning the ball over. Clemson scored three plays later via a 74-yard pass from Trevor Lawrence to Justyn Ross. Alabama was again stopped on their next drive, and Clemson marched 89 yards down the field to score a five-yard touchdown pass from Lawrence to Tee Higgins, after which the score was 44–16 at the end of the third quarter. Clemson's defense held the Alabama offense scoreless on the next two drives.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Game summaries, Alabama – CFP National Championship
The Tigers received the ball on their own one yard line with 10:02 left to go in the game, and were able to completely wind down the clock over the course of a 14-play, 94-yard drive that ended the game. Trevor Lawrence threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns in the game and was named offensive MVP. Cornerback Trayvon Mullen, who intercepted a first-half pass by Tua Tagovailoa and returned it 46 yards, was named defensive MVP.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, 2019 NFL Draft
The 2019 NFL Draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee. Six Clemson players were selected as part of the draft, including a school record three taken in the first round. Five additional Clemson players were signed to NFL teams as undrafted free agents.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Legacy
Multiple analysts and media outlets have discussed the 2018 Clemson team as being one of the best in college football history, in league with 2001 Miami, 1995 Nebraska, and other all-time great teams, due to its historic margin of victory (32 points per game), record (15–0), and dominance in victories over highly ranked teams. Clemson became the first team in over forty years to beat two top 5 teams (AP Poll) by at least 25 points. Clemson accomplished the feat in 11 days. The Tigers won 13 of 15 games by at least 20 points, including the last ten in a row.


2018 Clemson Tigers football team, Legacy
The Tigers' national championship victory celebration at the White House made headlines due to the government shutdown. The White House residence staff, which would normally prepare the meal, was not working so President Donald Trump personally ordered large amounts of fast food including burgers, french fries and pizza, for the team. Despite widespread controversy, some of the Clemson players said they enjoyed the meal and the experience.


2018 Clemson Tigers men's soccer team
The 2018 Clemson Tigers men's soccer team represented Clemson University during the 2018 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. The Tigers were led by head coach Mike Noonan, in his ninth season. They played home games at Riggs Field. This was the team's 58th season playing organized men's college soccer and their 31st playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference.


2018 Clemson Tigers men's soccer team, Background
The 2017 Clemson men's soccer team finished the season with a 12–6–1 overall record and a 4–4–0 ACC record. The Tigers were seeded fifth–overall in the 2017 ACC Men's Soccer Tournament, where they lost to the eventual winners Wake Forest. The Tigers earned an at-large bid into the 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament for the fifth season in a row. As the eight–overall seed in the tournament, Clemson hosted Coastal Carolina. Clemson was upset 1–3 to end their season.


2018 Clemson Tigers men's soccer team, Background
At the end of the season, two Tigers men's soccer players were selected in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft: Oliver Shannon and Diego Campos.


2018 Clemson Tigers men's soccer team, Player movement, Players arriving
Clemson signed seven players to their 2018 recruiting class. The class was ranked second in the nation by TopDrawerSoccer.


2018 Clemson Tigers men's soccer team, Squad, Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 Clemson Tigers women's soccer team
The 2018 Clemson Tigers women's soccer team represented Clemson University during the 2018 NCAA Division I women's soccer season. The Tigers were led by head coach Ed Radwanski, in his eighth season. Home games were played at Riggs Field. This was the team's 25th season playing organized soccer. All of those seasons were played in the Atlantic Coast Conference.


2018 Clemson Tigers women's soccer team, Previous Season
The 2017 Clemson women's soccer team finished the season with a 10–5–3 overall record and a 3–4–3 ACC record. The Tigers failed to make the ACC Tournament, finishing 9th in the conference. The Tigers earned an at-large bid into the 2017 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament for the fifth season in a row. As an unseeded team in the Duke Bracket, Clemson beat Alabama at home 2–1, but fell in the second round to 4th seeded Texas on penalties.


2018 Clemson Tigers women's soccer team, Offseason, Recruiting Class
Clemson announced its 2018 recruiting class of six players on February 9, 2018.


2018 Clemson Tigers women's soccer team, Squad, Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 Clemson Tigers women's soccer team, Squad, Roster
Prior to the season, Lauren Harkes, Kimber Haley, and Sam Staab were announced as team captains.


2018 Clemson Tigers women's soccer team, 2019 NWSL Draft
The Tigers had one player drafted in the 2019 draft, Sam Staab, was taken as the 4th pick. This is the highest any Clemson player has been picked in an NWSL draft.


2018 Cleveland Browns season
The 2018 season was the Cleveland Browns' 66th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 70th overall, their first full season under general manager John Dorsey, and their third and final season under head coach Hue Jackson. The Browns improved upon their 2017 campaign in which they finished 0–16, finishing in 3rd place in the AFC North with a record of 7–8–1, their best record since the 2007 season. However, they missed the playoffs for the 16th consecutive season, having last made the playoffs in 2002.


2018 Cleveland Browns season
On September 9, the Browns opened their season against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 21–21 tie. This was the Browns' first tie since 1989, and it ended a 17-game losing streak which dated back to the 2016 season. On September 20, the Browns defeated the New York Jets 21–17, ending a 19-game winless streak.


2018 Cleveland Browns season
On October 29, Jackson was fired after posting a record of 2–5–1 through Week 8 and an overall record of 3–36–1 during his two and a half seasons in Cleveland. Offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who was in his first season with the Browns, was fired the same day. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was named interim head coach. Under Williams, the Browns went 5–3 to finish out the season.


2018 Cleveland Browns season
Rookie starting quarterback Baker Mayfield threw 27 touchdown passes, breaking the record for the most touchdown passes thrown by a rookie quarterback. The previous record of 26 was shared by Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Offseason, Front office changes
On January 2, new general manager John Dorsey hired Green Bay Packers personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith as vice president of football operations.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Offseason, Front office changes
On January 10, the Browns announced several front office hirings: Eliot Wolf as assistant general manager, Jimmy Noel as assistant director of pro scouting, Matt Donahoe as a scout, and Dan Zegers as personnel coordinator. The Browns also announced that former vice president of player personnel Ken Kovash would switch to a role within the strategy department, and fired senior personnel executive Ryan Grigson.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Offseason, Coaching changes
On January 10, the Browns released special teams coordinator Chris Tabor. He had been the longest-tenured coach on the Browns, with the team since 2011.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Offseason, Coaching changes
On January 11, the Browns hired Adam Henry as wide receivers coach, a position he held with the New York Giants since 2016. Former wide receivers coach Al Saunders transitioned into a senior advisory role.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Offseason, Coaching changes
On January 12, the Browns hired Ken Zampese as quarterbacks coach. They also fired running backs coach/run game coordinator Kirby Wilson, special teams assistant Shawn Mennenga, and special teams quality control coach Stan Watson.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Offseason, Coaching changes
On January 24, the Browns hired Amos Jones as special teams coordinator, Todd Haley as offensive coordinator, and Freddie Kitchens as running backs/assistant head coach.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Offseason, Coaching changes
On February 8, the Browns hired Sam Shade as assistant special teams coach.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Offseason, Coaching changes
On March 9, the Browns hired former return specialist Josh Cribbs as special teams intern.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Offseason, Roster changes, Players added and lost
The Browns added and released the following players during the 2018 off-season:


