Will the Golden State Warriors be to the Cavs what the Denver Broncos were to the Browns in 1986 and ’87 – that is, the nemesis team that beats them for the championship two years in a row?
We’ll see, but we certainly hope not.
Spinning off of the “Believeland” documentary on ESPN’s “30 for 30” series to the passing of Tom DeLeone, the center for the Kardiac Kids, there has been a lot of discussion here on this website and elsewhere recently about tough postseason losses in Browns history.
With that in mind, then, here’s a ranking of the Browns’ 20 all-time playoff defeats in terms of their negative impact and the sour taste they left in the mouths of everybody involved:
- DENVER BRONCOS 23, BROWNS 20, OVERTIME – 1986 AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – “The Drive” is still driving Browns fans crazy 30 years later.
2. DENVER BRONCOS 38, BROWNS 33 – 1987 AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – In this one, the Browns dropped the ball – literally and figuratively.
3. OAKLAND RAIDERS 14, BROWNS 12 — 1980 AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS – Browns fans continue to kick themselves over Sam Rutigliano’s decision not to kick the field goal.
4. LOS ANGELES RAMS 24, BROWNS 17 – 1951 NFL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – When their defense let down at the end, the Browns failed to win a league title for the first time in their six years of existence and Paul Brown just about lost his mind.
5. DETROIT LIONS 17, BROWNS 16 – 1953 NFL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The Browns collapsed defensively at the end of this one, too, losing to the Lions in the title game for the second consecutive season.
6. GREEN BAY 23, BROWNS 12 – 1965 NFL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – A fast track became a slow, muddy one after an overnight snowstorm and the Browns failed to repeat as champs in Jim Brown’s last game.
7. DENVER BRONCOS 37, BROWNS 21 – 1989 AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The Browns thought the third time would be the charge against Denver, but they were wrong.
8. NEW YORK GIANTS 10, BROWNS 0 – 1958 EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF – If the Browns had not lost three times to the Giants that year, and twice consecutively to end the season, then they would have played the Baltimore Colts in what become known as “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”
9. DETROIT LIONS 59, BROWNS 14 – 1957 NFL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The Lions got revenge for the 56-10 pounding the Browns handed them in the 1954 title game.
10. DETROIT LIONS 17, BROWNS 6 – 1952 NFL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – With their 8-4 regular-season record and this 11-point loss, the Browns were hugely disappointing.
11. PITTSBURGH STEELERS 36, BROWNS 33 – 2002 AFC WILD-CARD PLAYOFFS – Dennis Northcutt caught everything in sight until this game, and the Browns lost a 24-7 third-quarter lead.
12. MIAMI DOLPHINS 24, BROWNS 21 – 1985 AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS – Another big collapse after the Browns were way ahead in the third quarter, this time 21-3.
13. MIAMI DOLPHINS 20, BROWNS 14 – 1972 AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS – Leading 14-13 with eight minutes left before collapsing, the Browns gave the Dolphins their biggest scare on the way to a perfect season and a Super Bowl title.
14. HOUSTON OILERS 24, BROWNS 23 – 1988 AFC WILD-CARD PLAYOFFS – After coming from 16 points down in the third quarter to beat the Oilers six days earlier and make the playoffs, the Browns couldn’t recapture that magic.
15. PITTSBURGH STEELERS 29, BROWNS 9 – 1994 AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS – The Browns played two close games with Pittsburgh during the regular season, but not this time.
16. BALTIMORE COLTS 34, BROWNS 0 – 1968 NFL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The Colts took it out on the Browns after a 27-0 shellacking at Cleveland in the 1964 title contest.
17. MINNESOTA VIKINGS 27, BROWNS 7 – 1969 NFL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – Getting blitzed 24-0 at halftime, the Browns fell short for the second straight year of making it to the Super Bowl.
18. DALLAS COWBOYS 52, BROWNS 14 – 1967 EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – This resounding defeat caused the Browns to do a complete re-tooling in the offseason.
19. BALTIMORE COLTS 20, BROWNS 3 – 1971 AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS – The Browns couldn’t do anything against the defending Super Bowl champions.
20. LOS ANGELES RAIDERS 27, BROWNS 10 – 1982 AFC SUPER BOWL TOURNAMENT OPENER – A bad second half doomed the Browns.
