Best Browns Playoff games

Best Browns playoff gamesBy Steve King, Staff WriterJanuary 17, 2006There are a lot of them. The Browns have been in 31 playoff games - owning an 11-20 record - since entering the NFL in 1950. Some of the contests have produced lopsided victories, such as the 27-0 shutout of the Baltimore Colts for the 1964 NFL championship, while others have wrought lopsided defeats, such as the 52-14 setback at Dallas for the 1967 Eastern Conference title. There were games whose ending was greeted with great euphoria by Browns fans, such as the 23-20 double-overtime victory over the New York Jets in the 1986 AFC divisional round, and games that pierced each fan's soul like a knife, such as the 23-20 OT loss to Denver for the conference title a week later. But all of the games, no matter what their outcome, have left a legacy. So with this season's NFL playoffs getting down to the nitty gritty with next weekend's conference championships, here, then, is one person's ranking of the Browns' playoffs games from best to worst. Best to worst? In what way? By "best" we don't mean just victories. If that were the case, then we simply would put the Browns' 11 wins on top of the list in some kind of order, followed by the 20 losses. That's too easy, too simplistic, too trite. No, in this case, by "best" we're looking at a combination of most memorable, most entertaining, most well-played, most significant for what it did for, or to, the Browns, and, of course, most pleasing. That means there will be a few of the losses - gulp! - ranked above some of the wins. Oh, well. Here we go with Part I (the top five games): 1. BROWNS 30, Los Angeles Rams 28 - NFL Championship Game - Dec. 24, 1950 - at Cleveland (29,751) - This was the game that ignited it all. The Browns' great run through the old All-American Football Conference - they won the championship each time and lost just four regular-season games in the league's four-year existence - earned them no respect from the staunchy old guard of the NFL. Those men looked upon the AAFC as a minor league, and the Browns as second-rate champions. So the Browns couldn't be satisfied with simply getting to the NFL title game in that first season. No, to validate themselves and their accomplishments not just that season but also going all the way back to 1946, they had to finish the job and win it. And that's exactly what they did, overcoming an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter to triumph on Lou Groza's 16-yard field goal in the final seconds, thus beating the franchise that had left Cleveland after capturing the NFL crown on that same field five years before. 2. BROWNS 27, Baltimore Colts 0 - NFL Championship Game - Dec. 27, 1964 - at Cleveland (79,544) - As was evidenced during the 40th reunion the Browns had for this team in 2004, this was a special group and a special season. Those men were the epitome of what the word "team" means. Yes, the Browns had Jim Brown, the greatest football player of all-time, and Leroy Kelly, who was just starting on his road to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but the rest of the club was made up of talented, gritty, determined players who were not the least bit intimidated by the Colts' all-star roster. They were confident they would win despite the fact they were decided underdogs. Frank Ryan and Gary Collins will forever be remembered by hooking up on three touchdown passes, but there were plenty of other heroes as well, such as linebacker Galen Fiss, who made an open-field tackle of Hall of Fame running back Lenny Moore on a screen pass that prevented a touchdown in the second quarter when the game was still scoreless. Who knows how different the game might have turned out had Moore scored. Until the Browns win another title, those heroes, that season and that team will be the measuring stick for all future clubs. 3 BROWNS 56, Detroit Lions 10 - NFL Championship Game - Dec. 26, 1954 - at Cleveland (43,827) - The Browns immediately began beating everyone when they entered the NFL in 1950. Everyone, that is, except the Lions. Coach Buddy Parker's club had the Browns' number. Whatever the Browns did, the Lions would do just a little better to win the game. Was it a hex? Or a jinx? Or bad luck? Or were the Lions simply better than the Browns? The last question, which was being asked frequently at the time, was the one that steamed the Browns, especially long-time members of the club. Enough was enough, they said. They knew they were better, and they set out to prove it. Adopting a more aggressive approach, particularly on offense, the Browns didn't just defeat the Lions. They crushed them, rolling to a 35-10 halftime lead and then pitching a shutout in the second half. 4 BROWNS 38, Los Angeles Rams 14 - NFL Championship Game - Dec. 26, 1955 - at Los Angeles (87,695) - It was the end of an era and the end of the Browns' first decade of existence. Otto Graham knew he was retiring after the game, and many of the other core Browns were ready to do the same. So the Browns needed one last big performance to punctuate all of their accomplishments since 1946. And they got it as they turned in their second consecutive title game rout, thus carving out their niche as having had one of the greatest runs in pro football history. 