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Offseason, Roster changes, Undrafted free agents
* Browns claimed player off waivers after he signed as an undrafted free agent with another team and was waived.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Preseason
The Browns opened training camp on July 26. The Browns' training camp and preseason was featured on the HBO series Hard Knocks.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Preseason, Roster cuts
The Browns waived the following players between August 28 and September 1 to get their roster down to the 53-player maximum.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Preseason, Roster cuts
The Browns also traded T Shon Coleman and acquired DT Devaroe Lawrence in a separate trade.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Preseason, Roster cuts
On September 2, the Browns added DT Carl Davis, DE Ifeadi Odenigbo, C Aaron Neary, LB Tanner Vallejo, and Tavierre Thomas, who were all waived by their former teams. To make room on the roster, the Browns waived LB Jermaine Grace, CB Jeremiah McKinnon, DT Jamie Meder, DE Carl Nassib, and C Austin Reiter.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Preseason, Roster cuts
On September 3, the Browns signed Ekuale, Henderson, Hilliard, G Kyle Kalis, TE Pharoah McKever, McKinnon, Meander, Scott, T Brad Seaton, and Shelton to their practice squad. Sankoh, who is part of the NFL's International Player Pathway program, was also added to the practice squad and does not count toward its 10-player limit.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Browns' defense intercepted Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger three times and recovered three fumbles. Rookie CB Denzel Ward had two of the interceptions for the Browns. Cleveland only had one turnover, with Tyrod Taylor throwing an interception in the 4th quarter. Both teams had a chance to win late in the overtime period, but came up short. Chris Boswell missed a 42-yard field goal for the Steelers, while Browns kicker Zane Gonzalez had his 43-yard attempt blocked with 0:09 left in overtime.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
With their first tie since 1989, the Browns started the season at 0–0–1. This tie ended a 17-game losing streak that dated back to the final game of the 2016 season. It also ended streaks of 17 straight losses within the AFC North, 13 straight season-opening losses, and six straight losses to the Steelers. Ward was named the NFL Rookie of the Week for Week 1.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: at New Orleans Saints
The teams exchanged field goals in the first quarter, then Browns K Zane Gonzalez kicked his second field goal late in the second quarter to give the Browns a 6–3 halftime lead. Carlos Hyde scored a touchdown on a short run to give the Browns a 12–3 lead, but the Saints scored 15 straight points in the fourth quarter to take an 18–12 lead. The Browns answered with a tying touchdown on a 47-yard Tyrod Taylor Hail Mary pass to Antonio Callaway with 1:16 remaining.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: at New Orleans Saints
However, Gonzalez missed the extra point attempt, his second miss of the day, which would have given the Browns the lead. Saints K Wil Lutz nailed a 44-yard game-winner with 0:21 remaining. The Browns drove to give Gonzalez an attempt at a 52-yard field goal to tie the game in the final seconds, but it sailed wide right.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: at New Orleans Saints
With the loss, the Browns fell to 0–1–1. Their winless streak extended to 19 games.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: at New Orleans Saints
The next day, the Browns released Gonzalez and signed rookie K Greg Joseph. Joseph played college football at Florida Atlantic and was on the Miami Dolphins' training camp roster. The Browns also traded WR Josh Gordon to the New England Patriots for a 2019 fifth-round selection. If Gordon was not active for at least 10 games for New England the rest of the season, the Browns would also send New England a 2019 seventh-round selection.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: vs. New York Jets
Rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield entered the game in the 2nd quarter after starter Tyrod Taylor left the game with a concussion. Taylor finished the game 4/14 for 19 yards. Mayfield threw for 201 yards and a caught a pass from receiver Jarvis Landry for a two-point conversion (a Philly Special that had been flipped to account for Landry being left-handed). Carlos Hyde added two touchdown runs including the go-ahead score with just over two minutes remaining. The Jets offense could not respond as QB Sam Darnold threw a pair of interceptions in the Jets' final two drives to preserve the 21–17 win.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: vs. New York Jets
With the win, the Browns improved to 1–1–1. This win marked the end of the team's 19-game winless streak and the team's first win in 635 days (their last win was on December 24, 2016). Mayfield was named the NFL Rookie of the Week for Week 3.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: vs. New York Jets
On September 24, Mayfield was named the team's starting quarterback moving forward.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: at Oakland Raiders
The Browns took a 17–7 lead into halftime on the strength of Nick Chubb's first career touchdown run and Baker Mayfield's first career touchdown pass, although Mayfield also threw an interception that was returned for a Raiders touchdown. The Browns built up a 28–14 lead in the third quarter, but the Raiders then scored 20 straight points aided by two Mayfield fumbles and a 51-yard punt return which gave the Raiders short fields to work with. The Browns finally answered with touchdown runs by Carlos Hyde and Chubb to take a 42–34 lead in the fourth quarter.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: at Oakland Raiders
The Browns were unable to run the clock out and punted to the Raiders, giving them one last opportunity to tie the game. The Raiders scored a touchdown and game-tying two-point conversion with 0:30 left, to send the game into overtime. The Raiders won the game, 45–42 on a Matt McCrane field goal in the overtime period. This was the first time the Browns scored 30 or more points since 2015, and the first time the team scored 40 or more points since 2009.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: at Oakland Raiders
With the loss, the Browns fell to 1–2–1. Chubb was named NFL Rookie of the Week after his 105-yard, two-touchdown performance.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Both offenses struggled to gain any rhythm during the game. The Ravens could only score nine points on three Justin Tucker field goals, while the Browns scored nine points on a Baker Mayfield touchdown pass to Rashard Higgins and a Greg Joseph field goal. Joseph, who missed an extra point, had an opportunity to win the game at the end of regulation, but missed a 55-yard field goal attempt. In overtime, both teams were held scoreless during their first two possessions. However, with 0:02 remaining, Joseph hit a 37-yard field goal to win the game.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: vs. Baltimore Ravens
With the win, the Browns improved to 2–2–1. The Browns ended an 18-game winless streak within the AFC North that dated back to the 2015 season. CB Denzel Ward, who recorded an interception and a blocked field goal, was named NFL Rookie of the Week for the second time this season. It also marked the fourth time in five weeks a Browns player won the award. Ward was also named the AFC special teams player of the week. Jarvis Landry recorded his 427th career reception, passing Larry Fitzgerald for the most receptions in his first five NFL seasons.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers dominated the game. Chargers' quarterback Philip Rivers passed for 207 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception and running back Melvin Gordon added 132 rushing yards and three touchdowns. The Los Angeles defense sacked Browns' quarterback Baker Mayfield five times and had two interceptions. The Chargers defeated the Browns 38–14.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
On October 19, the Browns traded RB Carlos Hyde to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a 2019 fifth-round selection.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers opened a 16–2 lead in the second quarter on the a Jameis Winston touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson and a Winston touchdown run. The Browns answered early in the third quarter with a Baker Mayfield touchdown pass to David Njoku, but Tampa Bay answered on a Ronald Jones run near the end of the quarter. The Browns scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter on a Nick Chubb run and a Mayfield pass to Jarvis Landry to force overtime. In overtime, Buccaneers kicker Chandler Catanzaro, who had earlier missed an extra point and a 40-yard field goal attempt, hit a 59-yard field goal to win the game.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
