5 Browns games that should have put them in the Super Bowl

Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Most folks believe the NFL title game began with the Super Bowl. That isn’t true.

Although the NFL began in 1920, it didn’t have a league title game until 1933. From 1933 to 1969, to become the NFL champs, a club first had to win the “NFL Championship Game.”

Super Bowl 4 was the first game to be officially coined the “Super Bowl.” The first three installments were entitled the “AFL-NFL Championship Game.” This game pitted the champions of the American Football League (AFL) against the champions of the National

Football League (NFL).

RELATED: NFL FINALLY RECOGNIZES ALL AAFC RECORDS & CHAMPIONSHIPS

The AFL began in 1960 and was an NFL rival league. The two leagues were completely separate until they decided to merge into one league beginning in 1970. Beginning in 1966, preseason games were shared, the college draft became a common draft, and a grand championship game would be held.

The NFL won the first two while the younger league captured the second two games. That final game in 1969 became known officially as the “Super Bowl” and has been the name of the league championship game ever since. Then the first three “AFL-NFL Championship Games” were renamed Super Bowls 1-3.

Browns head coach Paul Brown after Cleveland won the 1949 AAFC Championship Game

The Cleveland Browns are ranked tied for sixth for the most pro football championships with eight titles. The franchise has won four All-America Football Conference (AAFC) titles and four NFL crowns. As far as NFL-only clubs, the Browns are tied for third with the New York Football Giants behind the Green Bay Packers (13) and Chicago Bears (9).

Many folks don’t consider any NFL title game pre-Super Bowl era to be official since those title games weren’t played under the guise of being a “Super Bowl.” To them, it does not matter that the NFL has had a champion since its inception in 1920 through 1965. Since none of those winners played in a Super Bowl, they don’t either count or don’t matter.

If it’s not a Super Bowl win, then it isn’t of any significance, as though it never happened.

Which isn’t true.

The Super Bowl is simply the new name for the league championship game. If the NFL were to rename this game, such as after Super Bowl 100, would all the Super Bowl winners suddenly lose their titles and significance? Of course not.

Indeed, it is true that the Browns have never participated in a league championship game called the Super Bowl.

But Cleveland had their chances.

To be factual, they had lots of opportunities and for one reason or another, they blew it and lost games that they should have won. And these were some excellent Browns teams with Pro Bowl players and a great coaching staff. There is no telling how many Super Bowls Cleveland would’ve, could’ve, should’ve participated in if this or that had happened instead. Winning a Super Bowl may have been a different story, but at least they had opportunities to participate in the big game.

Here at Dawgs By Nature, we’ve assembled a crew of excellent writers who are die-hard Browns fans who have gathered to tell it like it is – for better or worse.

Let’s take a look at five games during the Super Bowl era that the Browns lost that would have catapulted them into an actual Super Bowl.

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1969 NFL Championship Game

Cleveland Browns vs. Minnesota Vikings

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1969 Browns:

10-3-1, Century Division champions

Head coach: Blanton Collier

1969 Browns playoff history:

Eastern Conference Championship Game @ Dallas: Defeated Dallas Cowboys (11-2-1) 38-14

NFL Championship Game @ Minneapolis: Lost to Minnesota Vikings (12-2-0) 27-7

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Kenny MacDonald

Ottawa Browns Backers

Link: Ottawa Browns Backers Facebook Page

1969 – What If the Browns Had Just Gotten Rolling?

The winner went on to play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl III, which was called the “AFL-NFL Championship Game.”

In 1969, our beloved Brownies were back in the NFL Championship Game. They were facing a Vikings team that had destroyed them earlier that season, 51–3.

Photo by James Drake/Getty Images

1969 NFL Championship Game

The Purple People Eaters, anchored by four All-Pros on the defensive line, were a nightmare for any quarterback. But the Browns had a smart game plan: swing passes to running backs, misdirection draws, and play-action shots to keep the defense honest. The key, though, was survival. On the road, you always have to weather the storm, and you must answer early scores.

Sure enough, the Vikings struck first. On the Browns’ opening drive, facing third-and-nine from their own 43-yard line, quarterback Bill Nelsen forced a throw to TE Milt Morin over the middle. The pass fell incomplete —what if he hit WR Gary Collins to the wide side right? Maybe they are in field goal range. Sometimes a small spark is all it takes to get rolling, especially in a cold-weather grinder like this one. Instead, it was a missed moment that set the tone.

Next offensive series, the Browns defense got the Vikes on a third-and-nine deep in their own territory. Time to get the ball back and score, but Vikings quarterback Joe Kapp dropped back and Browns cornerback Erich Barnes slipped in coverage on All-Pro wideout Gene Washington. Yikes 14-0 on a walk-in TD. Whether it was the cold or the cleats (broadcast audio even hinted the Browns might not have been wearing the right shoes), ask the question: What if Barnes didn’t slip? What if the Browns had CB Ben Davis, who had eight interceptions the year before, but was now out with a torn ACL?