5 Denver Broncos 23, BROWNS 20, OT - AFC Championship Game - Jan. 3, 1987 - at Cleveland (79,915) - Go ahead, admit it. When you started reading this article, you know you quickly scanned the list to see where this game was. Except for a Browns victory, this game had it all - and then some. The Browns appeared to be headed to their first Super Bowl when they went ahead 20-13 on Bernie Kosar's 48-yard TD pass to Brian Brennan with just under six minutes left, a play in which Brennan turned Dennis Smith around so badly that the Broncos safety looked like Mr. Pretzel. But then it all came tumbling down because of The Drive. And when Rich Karlis, who grew about an hour away from Cleveland in Salem, Ohio, kicked the game-winning 33-yard field goal 5:38 into OT - was it really good or wide left? - the air was sucked out of Cleveland Stadium like it had never been sucked out before. When you're ahead by a touchdown with 5 1/2 minutes left, you're playing in your stadium before a raucous crowd and you've got the opponent backed up on its own 2, you're supposed to win. The fact the Browns did not, was devastating. It still haunts them to this day, for it was clearly their best chance to get to the Super Bowl. The stars were all aligned in the right way for them to make it. NEXT: Oh, no, not again (Part II, games 6-10). Part OnePart II, games 6-10By Steve King, Staff WriterJanuary 18, 2006Editor's note: The following is the second in a six-part series ranking the Browns' 31 playoff games from best to worst. This article deals with games 6 through 10.Click here to read Part 1. 6 Denver Broncos 38, BROWNS 33 - AFC Championship Game - Jan. 17, 1988 - at Denver (75,993) - Two straight conference title games, two straight horrible endings, two straight gut-wrenching defeats - both to the same team. Earnest Byner had carried the Browns throughout that final drive - really, throughout the entire game - and then to see him fumble the ball away into the end zone, where it was recovered by Jeremiah Castille, with 1:05 left, didn't seem fair. It appeared to be cruel and unusual punishment for a man, a team and its fan base that had come so close once again to making it to the Super Bowl. Contrary to popular befief now, 18 years later, Byner's TD would not have put the Browns ahead but rather would have simply tied it at 38-38. So for that reason, it ranks behind the 1986 title game against Denver, when the Browns were ahead down the stretch before falling. The Browns courageously rallied from a 21-3 deficit to tie the game at 31-31, but it wasn't meant to be. The original Browns never recovered from those back-to-back nightmares. It just took the starch out of them. 7 Oakland Raiders 14, BROWNS 12 - AFC divisional playoff - Jan. 4, 1981 - at Cleveland (77,655) - While we're on the subject of excruciating, last-second defeats that change the course of a franchise, how can we forget this one? It made Red Right 88 one of the most frequently-used terms - usually preceded and/or followed by nasty words - in Cleveland sports history. Just as had been the case in 1986, this seemed to be the Browns' year to get to the Super Bowl. Everything was falling right for them. All they had to do was go out and complete the mission - finish destiny, as it were. But it didn't happen. When Mike Davis intercepted Brian Sipe's pass in the end zone with 41 seconds left, the Kardiac Kids season, one of the most thrilling in club history, came to an abrupt and surprising halt. And so, too, did an era. The team aged in the offseason and was never the same. 8 BROWNS 23, New York Jets 20, 2 OT - AFC divisional playoff - Jan. 11, 1987 - at Cleveland (78,106) - Had it not been for the loss to the Denver Broncos the following week in the conference title game, this contest would now be even bigger - much bigger - than it is. But as good as this game was, it has become dwarfed over the years because it did end up being a step on the road to the Super Bowl. That's a shame, for it was an incredible, riveting contest that left everyone - fans included - exhausted by the end. The Browns appeared dead, but they rallied to tie the game at 20-20 by scoring 10 points in the last 4:14 of regulation. After this game, the Browns looked unstoppable. The Super Bowl was clearly within sight. How they let it slip through their grasp is confounding. 