With the loss, the Browns fell to 2–4–1. Mayfield was named NFL Rookie of the Week for Week 7, marking his second such honor and the fifth time a Browns player was named Rookie of the Week this season.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: at Pittsburgh Steelers
The Browns traveled to Pittsburgh for a Week 8 battle with their AFC North rival Steelers. The Browns opened the scoring with a pair of Greg Joseph field goals, but the Steelers answered with two Ben Roethlisberger touchdown passes to Antonio Brown to take a 14–6 lead into halftime. The Browns gave up a safety on a holding penalty early in the third quarter to extend the Steelers' lead to 10, but Pittsburgh failed to secure the ensuing free kick, giving the Browns possession in Pittsburgh territory. The Browns capitalized on a Baker Mayfield touchdown pass to Antonio Callaway, cutting the lead to 16–12. The Steelers then pulled away with 17 straight points and come away with a 33–18 win.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: at Pittsburgh Steelers
With the loss, the Browns fell to 2–5–1. This marked the Browns' 15th consecutive loss in Pittsburgh.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: at Pittsburgh Steelers
On October 29, head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley were fired. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was named the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Freddie Kitchens was the interim offensive coordinator.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 9: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
With the loss, the Browns fell to 2-6-1. Mayfield was named NFL Rookie of the Week for the third time this season.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 10: vs. Atlanta Falcons
The Browns opened the scoring with a Baker Mayfield touchdown pass to Rashard Higgins – the team's first touchdown scored in the first quarter of any game this season. However, the Falcons scored the next 10 points before the Browns scored a touchdown on a Mayfield pass to Nick Chubb to take a 14–10 led into halftime. The Browns opened up their lead to 28–10 in the third quarter on a Mayfield pass to Duke Johnson and a Chubb run of 92 yards – the longest run in Browns' franchise history. Atlanta added a late fourth-quarter touchdown to make the final score 28–16.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 10: vs. Atlanta Falcons
With the win, the Browns went into their bye week at 3–6–1. Chubb was named the FedEx Ground Player of the Week and the NFL Rookie of the Week. This marked Chubb's second Rookie of the Week award and the team's seventh in 2018.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12: at Cincinnati Bengals
The Browns raced to a 28–0 lead late in the second quarter. They scored touchdowns on their first four drives with a Nick Chubb run and Baker Mayfield passes to Antonio Callaway, David Njoku, and Chubb. The Bengals responded with an Andy Dalton touchdown pass to John Ross to close the Browns' lead to 28–7 at halftime. Mayfield threw a fourth touchdown pass, this one to Darren Fells, to extend the Browns' lead to 35–7. The Bengals closed the gap to 35–20 with a touchdown pass and run by backup quarterback Jeff Driskel, who filled in for an injured Dalton, but the Browns held on for the win.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12: at Cincinnati Bengals
With the win, the Browns improved to 4–6–1. The Browns won consecutive games for the first time since 2014, snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Bengals, and ended their 25-game losing streak in away games, one short of tying the 2007–10 Detroit Lions record of 26 straight away losses. Mayfield was named the NFL Rookie of the Week for the fourth time this season. Mayfield was also named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for November.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13: at Houston Texans
The Texans built a 23–0 lead in the first half, on the strength of a Deshaun Watson touchdown pass, a Zach Cunningham interception return for a touchdown, and three field goals. The Browns got onto the scoreboard in the third quarter with a Nick Chubb touchdown run and added a Baker Mayfield touchdown pass to Rashard Higgins, but the Texans prevailed 29–13. Mayfield set a Browns rookie record with 398 passing yards, but was hurt by three interceptions.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: vs. Carolina Panthers
The game went back and forth between the two teams. The Panthers scored two first-half touchdowns on Christian McCaffrey runs, while the Browns had two first half touchdowns on a Jarvis Landry run and a Landry catch. The teams exchanged field goals late in the second quarter to make the score 17–17 at halftime. After a Panthers field goal, Nick Chubb added a touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to take the lead for good, as the Browns won 26–20.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: vs. Carolina Panthers
With the win, the Browns improved to 5–7–1 and secured their first winning record at home since the 2007 season. QB Baker Mayfield received his fifth NFL Rookie of the Week honor this season.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15: at Denver Broncos
The Browns traveled to Denver for a Saturday night game against the Broncos. Assistant defensive coordinator Blake Williams, son of interim head coach Gregg Williams, got his first play-calling duties in this game.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15: at Denver Broncos
With the win, the Browns improved to 6–7–1. The win ended an 11-game losing streak to the Broncos that dated back to 1990.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15: at Denver Broncos
On the following day, the Steelers defeated the Patriots to improve to 8–5–1 and mathematically eliminated the Browns from AFC North title contention. This will be the Browns' 26th consecutive season without a division title, the longest active streak in the NFL.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 16: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
On December 22, the day before the Browns' Week 16 contest, the Tennessee Titans won their Week 16 game to improve to 9–6 and mathematically eliminate the Browns from postseason contention for the 16th consecutive season. Despite being eliminated, the Browns looked to finish their season on a high note with two division wins to end the season.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 16: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
The Browns hosted the Bengals and former head coach Hue Jackson, who was hired as an assistant with the Bengals. Baker Mayfield threw three touchdown passes and Nick Chubb added 112 rushing yards to give the Browns a 26–3 lead early in the fourth quarter. Cincinnati scored a pair of late touchdowns to make it a one-possession game, but the Browns held on for the 26–18 win.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 16: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
With the win, the Browns improved to 7–7–1 and finished with a 5–2–1 record at home, their best home record since 2007, when they went 7–1 at home. It was their first three-game winning streak since 2014 and their first season sweep of the Bengals since 2002. They also secured a winning record within the AFC North for the first time since the division was formed in 2002.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 17: at Baltimore Ravens
The Browns entered the final game of the season attempting to play the role of spoiler, as the Ravens needed a win – or a Steelers loss – to clinch the AFC North title.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 17: at Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens built a 20–7 halftime lead on the strength of two touchdown runs by fellow rookie QB Lamar Jackson. The Browns' score was on a Baker Mayfield 28-yard pass to former Raven Breshad Perriman. While the Ravens maintained their lead throughout the game, Mayfield added two touchdown passes in the second half, including a strike to Antonio Callaway to cut the Ravens' lead to 26–24 with 3:24 remaining. The Browns had one more chance, but Mayfield threw an interception to C.J. Mosley to seal the game.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 17: at Baltimore Ravens
With the loss, the Browns finished the season 7–8–1, marking their 11th consecutive losing season, which is a franchise record and the longest active streak in the NFL. The Browns finished 2–6 in away games. Mayfield won his seventh Rookie of the Week award.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Individual honors
Four Browns players, G Joel Bitonio, DE Myles Garrett, WR Jarvis Landry, and CB Denzel Ward, were named to the AFC Roster for the 2019 Pro Bowl. Garrett was voted as a starter and Ward as a reserve. Bitonio and Landry were named as alternates and later named to the AFC roster to replace injured players. This marked Landry's fourth consecutive and fourth overall Pro Bowl appearance, and the first appearance for the three other players.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Individual honors
In addition, RB Nick Chubb and P Britton Colquitt were named second alternates and QB Baker Mayfield and G Kevin Zeitler were named fourth alternates at their respective positions.


