AFC Championship: Denver Broncos travel to face Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, one win from a Super Bowl berth. Kickoff time: 12:30pm. Winner advances to the Super Bowl. Loser carries one of the year's hardest what-ifs into the offseason.
Denver Broncos at Cleveland Browns in the AFC Championship, with a Super Bowl berth on the line. The conference title round is the one that turns nameplates into legacy. For Cleveland Browns, the home crowd at Cleveland Municipal Stadium is asked to be a player; for Denver Broncos, the road environment is supposed to be the test that breaks lesser teams. Coaches will lean on what worked all year. Players will lean on what their bodies have left in them.
Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns have outlasted everyone else in their conference. One walks out of Cleveland Municipal Stadium with the conference title; the other walks out with a brutal what-if. Around the league, coaches are watching tape on both staffs for next year's prep. Every Super Bowl-bound team starts the offseason as the team to beat.
Denver Broncos versus Cleveland Browns in the AFC Championship. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of Denver Broncos-Cleveland Browns cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns | 12-4 | W5 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 10-6 | W1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6-10 | L1 |
| Houston Oilers | 5-11 | W2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 11-5 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 10-6 | L5 |
| Miami Dolphins | 8-8 | L1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 4-12 | L3 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 3-13 | W3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 11-5 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 10-6 | W3 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 10-6 | W5 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 8-8 | L4 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4-12 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 10-5-1 | W3 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 10-6 | L2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7-8-1 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7-9 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 14-2 | W7 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 9-7 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 5-11 | L4 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4-12 | L1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2-14 | L7 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 14-2 | W9 |
| Washington Redskins | 12-4 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 7-9 | L5 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5-10-1 | L1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 4-11-1 | W1 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 0 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 010132023 |
| Cleveland Browns | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 710102020 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Browns | Herman Fontenot 6 yard pass from Bernie Kosar ( Mark Moseley kick) | 0-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Broncos | Rich Karlis 19 yard field goal | 3-7 |
| Broncos | Gerald Willhite 1 yard rush ( Rich Karlis kick) | 10-7 |
| Browns | Mark Moseley 29 yard field goal | 10-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Broncos | Rich Karlis 26 yard field goal | 13-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Browns | Mark Moseley 24 yard field goal | 13-13 |
| Browns | Brian Brennan 48 yard pass from Bernie Kosar ( Mark Moseley kick) | 13-20 |
| Broncos | Mark Jackson 5 yard pass from John Elway ( Rich Karlis kick) | 20-20 |
| OT | ||
| Broncos | Rich Karlis 33 yard field goal | 23-20 |
| Broncos | Browns | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 22 | 17 |
| Total Yards | 374 | 356 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 22/38 | 18/32 |
| Pass yards | 244 | 259 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 2 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 2 |
| Sacks taken | 2 | 1 |
| Sack yards lost | 19 | 3 |
| Net pass yards | 225 | 256 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 37 | 33 |
| Rush yards | 149 | 100 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 0 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 2 | 3 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 1 |
| Penalties | 6 | 9 |
| Penalty yards | 39 | 76 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN | |||||
| John Elway | 22/38 | 244 | 1 | 1 | |
| CLE | |||||
| Bernie Kosar | 18/32 | 259 | 2 | 2 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN | ||||
| Sammy Winder | 26 | 83 | 0 | 9 |
| John Elway | 4 | 56 | 0 | 34 |
| Gene Lang | 3 | 9 | 0 | 4 |
| Steve Sewell | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Gerald Willhite | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| CLE | ||||
| Kevin Mack | 26 | 94 | 0 | 15 |
| Bernie Kosar | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Herman Fontenot | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN | ||||
| Steve Watson | 3 | 55 | 0 | 28 |
| Steve Sewell | 3 | 47 | 0 | 22 |
| Orson Mobley | 3 | 36 | 0 | 22 |
| Mark Jackson | 2 | 25 | 1 | 20 |
| Vance Johnson | 3 | 25 | 0 | 14 |
| Clarence Kay | 2 | 23 | 0 | 15 |
| Gerald Willhite | 2 | 20 | 0 | 16 |
| Clint Sampson | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Sammy Winder | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| Gene Lang | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| CLE | ||||
| Brian Brennan | 4 | 72 | 1 | 48 |
| Herman Fontenot | 7 | 66 | 1 | 24 |
| Clarence Weathers | 1 | 42 | 0 | 42 |
| Reggie Langhorne | 2 | 35 | 0 | 22 |
| Kevin Mack | 2 | 20 | 0 | 12 |
| Webster Slaughter | 1 | 20 | 0 | 20 |
| Earnest Byner | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
Denver Broncos defeated Cleveland Browns 23-20 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in the AFC Championship. The final scoring play was Broncos: Rich Karlis 33 yard field goal. The result came down to the final possession; Denver Broncos won by 3. Top line of the day: Bernie Kosar: 259 pass yards on 18-of-32, 2 TD, 2 INT. Denver Broncos advance to the Super Bowl.
Denver Broncos walked out of Cleveland Municipal Stadium as the team that survived an AFC Championship Cleveland Browns will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 23-20. The game stayed within 3 points throughout, the kind of contest where every drive felt like a referendum and every defensive stop carried twice its usual weight. The final scoring play came from Broncos: Rich Karlis 33 yard field goal. Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Denver Broncos are bound for the Super Bowl.
Denver Broncos 23, Cleveland Browns 20.
Round: AFC Championship. Q1: 1 scoring play. Q2: 3 scoring plays. Q3: 1 scoring play. Q4: 3 scoring plays. OT: 1 scoring play.
Top performers: - Bernie Kosar: 259 pass yards on 18-of-32, 2 TD, 2 INT - Kevin Mack: 94 rush yards on 26 carries - Brian Brennan: 4 catches for 72 yards
AFC Championship, played at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Final: Denver Broncos 23, Cleveland Browns 20, with Denver Broncos taking the result by 3.
**First quarter**
- Browns: Herman Fontenot 6 yard pass from Bernie Kosar ( Mark Moseley kick)
**Second quarter**
- Broncos: Rich Karlis 19 yard field goal - Broncos: Gerald Willhite 1 yard rush ( Rich Karlis kick) - Browns: Mark Moseley 29 yard field goal
**Third quarter**
- Broncos: Rich Karlis 26 yard field goal
**Fourth quarter**
- Browns: Mark Moseley 24 yard field goal - Browns: Brian Brennan 48 yard pass from Bernie Kosar ( Mark Moseley kick) - Broncos: Mark Jackson 5 yard pass from John Elway ( Rich Karlis kick)
**Overtime**
- Broncos: Rich Karlis 33 yard field goal
**Top performers**
- Bernie Kosar: 259 pass yards on 18-of-32, 2 TD, 2 INT - Kevin Mack: 94 rush yards on 26 carries - Brian Brennan: 4 catches for 72 yards
A 3-point margin in AFC Championship is the kind of result that defines reputations on both sidelines.