1986 Cleveland Browns season

NFL season
team = Cleveland Browns
year = 1986
coach = Marty Schottenheimer
stadium = Cleveland Stadium
record = 12–4–0
division_place = 1st AFC Central
playoffs = Lost AFC Conference ChampionshipThe 1986 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 37^th season with the National Football League. The death of Don Rogers, a promising young defensive back who was preparing to enter his third season in the NFL, cast a black cloud over the team as it prepared for the 1986 season.

Offseason

NFL Draft

Regular Season

Cleveland opened the regular season, on the road, against the Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears. While the Browns played well in scoring 31 points against the feared Chicago defense, they surrendered what would be a season-high 41 points in a losing effort. The team responded well and won four of the next five games, including wins against divisional rivals Houston and Pittsburgh. The win against Pittsburgh snapped a losing streak of sixteen games for the Browns in Three Rivers Stadium, the Steelers' home stadium.

After a week seven loss at home against the Green Bay Packers, the Browns won eight of their last nine regular season games to capture the division title in the AFC Central and finish the year with a franchise-record 12 wins (against 4 losses).

eason Standings

[ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 293 ]

eason Schedule

Best Performances

* Bernie Kosar, November 10, 1986, 401 passing yards vs. Miami Dolphins [ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 439 ]
* Bernie Kosar, November 23, 1986, 414 passing yards vs. Pittsburgh Steelers [ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 439 ]

Postseason

The first round opponent for the Browns in the playoffs was the New York Jets. In a marathon game that lasted over four hours, the Browns won their first playoff game in 18 years, 23-20, on a 27-yard Mark Moseley field goal in double overtime.

Eight days later, the Browns hosted the Denver Broncos to determine the AFC Championship and a trip to Pasadena to face the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. In a repeat of the Browns' playoff game from the previous week, the game was, once again, undecided at the end of regulation with both teams having scored 20 points. The Broncos forced overtime on a 98-yard possession at the end of the fourth quarter that culminated in a game-tying touchdown and later became known simply as "The Drive". The Browns received the ball to begin the overtime period, but were forced to punt after running only three plays. The Broncos then took possession and ultimately scored the game winning points on a 33-yard field goal by Rich Karlis to send Denver to the Super Bowl.

AFC Divisional Playoff

AFC Championship Game

* Denver Broncos 23, Cleveland Browns 20 (OT)Linescore Amfootball
Road=Broncos
R1=0
R2=10
R3=3
R4=7
R5=3
RT=23
Home=Browns
H1=7
H2=3
H3=0
H4=10
H5=0
HT=20

"at Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio"

*Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
*TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen
*Referee: Chuck Heberling
*Game attendance: 79,973

This game is best remembered for The Drive when the Broncos drove 98 yards to tie the game with 37 seconds left in regulation, and Denver kicker Rich Karlis made the game-winning 33-yard field goal 5:38 into overtime.

References