EDITOR’S NOTE: Back in the day, there was a term called “a Kodak moment,” which meant that there was a scene so great that it just had to be captured on camera, and the most popular brand at the time was Kodak. In lieu of former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar’s recent disclosure that he is facing several challenging health issues, we have come up with some Kosar moments to tell the story of his iconic 8 1/2-year career with the Browns from 1985 until midway through the 1993 season. This is Part 6 of that series.

Bernie Kosar gets a lot of credit for all of his statistical achievements, including in the 1986 AFC Divisional Playoffs on Jan. 4, 1987 against the New York Jets at Cleveland Stadium when he threw for a whopping 489 yards and a touchdown in a 23-20 comeback victory in double-overtime.

The Browns trailed 20-10 with 4:14 left in the fourth quarter and seemed to be cooked, their postseason run seemingly over almost before it started after finishing the regular 12-4 and securing home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. It was the epitome of a bleak moment.

Kosar, though, refused to let the Browns quit at that point. He helped start the comeback by throwing a 37-yard pass down the right sideline to wide receiver Webster Slaughter to set up Kevin Mack’s one-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 20-17. But more than that, it was his tremendous leadership at a time when the Browns desperately needed it, not just for that game or even the season, but for the overall history of the franchise at an acutely important moment, that still resonates all these years —almost four decades — later. Without that, and without Kosar, none of that would have happened.

It’s what a franchise quarterback does, and to the surprise of absolutely no one, especially those in Northeast Ohio who knew him best after watching him grow up and thus witnessing that kind of greatness all along, Bernie Kosar not only did it, but he did it so very well.

NEXT: A long track meet won by a single yard.

Steve King