9 BROWNS 31, Dallas Cowboys 20 - NFL Eastern Conference Championship Game - Dec. 21, 1968 - at Cleveland (81,497) - As had been the case with the Detroit Lions in the early 1950s, the Cowboys became the team the Browns simply couldn't get past in the last half of the 1960s. The Cowboys had beaten the Browns four straight times, including by a whopping 38-point margin in the conference title game almost exactly a year before. In the last two games, the Cowboys had outscored the Browns by an overwhelming 80-21. So here were the Cowboys again, standing between the Browns and a trip to the league title game for the first time in three years. Finally, the Browns were able to win with the help of linebacker Dale Lindsey, who returned a Don Meredith interception 27 yards for a TD at the start of the second half to give the Browns a 17-10 lead. They never looked back - not just for that game but for the following season as well, when they again beat the Cowboys and got to the NFL Championship Game. 10 Miami Dolphins 20, BROWNS 14 - AFC divisional playoff - Dec. 24, 1972 - at Miami (78,196) - How different history could have - and would have - been had this game turned out differently. Now, almost 3? decades later, the Dolphins are revered for the perfect 17-0 record they had in 1972. But arguably their most harrowing moment came in this contest, when the Browns forged ahead 14-13 midway though the last quarter as Mike Phipps threw a 27-yard TD pass to Fair Hooker. The Dolphins rallied, though, with a score of their own to win and preserve their destiny. The Browns, who had some young, promising players such as Phipps, gave an excellent accounting of themselves, which was important - and disappointing - because they would not make the playoffs again for eight seasons. Their successful run of 1964-72, when they made the playoffs seven times in nine seasons and advanced to the league title game on four occasions, was over. NEXT: A baseball score on a football field (Part III, games 11-15). Part TwoPart III, games 11-15By Steve King, Staff WriterJanuary 19, 2006Editor's note: The following is the third in a six-part series ranking the Browns' 31 playoff games from best to worst. This article deals with games 11 through 15. 11 BROWNS 8, New York Giants 3 - NFL American Conference playoff - Dec. 17, 1950 - at Cleveland (33,054) - How strange is it that the Browns, playing in a special playoff game, advanced to the NFL title contest by the same score the Cleveland Indians defeated the Boston Red Sox in a special American League playoff game to advance to the 1948 World Series? The Browns' low score was because of the presence of two great defenses, plus 10-degree temperatures and a biting wind. But in the bigger picture, the Browns' victory over a team that had defeated them twice during the regular season - dealing them their only two losses - made possible Cleveland's heroics in the league championship game a week later. The Giants had edged the Browns 6-0 and 17-13, causing a tie for first place in the conference at 10-2 and forcing the playoff. Another loss would have given credence to the opinions of many NFL people who thought the Browns had built their reputation against inferior competition in the All-America Football Conference the previous four years. This was the Browns' first step in proving those people wrong, and in proving themselves to be legitimate. 12 Los Angeles Rams 24, BROWNS 17 - NFL Championship Game - Dec. 23, 1951 - at Los Angeles (57,540) - This was a real eye-opener for the Browns, as it was the first title contest they had dropped after five straight victories. Coach Paul Brown thought the club had been numbed by all that success and thus lost its focus and determination. He vowed a much tougher and more disciplined approach in 1952. But it wasn't as if the Browns had gotten blown out. They lost late in the game on a 73-yard pass from Norm Van Brocklin to Tom Fears. But for Brown and the Browns, it was devastating. It also proved they were human. 13 BROWNS 34, Buffalo Bills 30 - AFC divisional playoff - Jan. 6, 1990 - at Cleveland (77,706) - This was the last playoff game won by the Browns during the Bernie Kosar era - sort of like a last hurrah - and gave them one last crack at John Elway and the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game. The Browns played well offensively, but their defense, which had performed well all year, was starting to wear out and show signs of cracks. Only a Clay Matthews interception in the end zone in the final seconds saved the day. The defense would let them down the following week at Denver. Despite the loss to the Browns, this game was also significant for the Bills. After falling behind in the second half, they went to a no-huddle offense. It worked so well, in fact, they used it almost exclusively in going to the Super Bowl an unprecedented four straight times beginning the next season. 