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Individual honors
Bitonio and Garrett were also named to the All-Pro second team


2018 Cleveland Browns season, Individual honors
Chubb and Mayfield were nominated for the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award, however both fell short to the eventual winner, New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley.


2018 Cleveland Indians season
The 2018 Cleveland Indians season was the 118th season for the franchise. It was the sixth season under the leadership of manager Terry Francona and third under general manager Mike Chernoff. The Indians played all of their home games at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio. This was the last season in which the Indians logo Chief Wahoo was used on uniforms or on stadium signs. They won their third straight American League Central title before being swept by the defending World Series champion Houston Astros in the 2018 American League Division Series. Due to the Indians losing to the Astros, the Indians became the 5th team in MLB history to have a 70 year title drought.


2018 Clifford Cup
The 83rd Clifford Cup tournament was held between the 16 and 25 February 2018. The 2018 Clifford Cup took place after the conclusion of the regular season, with teams seeded based on their performance in the 2017-18 Dialog Rugby League season.


2018 Clifford Cup
Navy SC, who finished in second place at the end of the domestic season by a solitary point, competed in the opening quarter-final match at the Colombo Racecourse ground, against the seventh placed Police SC. The lead changed numerous times during the game however Navy SC's captain, Dulanjana Wijesinghe, scored a try in the dying minutes providing Navy SC with a 36-28 victory and a semi-final berth.


2018 Clifford Cup
The top seeded team in the competition, Kandy SC (the previous cup winner and the undefeated Dialog league champion) faced the eighth seeded Air Force SC (who had only managed two wins in the domestic season) in the second quarter-final match held at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. Kandy SC dominated the first half of the game, scoring three tries and a penalty to nil, with the final result being 53 points to fourteen. The third seed, Havelock SC, played their quarter final match against Army SC, at Police Park.


2018 Clifford Cup
Whilst Army SC scored the first try of the game, Havelock SC led 19-10 at halftime, going on to win 41 points to 20 and advanced to the semi-finals. In the remaining quarter final match fourth placed Colombo Hockey and Football Club faced Ceylonese Rugby & Football Club at the Colombo Racecourse, in a repeat of the final game of the domestic fixtures. This time however CR & FC made a fast start to the game and were never challenged by Colombo running out eventual winners 46 (seven tries) to 29 (four tries).


2018 Clifford Cup
The Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union appointed Sam Jones, a Western Australian rugby referee, to officiate in the semi-finals and the final, with Les Cash, an English referee as an assistant official.


2018 Clifford Cup
In the first semi-final encounter played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium Kandy SC defeated a gallant CR & FC 38 points to 26 points, running in five tries to four. The other semi-final match between Navy SC and Havelock SC at the Colombo Racecourse was a closer affair, with the scored tied 12 all at half time (two tries apiece).


2018 Clifford Cup
Navy SC the scored back to back penalties and a try after the half time break before Raveen De Silva was sin binned, this led to a resurgence by Havelock SC scoring successive tries and regaining the lead 26 to 25. Havelock SC however conceded a penalty in the dying minutes of the game, which was converted by Navy SC taking them through to the finals.


2018 Clifford Cup
The final was held at Longdon Place on Sunday 25 February. Danushka Ranjan opened the scoring for Kandy SC with a try, which Nigel Rattwatte failed to convert. The score line remained at five to nil for most of the first half until Rattwatte put through a penalty right under the posts to extend Kandy SC's lead by another 3 points, with an eight to nil score at half time. After the break Navy SC’s Mohommed Absal capitalised on a mistake by Fazil Marija scoring a try, which was converted by Thilina Weerasinghe.


