OK, so first-year head coach Sam Rutigliano’s Browns proved that they could dominate a team they should’ve dominated in rolling past the San Francisco 49ers 24–7 in the 1978 season opener.
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But how would they fare in Week 2 against a much better team, and an arch-rival one in the AFC Central? In addition, hoe would they overcome adversity?
Just fine on all counts, thank you, as it turned out.
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In what was essentially their first Kardiac Kids-like moment, though no one would have had any idea about the significance of such, the Browns edged the Cincinnati Bengals 13-10 in overtime on Sept. 10 at Cleveland Stadium on Don Cockroft’s second field goal of the game, a 27-yarder. Earlier, in the third quarter, he got the Browns on the board with a 32-yarder to cut their deficit to 10-3. They had trailed 10-0 at halftime after playing so well offensively the previous week. Brian Sipe threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Reggie Rucker for the second straight game, this one a 13-yarder in the fourth quarter, to force overtime. Rucker had four receptions in all for 77 yards.
Though he was sacked four times by the Bengals (0-2), Sipe passed for 219 yards overall and was intercepted once. Greg Pruitt rushed for over 100 yards for the second game in a row, getting 120 on 22 attempts. He added five receptions for 36 yards. Mike Pruitt rushed for 44 yards in 10 carries.
It was a sweet win for the Browns who remained on the roster from 1977. The Browns were 5–2 and really rolling along when the Bengals came to Cleveland midway through the year and stuned them with a 10–7 win. That sent the Browns into a tailspin, as they lost six of their last seven games, costing head coach Forrest Gregg his job.
But that was last year, and this was this year, and the Browns were 2-0 and looking to continue their winning ways.
Steve King
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