14 BROWNS 38, Dallas Cowboys 14 - NFL Eastern Conference Championship Game - Dec. 28, 1969 - at Dallas (69,321) - This represented the final playoff victory the Browns had before moving to the AFC, the revamped AFL, when the NFL-AFL merger became complete in 1970. Actually, it would be their last postseason triumph until beating the New York Jets in the AFC divisional round in 1986. It was the Browns' third straight win - and their second in the playoffs - over the arch rivals at the time, and they made it look just as easy as they had in dispatching Dallas 42-10 during the regular season. It delivered the Browns to the doorstep of the Super Bowl for the second consecutive season. 15 BROWNS 20, New England Patriots 13 - AFC wild-card round - Jan. 1, 1995 - at Cleveland (77,452) - Nobody knew it at the time, but this would be the original Browns' last playoff victory and final postseason game at home. A calendar year that would end so horribly for Cleveland fans with the franchise's move to Baltimore, began on a positive note as the Browns, in their first playoff game in five years, performed well in all phases. The triumph was noteworthy in another way as Browns coach Bill Belichick defeated the man who had mentored him with the New York Giants, Patriots coach Bill Parcells. The two men, who were still close at the time, had a warm embrace at midfield following the game. NEXT: A loss that proved beneficial (Part IV, games 16-20). Part ThreePart IV, games 16 - 20By Steve King, Staff WriterJanuary 20, 200616 Miami Dolphins 24, BROWNS 21 - AFC divisional playoff - Jan. 4, 1986 - at Miami (75,128) - For the second time in 14 years, the Browns faltered down the stretch and lost an AFC divisional playoff game to the Dolphins at the Orange Bowl. But unlike the defeat in 1972, which signaled the end of a successful era for the Browns, this game ushered in the birth of a nice run for the club. The Browns jumped out to a 21-3 third-quarter lead on the strength of their running game - this was the season in which Earnest Byner and Kevin Mack rushed for over 1,000 yards - and a stout defense. But they lost because their passing schemes were not up to snuff. Once the potent Dolphins passing attack got going and they made adjustments to stop Cleveland's running game, the Browns couldn't answer back in the air. Frustrated Browns rookie quarterback Bernie Kosar exploded in the locker room afterwards, decrying the passing woes. It caused the club to go out in the offseason and hire a passing guru, Lindy Infante, as offensive coordinator. The result was the Browns went to the playoffs the next four years, making it to the conference title game on three occasions. 17 New York Giants 10, BROWNS 0 - NFL Eastern Conference playoff - Dec. 21, 1958 - at New York (61,174) - The 1958 NFL Championship Game between the Giants and Baltimore Colts has been regarded for years as the greatest pro football game ever played. But what if the Browns, not the Giants, had been the team losing to the Colts in overtime, 23-17? That matchup would have happened had the Browns beaten the Giants in this special playoff game after the clubs had finished the regular season tied for first in the conference at 10-2. The Browns' only two losses that year were to the Giants by a combined seven points, including a 13-10 decision in the season finale on that same Yankee Stadium field the week before. In 1950, when the Giants also beat the Browns twice during the regular season to tie them for first place in the conference to force a playoff game, Cleveland won. This rime, the Giants settled the score. 18 Houston Oilers 24, BROWNS 23 - AFC wild-card playoff - Dec. 24, 1988 - at Cleveland (74,977) - This was a bitter - and, as it turned out, significant - end to one of the most bizarre and yet satisfying seasons in Browns history. Because of a rash of injuries, the Browns used four different starting quarterbacks that year - Kosar (twice), Mike Pagel, Gary Danielson and Don Strock - but still managed to make the playoffs. It was a Houdini act - and a great coaching job - second to none. Strock, who had been coaxed out of retirement and signed while on a golf course, rallied the Browns from a 23-7 third-quarter deficit to the Oilers the week before for a dramatic 28-23 victory at Cleveland Stadium that clinched the playoff spot. Then, six days later, he had to try to beat the Oilers again on that same field. It didn't happen. Fittingly so for the way the season went, Strock got hurt early and had top be replaced by Pagel, the only healthy quarterback left on the team. The loss caused the complete fracture of what had been an ever-widening rift between Browns coach Marty Schottenheimer and team owner Art Modell. Three days after the fame, Schottenheimer, who had just done his best coaching job of the four full seasons he spent in Cleveland, was fired. Leaving with him for what turned out to be a job coaching the