2018 Clifford Cup
Ranjan then scored his second try with a dive into the corner, with Thilina Wijesinghe failing to convert from a difficult angle. Wijesinghe extended Kandy SC's lead by the putting through a penalty, which was followed by a try from Shehan Pathirana. Navy SC failing to add to their earlier converted try with the final score of 21 to seven. Kandy SC repeating their success in 2017 by winning both the League and Clifford Cups, in an undefeated season, with club stalwart Marija retiring from domestic rugby competition.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season
The 2018 season was Clube de Regatas do Flamengo's 123rd year of existence, their 107th football season, and their 48th in the Brazilian Série A, having never been relegated from the top division.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season
The club will participate in the Brazilian Série A, the 2018 Campeonato Carioca (the Rio de Janeiro State League), Copa do Brasil and the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season
For the first time since 2010 Flamengo advanced past the Copa Libertadores group stage but were eliminated in the round of 16 by Cruzeiro. Flamengo finished runner-up in the Brasileirão behind Palmeiras after leading the league for much of the first half of the season before the league's pause during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, Pre-season
Flamengo finished 6th in the 2017 Brasileirão and therefore qualified directly to the 2018 Copa Libertadores group stage and the 2018 Copa do Brasil round of 16.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, Pre-season
On January 8 it was made official that head coach Reinaldo Rueda would be leaving Flamengo to manage the Chile national team (who had failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup). Ruelda took Flamengo to the finals of the 2017 Copa Sudamericana and the Copa do Brasil, failing to win either. Under him, promising youth academy players Vinícius Júnior and Lucas Paquetá were given opportunities to play larger roles for the club.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, Pre-season
At the time of the announcement, Flamengo had already come to an agreement with coach Paulo César Carpegiani, manager of Flamengo for their 1981 Copa Libertadores and world championship season. This would be his third spell at Flamengo. The possibility of Ruelda leaving and Carpegiani coming in were already presumed in December.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, Pre-season
The first player to depart Flamengo in 2018 was Márcio Araújo, one of the longest-serving players currently on the squad. He arrived in 2014 and had played 219 matches for the club. He left for a two-year contract with Chapecoense.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, Pre-season
On January 16, Marlos Moreno was announced as Flamengo's first loan signing of the season. Moreno was on loan to Girona in Spain and is under contract with Manchester City.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, Pre-season
On January 24 CONMEBOL, the football governing body of South America, announced that Flamengo would be forced to play their first two home matches of the Copa Libertadores behind closed doors with no fans present. This was a punishment for the chaos during the second leg of the 2017 Copa Sudamericana final where crowds of Flamenguistas forcefully attempted to enter the Maracanã  stadium without tickets. CONMEBOL determined that insufficient security and planning on Flamengo's behalf were at fault. The club was also fined $300,000. It was also announced at this time by the CONMEBOL Disciplinary Tribunal that Colombian defensive midfielder Gustavo Cuéllar would be suspended for Flamengo's first two Libertadores matches for insulting comments made to the referee while receiving the silver medal after the Copa Sudamericana finals.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, Pre-season
On the 29th Flamengo announced the return of goalkeeper Júlio César after 13 years of playing in Europe. He signed a 3-month contract with his home club before his planned retirement. He will wear the number 12 shirt (a retired number in honor of Flamengo supporters as the "12th man"). On February 1 the club announced the signing of striker Henrique Dourado from Fluminense until the end of 2021 for $3.5 million.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, Pre-season
On February 7, Italian club Udinese announced the signing of 21 year-old striker Felipe Vizeu for $6 million. He remained with Flamengo until the World Cup break.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, Paolo Guerrero
In December 2017 Peruvian striker Paolo Guerrero, under contract with Flamengo until August 2018, was banned by FIFA from all competitive fixtures for one year after testing positive for traces of cocaine. Twelve days later on appeal, his ban was reduced to six months thus making him eligible for the World Cup in June. For this period he was not permitted to train at Flamengo's facilities and the club supervised his pre-season activities from off-site. On January 14 Flamengo suspended his contract and withheld salary for a period of three months, a permissible act for an ineligible player.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, Paolo Guerrero
In February it was announced that the World Anti- Doping Agency planned to appeal against his reduced ban in the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Guerrero participated in three matches for Flamengo after his six-month ban ended in May, but on May 14 WADA's appeal was successful and Guerrero was suspended for an additional two months on top of the year-long ban, making him ineligible until 2019. At this time Flamengo suspended his contract again, further damaging ties between the player and the club. Guerrero was not pleased that the first contract suspension was made public and he sought retroactive payment of wages.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, Paolo Guerrero
On May 31 the Swiss Federal Court granted a temporary freeze of his ban, permitting him to participate in the World Cup with Peru. On July 2 after Peru's elimination from the World Cup, Guerrero was re-presented at Flamengo. It was unclear if the Swiss court's decision to freeze the ban was still in effect. On July 18, after seeking clarification from CAS, CBF, FIFA and the Brazilian Superior Court of Sport Justice, the club received confirmation from CAS that the striker was free to participate in the Brazilian championship. He appeared on the Flamengo bench that evening against São Paulo.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, Paolo Guerrero