Still, teams have come back from that deficit — but the window slammed shut when RB Leroy Kelly, one of the Browns’ all-time greats, fumbled on Cleveland’s next drive. What if Kelly didn’t fumble?

Photo by James Drake/Getty Images

After that, the Browns never got close again. The game ended 27–7, and with it, Cleveland’s last real shot at a Super Bowl berth in the pre-merger era. They wouldn’t return to a conference championship until 1986. Maybe better cleats, a safer third-down call, or a tighter grip on the football. And while it’s a long shot with this game, that’s all it might’ve taken to rewrite history for a Cleveland Browns Super Bowl appearance.

Or maybe a couple of bottles of Dortmunder Gold and a hot tub time machine.

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1972 Divisional Playoffs

Cleveland Browns vs. Miami Dolphins

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1972 Browns:

10-4-0, AFC Central Division runner-up

Head coach: Nick Skorich

1972 Browns playoff history:

AFC Divisional Round @ Miami: Lost to Dolphins (14-0-0) 20-14

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Howie Smith

Susquehanna Valley Browns Backers

Link: Susquehanna Valley Browns Backers Facebook Page

1972 – Could the Browns beat the unbeaten?

This marked the end of a nine-year span in which the Browns made the playoffs seven times; it would be the Browns’ last playoff appearance until 1980.

This season, Cleveland won nine of their final 10 games. Playing in the AFC Divisional Round on December 24, 1972, against a Dolphins team that would go 17–0-0 and win the Super Bowl, the Browns lost 20–14 after blowing a 14–13 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

Set Number: X17345

On their way to a perfect season, Miami hosted the Wild-Card Browns on Christmas Eve. The Browns owned Dolphins’ head coach Don Shula until this fateful day. Consensus was that the Browns needed to play error-free football to win. They did not, but the game was close.

The Browns were able to stay in it, thanks to a stout first-half run defense that held the best rushing attack in the NFL to 12 yards. The offensive line gave Browns QB Mike Phipps time to ATTEMPT to throw. RB Bo Scott averaged nearly six yards per tote in rushing for 94 yards – double his average output – and added four catches for 30 yards. He WAS the Cleveland offense.

What specific plays led to this defeat?

• 1 – Browns kicker Don Cockroft’s first punt was blocked and returned for a TD.
• 2 – To start the second quarter, WR Frank Pitts beat a Miami defender on an endzone flag route and dropped a perfectly-placed pass. On the very next play, Phipps immediately missed his receiver for his second interception.
• 3 – On the final drive, Phipps again connected with a Miami defender for interception #5, ending what could have been an upset of the only team to ever go undefeated/untied in the NFL.

But what really caused this defeat and propelled this franchise on a never-ending run of futility and ineptitude - THE TRADE.

Phipps went 9 for 23 for a mere 131 yards and FIVE picks, while former Brown now Dolphins WR Paul Warfield had 91 yards from scrimmage, and set up the winning TD. And when you thought it couldn’t possibly get worse, Cleveland owner Art Modell grabbed WR Homer Jones to replace Warfield, in exchange for DT Jim Kanicki and RB Ron Johnson, who earned All-Pro running back honors twice for the Giants.

Oh… almost forgot …Jones played ONE season for Cleveland. What the Hell were they thinking?

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1986 AFC Championship Game

Cleveland Browns vs. Denver Broncos

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1986 Browns:

12-4-0, AFC Central Division champions

Head coach: Marty Schottenheimer

1986 Browns playoff history:

Wild Card Round - bye

Divisional Playoff Round @ Cleveland: Defeated New York Jets (10-6-0) 23-20 in double overtime

AFC Championship Game @ Cleveland: Lost to Broncos (11-5-0) 23-20 in overtime

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Mike Wilkes

Bearded Browns Podcast

Link: Bearded Browns Podcast

1986 – Just one more defensive stop

It was Cleveland, Ohio, on January 11, 1987. The air was heavy with anticipation. Municipal Stadium was a frozen coliseum of noise and nerves. Browns fans, long-starved for a Super Bowl, believed this was finally their year. Led by QB Bernie Kosar and a ferocious defense, Cleveland stood just 98 yards away from the promised land.

Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images

Midway through the fourth quarter, the Browns were clinging to a 20–13 lead. The Denver Broncos had just muffed a kickoff return and were pinned at their own two-yard line. Most of the 80,000 home fans roared with the belief that this was the moment their Browns would punch a ticket to their first Super Bowl.

But standing under center for the Broncos was a young quarterback, John Elway, already known for his rocket arm and icy confidence. What happened next would become legend.

Snap after snap, Elway dodged Cleveland’s pressure. He zipped a pass to RB Sammy Winder, scrambled for a first down, and hit WR Steve Watson on a crossing route. The clock ticked. The crowd, once deafening, grew quiet. Anxiety hung like fog.

Then, on third-and-18 from his own 48, Elway launched a bullet to WR Mark Jackson across the middle. First down. Time was running out.