Kansas City Chiefs was a young Browns assistant coach by the name of Bill Cowher. Also after the season, Byner was traded to the Washington Redskins. Management had become disenchanted with him, especially with some temper-induced unsportsmanlike conduct calls he received at the end of the playoff game. 19 Green Bay Packers 23, BROWNS 12 - NFL Championship Game - Jan. 1, 1966 - at Green Bay (50,852) - The Browns failed in their attempt to claim the title for the second straight year even though the players said during their 2004 reunion that this club was better than the one that captured the crown in 1964. In addition, it was the last game in a Browns uniform for Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown, who surprisingly announced his retirement late in the ensuing offseason (he played for the East squad in the Pro Bowl a week after the championship game). Those two factors made it the end of an era and paved the way for a young unknown by the name of Leroy Kelly, who was heartily endorsed by Brown, to take over at running back. He, too, of course, made the Hall of Fame. 20 Pittsburgh Steelers 36, BROWNS 33 - AFC wild-card playoff - Jan. 5, 2003 - at Pittsburgh (62,595) - The Browns led their arch rivals 24-7 early in the third quarter - and 33-21 with just under four minutes left - and appeared ready to advance to the divisional round against Oakland. Then disaster struck as the Browns, in their first playoff game in eight years, suffered arguably their biggest collapse ever despite 429 yards passing by Kelly Holcomb. In the ensuing offseason, coach Butch Davis shook up his coaching staff and, citing salary cap overruns, shook up the roster as well, letting five veteran starters go, including four on defense and the entire linebackers corps. The "gutted" Browns went on to struggle the next two years, never coming close to making it back to the playoffs. NEXT: "The Assassin" makes a hit (Part V, games 21-25). Part FourPart V, games 21 - 25By Steve King, Staff WriterJanuary 21, 200621 BROWNS 38, Indianapolis Colts 21 ? AFC divisional playoff ? Jan. 9, 1988 ? at Cleveland (78,586) ? This one is in memory of the late Eddie Johnson. ?The Assassin,? as the Browns linebacker was nicknamed for the blistering hits he delivered, blitzed and planted Jack Trudeau just as the Colts quarterback was releasing the ball on a pass attempt from the Browns? 20 in the third quarter with the game tied 14-14. The ball went straight up into the air and was intercepted by safety Felix Wright. Generally regarded as the biggest play of Johnson?s nine-year career, it jump-started the Browns toward 24 second-half points and advanced them to a rematch with the Denver Broncos in the conference title game. It was huge, too, for the fact the Colts had upset the Browns 9-7 at Cleveland just a month before. Revenge was sweet for the Browns, especially the always proud Johnson. 22 Denver Broncos 37, BROWNS 21 ? AFC Championship Game ? Jan. 14, 1990 - at Denver (76,046) ? The Browns got one last crack at the Broncos with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, but this game lacked the pizzazz and drama of the previous two title game efforts, both of which also resulted in losses. After falling behind 24-7, the Browns closed it to 24-21 after three quarters before the Broncos took charge down the stretch. It was the last postseason game of the Browns? great five-year run. They would not make it back to the playoffs for five seasons. 23 Minnesota Vikings 27, BROWNS 7 ? NFL Championship Game ? Jan. 4, 1970 ? at Minnesota (47,900) ? This was the last playoff game for the old NFL before its merger with the AFL was complete with the start of the next season. It was also the final postseason contest for Browns coach Blanton Collier, who retired after the 1970 campaign. The Browns, on the doorstep of the Super Bowl for the second straight year, had been able to score plenty of points all season, but they were no match for the dominant Vikings defense. Minnesota led 27-0 before the Browns finally scored in the fourth quarter. 24 Baltimore Colts 34, BROWNS 0 ? NFL Championship Game - Dec. 29, 1968 ? at Cleveland (80,628) ? Things looked good for the Browns. They entered the contest having won nine of their previous 10 games, the only loss being a meaningless decision to the St. Louis Cardinals in the regular-season finale. The first win in that streak was a 30-20 decision over the Colts in Baltimore, handing that club its only defeat in a 13-1 finish. So the Browns knew they could defeat the Colts. Plus this game was at Cleveland, where the Browns always played well. They had posted a 6-2 record that year (including playoffs). But the Colts weren?t bothered by any of that, rolling to a 17-0 halftime lead and holding the Browns to just 173 total yards. 