After the expiration of his term with Flamengo on August 10, the striker signed a 3-year contract with Internacional.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, January
As one of Brazil's largest clubs, Flamengo's season always begins with high expectations from supporters and media. The club's first test is the traditional Campeonato Carioca – the Rio de Janeiro State league – contested among clubs in the top flight of the FERJ's league (separate from the national league pyramid). The most important matches in the state are between the “big 4” clubs in the city of Rio – Flamengo, Fluminense, Vasco da Gama, and Botafogo.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, January
Flamengo debuted in 2018 against Volta Redonda on January 17 with a team of young players and won 2-0 with two beautiful goals from Lucas Silva and Pepê. Flamengo had contested the final of the 2017 Copa Sudamericana only a month prior, so much of the Flamengo starting lineup had only just begun preseason training. With mostly young players, Flamengo carried a perfect record through the first three matches of the state league with goals from “wonderkids” Vinícius Júnior and Lincoln.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, January
The Rubro-Negro’s first real test, the Clássico of Millions against Vasco in the Maracanã, was a 0-0 disappointment featuring many of Flamengo's first-team starters. Nevertheless, the draw guaranteed a top finish in the group stage and qualification to the Taça Guanabara semifinals. On February 10 against Botafogo, new signing from Fluminense Henrique Dourado made his Flamengo debut and scored. In the final minutes of stoppage time the youngster Vinícius Júnior scored, guaranteeing the victory by a 3-1 scoreline and taunting the Botafogo supporters with a “crybaby” gesture, earning a yellow card after being swarmed by the Botafogo players.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, January
Three days later on the 13th, the president of Botafogo announced that they would not allow their home stadium of Nilton Santos to be used for the Taça Guanabara final after the “disrespectful” gesture by Vinícius Jr. and no apology from Flamengo. Flamengo went on to defeat Boavista in the final the following week, played at the Kleber Andrade Stadium in the neighboring state of Espirito Santos. Vinícius scored again and claimed Flamengo's 21st Taça Guanabara title, closing out the first phase of the Rio de Janeiro league and qualifying for the Campeonato Carioca final stage.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, February
The second phase of the Rio de Janeiro State League, the Taça Rio, coincided with Flamengo's first matches in the 2018 Copa Libertadores group stage. The long period of ill-will between the presidents of Flamengo and Botafogo appeared to be coming to an end prior to the “crybaby” incident. However, heavy winds and rain on February 15 caused two stadium light towers at  Estádio Luso Brasileiro to collapse. Flamengo had been renting Luso Brasileiro from Portuguesa since the beginning of 2017 after failures to come to agreements with the state government of Rio de Janeiro and the operators of the Maracanã over costs and match revenue.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, February
After the judgement from CONMEBOL in January for Flamengo to play two home matches in the Libertadores behind closed doors, Flamengo made the decision to play their matches at the smaller Luso Brasileiro instead of the Maracanã. After the lighting fixture collapse, Flamengo was under pressure to announce a new venue prior to February 16. They reached a “peace treaty” with Botafogo in time to announce the rental of Nilton Santos stadium for two matches: their first match of the Taça Rio against Madueira on Feb 21 and their first match of their 2018 Copa Libertadores campaign against River Plate on February 28.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, February
Flamengo rolled out their starters against Madureira in their Taça Rio opener for preparation against River Plate the following week and created 4 goals from some of their most important playmakers: Diego, Henrique Dourado, Lucas Paquetá, and Vinícius Júnior. Three days later, Flamengo preserved their starters (resting all but goalkeeper Diego Alves) and were soundly thrashed by rival Fluminense 4-0.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, February
On February 28 Flamengo hosted Argentine giants River Plate at an empty Nilton Santos Stadium. River Plate took advantage of the calm atmosphere throughout the scoreless first half, before the “Grim Reaper” (“Ceifador”) – Henrique Dourado – broke the deadlock. Rodrigo Mora equalized for River. Éverton gave Flamengo the lead again with an assist from Paquetá, but Camilo Mayada scored a goal from outside the box to finish the match 2-2, two leads lost by the Brazilians.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, March
Flamengo returned to Rio action with a third “disappointing” result in a row: an uninspiring 1-0 victory over Botafogo, the credit of an allowed offside goal. On March 7, beloved former Flamengo and Brazilian National Team goalkeeper Júlio César made his return to the club after 13 years in Europe. He signed a three-month contract with Flamengo prior to retirement and captained the match against Boavista, a 3-0 win. The congested schedule took its toll on the club another time: Flamengo rested their starters for Copa Libertadores again and lost to Macae on March 10 for the first time in their history.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, March
Flamengo travelled to Guayaquil, Ecuador for their mid-week Copa Libertadores encounter with Emelec on March 14 and youngster Vinícius Júnior cemented his legacy as a rising star. With his club trailing 1-0 after a goal from Brayan Angulo, Vinícius was put on in the 67th minute and scored twice before the final whistle. This was Flamengo's first victory away from home in the Libertadores since 2014 (also against Emelec).


