AFC Championship: Cleveland Browns travel to face Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium, one win from a Super Bowl berth. Kickoff time: 4:00pm. Winner advances to the Super Bowl. Loser carries one of the year's hardest what-ifs into the offseason.
Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos 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 Denver Broncos, the home crowd at Mile High Stadium is asked to be a player; for Cleveland Browns, 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.
Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos have outlasted everyone else in their conference. One walks out of Mile High 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.
Cleveland Browns versus Denver Broncos 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 Cleveland Browns-Denver Broncos 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 | 10-5 | W3 |
| Houston Oilers | 9-6 | W2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 8-7 | L2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 4-11 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 9-6 | W2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 8-7 | L1 |
| New England Patriots | 8-7 | W3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 7-8 | L2 |
| New York Jets | 6-9 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 10-4-1 | W2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 9-6 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 8-7 | L6 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 5-10 | L3 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 13-2 | W6 |
| New Orleans Saints | 12-3 | W9 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6-9 | L2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3-12 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 11-4 | W1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-7 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 5-9-1 | L2 |
| Detroit Lions | 4-11 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4-11 | L8 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Redskins | 11-4 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 7-8 | W2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7-8 | W2 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 7-8 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 6-9 | W2 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns | 0 | 3 | 21 | 9 | 03243333 |
| Denver Broncos | 14 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 1421313838 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Broncos | Ricky Nattiel 8 yard pass from John Elway ( Rich Karlis kick) | 0-7 |
| Broncos | Steve Sewell 1 yard rush ( Rich Karlis kick) | 0-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Browns | Matt Bahr 24 yard field goal | 3-14 |
| Broncos | Gene Lang 1 yard rush ( Rich Karlis kick) | 3-21 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Browns | Reggie Langhorne 18 yard pass from Bernie Kosar ( Matt Bahr kick) | 10-21 |
| Broncos | Mark Jackson 80 yard pass from John Elway ( Rich Karlis kick) | 10-28 |
| Browns | Earnest Byner 32 yard pass from Bernie Kosar ( Matt Bahr kick) | 17-28 |
| Browns | Earnest Byner 4 yard rush ( Matt Bahr kick) | 24-28 |
| Broncos | Rich Karlis 38 yard field goal | 24-31 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Browns | Webster Slaughter 4 yard pass from Bernie Kosar ( Matt Bahr kick) | 31-31 |
| Broncos | Sammy Winder 20 yard pass from John Elway ( Rich Karlis kick) | 31-38 |
| Browns | Safety, Horan ran out of end zone | 33-38 |
| Browns | Broncos | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 25 | 24 |
| Total Yards | 464 | 412 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 26/41 | 14/26 |
| Pass yards | 356 | 281 |
| Pass TD | 3 | 3 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 2 | 2 |
| Sack yards lost | 20 | 25 |
| Net pass yards | 336 | 256 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 27 | 39 |
| Rush yards | 128 | 156 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 2 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 3 | 2 |
| Fumbles lost | 3 | 0 |
| Penalties | 7 | 7 |
| Penalty yards | 59 | 44 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLE | |||||
| Bernie Kosar | 26/41 | 356 | 3 | 1 | |
| DEN | |||||
| John Elway | 14/26 | 281 | 3 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLE | ||||
| Earnest Byner | 15 | 67 | 1 | 16 |
| Kevin Mack | 12 | 61 | 0 | 14 |
| DEN | ||||
| Sammy Winder | 20 | 72 | 0 | 10 |
| Gene Lang | 5 | 51 | 1 | 42 |
| John Elway | 11 | 36 | 0 | 11 |
| Tony Boddie | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Steve Sewell | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Mike Horan | 1 | -12 | 0 | -12 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLE | ||||
| Earnest Byner | 7 | 120 | 1 | 53 |
| Webster Slaughter | 4 | 53 | 1 | 24 |
| Brian Brennan | 4 | 48 | 0 | 19 |
| Reggie Langhorne | 2 | 48 | 1 | 30 |
| Ozzie Newsome | 3 | 35 | 0 | 25 |
| Kevin Mack | 4 | 28 | 0 | 9 |
| Clarence Weathers | 1 | 19 | 0 | 19 |
| Derek Tennell | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| DEN | ||||
| Mark Jackson | 4 | 134 | 1 | 80 |
| Ricky Nattiel | 5 | 95 | 1 | 26 |
| Sammy Winder | 3 | 34 | 1 | 20 |
| Steve Sewell | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Orson Mobley | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
Denver Broncos defeated Cleveland Browns 38-33 at Mile High Stadium in the AFC Championship. The final scoring play was Browns: Safety, Horan ran out of end zone. Top line of the day: Bernie Kosar: 356 pass yards on 26-of-41, 3 TD, 1 INT. Denver Broncos advance to the Super Bowl.
Denver Broncos walked out of Mile High Stadium as the team that survived an AFC Championship Cleveland Browns will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 38-33. A one-score game throughout. The decisive points came on the fewest possible margin, which is how these matchups usually resolve. The final scoring play came from Browns: Safety, Horan ran out of end zone. 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 38, Cleveland Browns 33.
Round: AFC Championship. Q1: 2 scoring plays. Q2: 2 scoring plays. Q3: 5 scoring plays. Q4: 3 scoring plays.
Top performers: - Bernie Kosar: 356 pass yards on 26-of-41, 3 TD, 1 INT - Sammy Winder: 72 rush yards on 20 carries - Mark Jackson: 4 catches for 134 yards
AFC Championship, played at Mile High Stadium. Final: Cleveland Browns 33, Denver Broncos 38, with Denver Broncos taking the result by 5.
**First quarter**
- Broncos: Ricky Nattiel 8 yard pass from John Elway ( Rich Karlis kick) - Broncos: Steve Sewell 1 yard rush ( Rich Karlis kick)
**Second quarter**
- Browns: Matt Bahr 24 yard field goal - Broncos: Gene Lang 1 yard rush ( Rich Karlis kick)
**Third quarter**
- Browns: Reggie Langhorne 18 yard pass from Bernie Kosar ( Matt Bahr kick) - Broncos: Mark Jackson 80 yard pass from John Elway ( Rich Karlis kick) - Browns: Earnest Byner 32 yard pass from Bernie Kosar ( Matt Bahr kick) - Browns: Earnest Byner 4 yard rush ( Matt Bahr kick) - Broncos: Rich Karlis 38 yard field goal
**Fourth quarter**
- Browns: Webster Slaughter 4 yard pass from Bernie Kosar ( Matt Bahr kick) - Broncos: Sammy Winder 20 yard pass from John Elway ( Rich Karlis kick) - Browns: Safety, Horan ran out of end zone
**Top performers**
- Bernie Kosar: 356 pass yards on 26-of-41, 3 TD, 1 INT - Sammy Winder: 72 rush yards on 20 carries - Mark Jackson: 4 catches for 134 yards