25 Pittsburgh Steelers 29, BROWNS 9 ? AFC divisional game ? Jan. 7, 1995 ? at Pittsburgh (58,185) ? It seems fitting that the original Browns? last playoff game was against their arch rivals. The teams had played two close games during the regular season - with Pittsburgh winning both, 17-10 and 17-7, to capture the Central title and force the Browns to be a wild card - but the Steelers had all of the best of it in this one. This was the first time in the history of the rivalry the teams had played three times in the same season. Two wide-open Browns receivers dropped passes on the first series of the game, setting the tone for what kind of day it was going to be. The Steelers used a 24-point second quarter to lead 24-3 at halftime and never looked back. NEXT: Those pesky Lions (Part VI, games 26-31). Part FivePart VI, games 26 - 31By Steve King, Staff WriterJanuary 22, 200626 Detroit Lions 17, BROWNS 7 - NFL Championship Game - Dec. 28, 1952 - at Cleveland (50,934) - This might have been the "worst" of Browns coach Paul Brown's first 10 league championship game-qualifying teams, as it finished "just" 8-4, lost twice to an average New York Giants club and struggled both times against the also-ran Pittsburgh Steelers. It showed in this game as the Browns, after losing 17-6 to the Lions during the regular season, fell to them again, giving Cleveland two straight title game defeats. It was also the first time the Browns, who were beaten by the Giants in the regular-season finale, had dropped two consecutive games since the middle of that inaugural season of 1946. The Browns couldn't take advantage of 384 yards of total offense, being stopped five times inside the Lions' 25. 27 Detroit Lions 17, BROWNS 16 - NFL Championship Game - Dec. 27, 1953 - at Detroit (54,577) - Two straight title game losses to the Lions. Now, this was getting serious. The Browns made it much closer this time, though, having a 16-10 lead until Bobby Layne hit Doak Walker with a 33-yard touchdown pass with 2:10 remaining. Browns quarterback Otto Graham had probably his worst day as a pro, completing just 2-of-15 passes for 20 yards and two interceptions. It was hardly the way he had played in helping lead the club to an 11-1 finish during the regular season, a three-game improvement over the year before. 28 Detroit Lions 59, BROWNS 14 - NFL Championship Game - Dec. 29, 1957 - at Detroit (55,263) - This would turn out to be Brown's last league championship game appearance as a coach (the Cincinnati Bengals never got to one during his eight seasons with them). It was not one to remember. The Lions had beaten the Browns just 20-7 three weeks earlier, and had to edge past the San Francisco 49ers by only four points in a special Western Conference playoff game just to make it to the championship game. So they were by no means an unbeatable team. But they nonetheless extracted revenge for the 56-10 pasting Cleveland had handed them three years before in the NFL title contest. Detroit bolted to a 31-7 halftime lead and cruised from there. 29 Dallas Cowboys 52, BROWNS 14 - NFL Eastern Conference Championship Game - Dec. 24, 1967 - at Dallas (70,786) - Like the 1985 AFC divisional playoff loss to the Miami Dolphins, this game was a blessing in disguise for what it made clear to the Browns. They knew they had to re-tool, re-think their approach and make upgrades if they wanted to get back into serious playoff contention. The contest was never close, as Dallas led 24-7 at halftime and 52-7 in the fourth quarter. The Browns got the message and made the necessary changes and improvements in the ensuing offseason, coming back in both 1968 and '69 to beat Dallas in the conference title game. 30 Los Angeles Raiders 27, BROWNS 10 - AFC divisional game - Jan. 8, 1983 - at Los Angeles (56,555) - The Browns made the playoffs for the second time in three years, but it was kind of tainted. They had finished just 4-5 to earn a spot as one of the eight AFC teams to compete in what was called the Super Bowl Tournament. That one-year tag for the playoffs was necessitated after a 57-day players strike forced the cancellation of seven regular-season games, messing up the schedule so badly that it rendered division play almost meaningless. Brian Sipe had been benched late in the year, with Paul McDonald taking over at quarterback. The Raiders, who had two former Browns in running back Greg Pruitt and defensive end Lyle Alzado, led just 13-10 at halftime before taking control of the game. 31 Baltimore Colts 20, BROWNS 3 - AFC divisional game - Dec. 26, 1971 - at Cleveland (74,082) - Fair Hooker fumbled at the Colts' 12 after catching a 39-yard pass from Bill Nelsen at the start of the game, and the Browns later had a short field goal blocked. The defending Super Bowl champions took full advantage, leading 14-0 at halftime en route to holding the Browns, in their first season under coach Nick Skorich, to just 165 total yards. Part Six