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, March
The Rubro-Negro returned to the state league to rout Portuguesa 4-0 with a penalty save from Diego Alves, but a Vasco victory over Botafogo landed Flamengo in 2nd place in the group before their semifinal match against Fluminense. Because Fluminense held the advantage of finishing top of their group, a draw would advance them and eliminate Flamengo. The semifinal match was exciting and full of attacking chances, with Gum of Fluminense opening the score in the first minute of the second half. Éverton equalized in the 86th minute but the team could not take the lead. Flamengo were eliminated from the second phase of the Carioca but were still guaranteed a place in the final stage.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, March
Despite disappointments, Flamengo had collected the most points across the two group phases to finish top of the overall Rio de Janeiro State League table, and were paired with Botafogo in the semifinal on March 28. Luiz Fernando scored in the 39th minute for Botafogo and returned a taunt to the Flamengo supporters at the Maracanã: the “little smell” gesture (“cheirinho”) by covering his nose with his fingers, a reference to Flamengo fans “smelling the Hexa” in 2016, anticipating their club's sixth Brazilian championship that never came. Flamengo pressed in the second half but could not score as their rivals bunkered down. Flamengo were eliminated and Botafogo went on to defeat Vasco in the two-legged final on penalties.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, March
The following day Flamengo announced that head coach Paulo César Carpegiani and football director Rodrigo Caetano had been fired. Carpegiani had been at his post for 17 matches and less than three months. Caetano had been with Flamengo since 2015 and the club had only won the 2017 Campeonato Carioca in that span, finishing runners-up in the Copa do Brasil and Copa Sudamericana that same year. The decision was made by the vice presidents of the club who felt that the team's performance against Botafogo was “shameful.” In an official statement, Carpegiani thanked the club and fans and wrote that he had won 11 of 17 matches, only one of their three defeats had been with the senior lineup, and Flamengo were currently top of their group in the Libertadores.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, March
The Flamengo board began the process of hiring a new coach, interviewing with Cuca and Renato Gaucho and considering the possibility of tasking assistant coach 36 year-old Mauricio Barbieri as caretaker. Their goal was to have a new coach within a week to prepare for their April 18 Libertadores match against Santa Fe. Flamengo scheduled a friendly against Brazilian Série B side Atlético Goianiense on April 7. Barbieri oversaw the team for the match in which Júlio César started in goal. Atlético-GO scored first but Diego scored twice in the 2nd half and Henrique Dourade converted a penalty to earn a 3-1 victory in the friendly before the first round of the Brasileirão the following week.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, April
Mauricio Barbieri, hired at the start of 2018 as an assistant, was the acting head coach of Flamengo at the start of the Brazilian national league season. They began their season by flying northeast to meet Vitória. The match began perfectly with Paquetá scoring 16 seconds in, but ultimately the day ended in controversy. In the 10th minute Éverton Ribiero was sent off and a penalty was awarded to the home team for a wrongly assessed hand-ball in the box. In the 2nd half Flamengo took a 2-1 lead from an allowed offside Réver goal. The match ended in a 2-2 draw.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, April
The club initially planned to host their second closed-door Libertadores home match at Nilton Santos again, but after coming to an agreement with the operators of the Maracanã they opted to play in the historic venue. The day before the match against Santa Fe, 45,000 fans attended open training in the Maracanã that was made available to the general public with reduced-price tickets. In the match, Henrique Dourado scored first from a corner kick in the 7th minute but conceded and finished as a 1-1 draw despite having several more scoring chances than their opponents. The result cast more doubt on the leadership and organization of the club.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, April
The following weekend in the Maracanã, Fla faced América Mineiro in  Júlio César's farewell match with reduced-price tickets. Henrique Dourado scored twice to lift his team to victory.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, April
On April 17 it was announced that Flamengo had reached a deal with São Paulo over the transfer of striker Éverton for €3.5m. Éverton had been with Flamengo for four seasons and 118 matches.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, April
As the leader of Group 4 in the Libertadores with two draws and one win, Flamengo traveled to Bogotá to face Santa Fe once more. Their recent lackluster performances had resulted in more protests and demonstrations back home, and the club (specifically president Eduardo Bandeira de Mello) were physically accosted by angry fans at the airport. On the field Flamengo and Santa Fe finished 0-0, with critics calling it a fortunate result for Flamengo's most apathetic performance so far.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, April
There was controversy at the end when the referee blew the final whistle in the middle of a promising attack for the Brazilians. Fans and media remained critical of their continental play (3 draws in 4 matches), some lamented the poor decision to release coach Zé Ricardo in 2017 and others demanded a replacement for Barbieri. Flamengo were again harassed by a mob before their flight to Fortaleza to face Ceará in league play, with much of the criticism targeted towards Diego and the team's lack of passion.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, April
Goalkeeper Diego Alves threw a cup of coffee at the protesters in retaliation. In the match, team spirits were lifted with two goals from Vinícius Júnior and one from Diego himself, who celebrated by embracing the Flamengo supporters in the crowd. The solid victory relieved some pressure on the team, but situations were still complicated in a club election year and with a board of directors still uncertain about their head coach after a month of service.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, May
Flamengo's first domestic cup match came on May 2 away to Ponte Preta who they defeated 1-0. The following weekend Paolo Guerrero made his return after being suspended from competitive play for six months. The league match against Internacional in the Maracanã set a season attendance record Flamengo, who were victorious 2-0. In the home leg of their cup tie against Ponte Preta, Flamengo played compact and advance to the Copa do Brasil quarterfinals for the 18th time with a 0-0 draw.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, May
Much pressure had subsided for Flamengo who were playing better and had not conceded a goal in 5 matches, having one of the best defenses in Serie A along with Grêmio. Sitting atop the league they rested four starters (Diego Alves, Réver, Paquetá, and Éverton Ribiero) for Chapecoense in preparation for a decisive Libertadores fixture against Emelec. Flamengo lost 3-2, their first league loss and Chape's first win. They remained at the top of the league, tied on points with Corinthians and Atlético-MG. Guerrero scored his first post-suspension goal.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, May
On May 16, Flamengo hosted Emelec for their first home Libertadores match in front of a crowd. The club announced new security measures and traffic controls. Everton Ribiero scored both Flamengo goals in a 2-0 victory just days after the birth of his newborn son. The result guaranteed Flamengo's qualification to the knockout round of the competition for the first time since 2010, and with a group stage match to spare.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, May
The same week, TAS announced that they had extended Paolo Guerrero's suspension an additional eight months after appeal from WADA. He would miss the World Cup, and Flamengo suspended his contract for a second time.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, May
In the 6th round of the Brasileirao the Rubro-Negro fought rival Vasco da Gama to a 1-1 draw. Vinicius scored, Rever came off due to injury, and the match ended with four player expulsions including Cueller and Rodolfo. Flamengo fell to 2nd place in the league behind Atletico Mineiro.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, May
Set to face River Plate in the Monumental de Nuñez for control of first place in the group, midfielder Diego and head coach Mauricio Barbieri were suspended for their infractions against Emelec. Travelling supporters greeted the players with festivities and support in Buenos Aires. Flamengo played cautiously and the match ended scoreless, landing them at second place in the group.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, May
With top spot in the league at stake, the club from Rio traveled to Belo Horizonte to face leaders Atletico Mineiro. Flamengo won 1-0, and with a Corinthians loss to Internacional the following day they moved back into the league leadership.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, May
On May 28, Lucas Paquetá was listed on Brazilian National Team head coach Tite's 12-man standby roster for the 2018 World Cup. Paquetá was the youngest player listed on standby. However he was not called up to the main squad.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, June
With Libertadores and Copa do Brasil fixtures only resuming after the World Cup, Flamengo looked to take advantage of the following five rounds in the Brasileirão. On May 31 they defeated Bahia 2-0 in the Maracanã with a superb goal from Paquetá to preserve their tight lead in the table. After two months of Barbieri's caretaken tenure it was clear that he would soon become official and the club was still searching for coordinators to support him. On May 31 Paolo Guerrero was granted permission to play for Peru in the World Cup and he soon departed for training. Many of Flamengo's following matches would be played without Guerrero and Trauco (of the Peru national team) and Cuellar (on Colombia's selection).