With 39 seconds left, on third-and-one at the five-yard line, Elway took the snap, dropped back, and fired a perfect strike—Jackson again. Touchdown. 98 yards. Game tied.

Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images

Kicker Rich Karlis #3 of the Broncos celebrates after kicking a 33-yard field goal in overtime to defeat the Browns

Stunned silence swept through the stadium. The unthinkable had happened. “The Drive” was born.

In overtime, the Browns had a chance. But Denver’s defense held, and the Broncos got the ball back. Kicker Rich Karlis lined up for a 33-yard field goal and struck it clean. It sailed just inside the upright. Broncos 23, Browns 20.

The heartbreak was complete.

Back in the locker room, Kosar sat quietly, pads still on. His teammates stared into the void, knowing how close they had come. Cleveland had seen the Super Bowl dream slip through frozen fingers.

It wasn’t just a loss; it was a wound that would scar a city. But for the rest of the nation, a legend had been written.

And for Browns fans, “The Drive” became a name never to be spoken without pain.

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1987 AFC Championship Game

Cleveland Browns vs. Denver Broncos

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1987 Browns:

10-5-0, AFC Central Division champions

Head coach: Marty Schottenheimer

1987 Browns playoff history:

Wild Card Round - bye

Divisional Playoff Round @ Cleveland: Defeated Indianapolis Colts (9-6-0) 38-21

AFC Championship Game @ Denver: Lost to Broncos (10-4-1) 38-33

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Mike Baab

Browns center 1982-1987

1987 – One moment, one mistake, one more missed Super Bowl

Even though we had a better record in 1986, this 1987 team was much better. Our offense scored the third most points in the league. We had the most effective offensive line in the NFL.

Photo by John Betancourt/Getty Images

The year before, we thought we had the game because we were in Cleveland. But when Puzz (Dave Puzzuoli) sacked him, we thought we had it. And then Elway was just Elway. He made three or four fabulous plays on that drive; nobody in the world could make but him. He had a third-and-18 and threw it across the field and got 19 yards.

We were a very dedicated running team. We could run it down your throat, and we had Bernie. Everybody on the team was having their best season in their life. And we were a team that absolutely loved each other.

In the 1987 AFC Championship, we came back from a 21–3 deficit. They went up 38–31 with six minutes to play. Bernie made some good plays, and we drove the field to get inside the 10-yard line with about six minutes left. Earnest (Byner) took the handoff and scooted to the left. We thought he was going to score. A defensive back named Jeremiah Castille managed to strip him of the ball. I will never forget that player’s name because he had never made a play in his life before that play, and never made a play after that play, and was out of football a year later. Probably the only play he ever made.

Photo by John Betancourt/Getty Images

It was just a lucky angle, just as Earnest was turning to go up the field towards the end zone. Earnest still hasn’t recovered from that play. Earnest had a huge status on the team for trying so hard, being committed, and a great contributing player.

We had a reunion in 2016 about the 30 years of that ’86 team. It was amazing how many guys stood and apologized that it was their fault they didn’t go to the Super Bowl that year.

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2020 Divisional Playoffs

Cleveland Browns vs. Kansas City Chiefs

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2020 Browns:

11-5-0, AFC North Division third place

Head coach: Kevin Stefanski

2020 Browns playoff history:

Wild Card Round @ Pittsburgh: Defeated Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4-0) 48-37

Divisional Playoff Round @ Kansas City: Lost to Chiefs (14-2-0) 22-17

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Kristy Acuti

BFO: Browns Fans Only Facebook fanpage, Cleveland 13, TMDE, FirstTeam

Link: BFO

2020 – One no-call, that’s all

The one that got away - or stolen from us - we could say.

The Browns already put the hurt on QB Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers 48-37, in their stadium. Now, it was QB Pat Mahome’s turn to go down.

Set Number: X163794 TK1

While most of the game didn’t go as well as the week before, Browns QB Baker Mayfield knew he had to hang in there, and all the players were in place. This was the team that every Browns fan on the face of the earth had been hoping and praying for their entire lives. This was the team; if any team was going to get us there, this was that team.

The referees, of course, had other plans.

Some fans have called for the call to be abolished, as it should. There was a clear helmet-to-helmet hit on WR Rashard Higgins and the final minutes of the game as the Browns were driving towards the end zone. The ball came out of his hands, went into and out of the end zone, and now, the Chiefs’ ball.

The play was over. The game may have well been over as well. Our dream of making it to the Super Bowl was over. The Chiefs ended up in the Super Bowl, losing to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-9.

Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

The officials took it away from us. No helmet-to-helmet was called. Higgins was watching the Tweedy birds over his head for a while all of Browns Nation was losing their minds. How is this possible? How were we this close, and this blatant call, not be called?? Browns’ curse? Refs and the NFL just hate us?

Who knows, but I get goosebumps thinking about what could have been and dreaming of one season that we actually do get in that end zone, we win the AFC Championship, and go to the Super Bowl. The whole world will celebrate with us (at least in my head), and the Browns will have the BIGGEST World Championship parade in the universe. They deserve it more than any sports team out there.

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