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, June
Flamengo went on to defeat Corinthians at home, Fluminense in the capital city of Brasília, and Paraná Clube back in the Maracanã to open up a 6-point lead in the table after five straight victories. They outscored opponents 8 to 0 in that span with three goals contributed by Felipe Vizeu. On June 10 in the Maracanã, Vinícius Júnior and Felipe Vizeu gave a tearful farewell after defeating Paraná 2-0 in their final home match with Flamengo before departure to Europe (Vinícius to Real Madrid and Felipe to Udinese).


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, June
The final match before the World Cup break was against Palmieras at Allianz Parque. The final score was 1-1, keeping Flamengo four points above Atlético-MG and São Paulo, but it ended in chaos as three players from each side (Cuéllar, Jonas, and Henrique Dourado for Flamengo) were sent off in the final minutes.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, June
On June 19, Flamengo confirmed the appointment of Mauricio Barbieri as official head coach after 72 days as the interim. He led Flamengo into the World Cup break as league leader, 11 victories in 18 matches and at least one goal scored in every match. His new agreement allows for the possibility of renewal in 2019.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, June - July
President Eduardo Bandeira expressed the importance of signing reinforcements to replace Éverton, Felipe Vizeu, and possibly Paulo Guerrero in preparation for a challenging August featuring Copa do Brasil and Copa Libertadores ties against tough opposition. On June 11, the club agreed to a 2+1⁄2-year contract with the operators of the Estádio Maracanã for first preference for Flamengo home matches and an agreeable rental price. In the wake of this agreement, Flamengo terminated their contract with Portuguesa to rent the Ilha do Urubu stadium until the end of 2019 but confirmed that their lawsuit against the construction company that installed the collapsed lighting towers would continue.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, June - July
On June 22, defensive midfielder Jonas was sold to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad for R$9 million (€2.1m). On the same day, Flamengo announced the signing of their first reinforcement: Colombian striker Fernando Uribe on a free transfer from Toluca. On July 17 the club announced contract renewals for defenders Rodinei and Thuler.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, June - July
The Brazilian Serie A pauses for the World Cup every four years while the lower leagues continue. Flamengo's first match after the break resulted in their first loss in eight matches. Third-place club São Paulo visited the Maracanã and Éverton scored against his former team three months after being transferred. The Tricolor closed the gap to 1 point. Flamengo ended July with two home victories against Botafogo and Sport, and a draw against Santos at the Vila Belmiro. Uribe opened his account for Flamengo against Sport, and academy product Matheus Sávio made his impact in place of Vinícius Jr, scoring after 5 minutes against Botafogo. Paquetá's goal in that match badly injured and hospitalized Botafogo goalkeeper Jefferson.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, June - July
On July 24 the club's signing of Vitinho from CSKA Moscow was confirmed after the Russian club accepted Flamengo's offer of €10m, Flamengo's most expensive signing and one of the most expensive signings in Brazilian club history. At this time, Flamengo was also attempting to move defensive midfielder Willian Arão to Olympiakos but the player did not agree to the contract terms.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, August
Flamengo were scheduled to participate in a daunting nine matches in the month of August, three matches each against Grêmio and Cruzeiro. On July 30, citing leg pain, Guerrero chose not travel with the team away to Porto Alegre for their Copa do Brasil match. Tite and European scouts were in attendance for the match against Grêmio. New transfer Vitinho made his debut, and 17 year-old Lincoln came on in substitution and scored dramatically late to equalize.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, August
On August 2 Flamengo announced the signing of Paraguayan midfielder Robert Piris da Mota. Flamengo announced that Vitinho, Uribe, Savio, and Piris would replace Everton, Vinicius, Felipe Vizeu and Jonas on their Copa Libertadores round of 16 30-man roster.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, August
On August 5, São Paulo takes over the lead in the Brasileirao after an embarrassing 2-0 loss by Flamengo to Grêmio's mostly reserve lineup. With Lucas Paquetá unavailable in their Libertadores match against Cruzeiro, Flamengo were stunned 2-0 at home on the 8th. They suffered an early goal from Arrascaeta that they could not recover from, finding themselves at serious risk of elimination from the Copa Libertadores round of 16. Flamengo had difficulty organizing themselves without Paquetá.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, August
The club's tumultuous relationship with Guerrero reached its end on Aug 10. He did not train with the team for the week and Barbieri did not list him for Flamengo's league match against Cruzeiro on the 12th. He was released as a free agent and Internacional signed him to a 3-year contract.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, August
By this point, the number of goals conceded by Flamengo had increased from 0.54 per match for their first 35 matches to 1.14 over their last seven matches. Flamengo faced Cruzeiro once again the following weekend in league play and earned a better result: with Paquetá available and coach Barieri insisting that the team would not preserve starters for the Libertadores or Copa do Brasil, Flamengo won 1-0 on a goal from Henrique Dourado who re-entered the starting lineup after the departure of Guerrero and a thigh injury suffered by Uribe. The team finished the first half of the league season in second place.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, August
According to Barbieri, the league victory against Cruzeiro gave Flamengo the confidence needed in the return-leg of their cup tie against Grêmio. In a crowded Maracanã, Éverton Ribeiro scored early and withstood Grêmio's pressure, with only 40% total possession of their own. Flamengo eliminated Grêmio 2-1 on aggregate and advanced to the semifinal against Corinthians.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, August
On August 17, Tite and the Brazilian National Team announced the call-up of Lucas Paquetá for the first time for a pair of friendlies against the USA and El Salvador in September. Since the friendlies would coincide with key Copa do Brasil semifinal matches, the Selecao only called up one starter from each participating club. Flamengo president Bandeira expressed outraged at the decision to call Paquetá. The club's request to release Paquetá from the friendlies was rejected by CBF. Paquetá came on in substitute against El Salvador in Washington, D.C. on 11 September and still started and played 73 minutes against Corinthians the very next night in the Maracanã. Flamengo U-20 goalkeeper Hugo was also called up for the friendlies but did not play.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, August
On August 19 Flamengo were humiliated in league play against Atlético Paranaense, conceding three goals in the first 21 minutes. Suffering the absences of Diego and Réver on suspension, Barbieri's positional adjustments and the team's low-intensity start surrendered the points early. Cuellar denied that a fight had occurred in training between him and Rodinei following the loss. On August 22 it was determined that Flamengo would host the first leg of their Copa do Brasil semifinal tie against Corinthians.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, August
Flamengo kept afloat in the league with a 1-0 home victory over Vitória (goal scored by Diego) but disappointingly conceded the equalizing goal against América-MG in the 87th minute after an undisciplined sending-off of Cuellar in the second half. They remained four points behind leader São Paulo.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, August
The September 15 league match against Vasco da Gama was confirmed to be played at the Mané Garrincha in Brasília.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Season overview, August
Regarded as Flamengo's "game of the year" by Barbieri, the Copa Libertadores away leg against Cruzeiro on August 29 would require Flamengo to overcome a 2-0 deficit. Still without Fernando Uribe, the Rubro-Negro played well and won 1-0 by a goal from Leo Duarte but it was not enough to overcome the mistakes of the first leg. Flamengo were eliminated from the Libertadores in the round of 16.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Roster, First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Roster, Reserves
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Uniform kits
Flamengo unveiled their 2018-2019 home kit ahead of their first match of the 2018 Brasileirão season against Vitória. Flamengo renewed their outfit partnership with Adidas, originally signed in 2013. They unveiled their new white away kit ahead of their May 31 match against Bahia. Adidas unveiled Flamengo's third kit for the 2018-2019 season on 23 July. It is part of Adidas' line of kits produced from recycled plastic, and its blue color is an allusion to the beaches of Rio de Janeiro.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Competitions, Friendlies
Flamengo didn't play any pre-season match in 2018 and the only friendly of the year was on 7 April, few days after the elimination in Campeonato Carioca. The match was played against Série B club Atlético Goianiense.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Competitions, Campeonato Carioca
Flamengo was drawn into Group A for the Campeonato Carioca, the Rio de Janeiro State League.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Competitions, Copa Libertadores
The draw was held on December 20, 2017. Flamengo was drawn into Group D.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Competitions, Copa Libertadores, Round of 16
The draw for the round of 16 was held on 4 June 2018, 20:00 PYT (UTC−4), at the CONMEBOL Convention Centre in Luque, Paraguay.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Competitions, Copa do Brasil
As Flamengo participated in the 2018 Copa Libertadores, the club entered the Copa do Brasil in the round of 16. The draw was held on April 20, 2018.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Statistics, Goalscorers
Players in italics transferred out of the club during the season.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Statistics, Disciplinary record
Players in italics transferred out of the club during the season.


2018 Clube de Regatas do Flamengo season, Attendance
Includes all competition home matches in the 2018 season. Attendances recorded represent actual gate attendance, not paid attendance.


2018 Clube do Remo season
The 2018 season was Remo's 104th existence. The club participated in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série C, the Campeonato Paraense, the Copa Verde and the Copa do Brasil.


2018 Clube do Remo season
Remo finished outside of the top four of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série C (6th place in the group stage and 13th overall), but they won the Campeonato Paraense by the 45th time. In the Copa Verde, the club was eliminated in the round of 16 by Manaus 3-1 in the aggregate. In the Copa do Brasil, Remo ended in the second round by Internacional.


2018 Clásica de Almería
The 2018 Clásica de Almería was the 33rd edition of the Clásica de Almería road cycling one day race. It was part of UCI Europe Tour in category 1.HC.


2018 Clásica de Almería, Teams
Twenty teams of up to seven riders started the race: