Near the end of the clip that’s making the rounds on the Internet of longtime iconic Browns radio play-by-play announcer Jim Donovan’s call of the final play of last Sunday’s 20-17 victory over the Chicago Bears at Cleveland Browns Stadium, color analyst Nathan Zegura is heard screaming, “The Kardiac Kids are back!”

He was referring, of course, to the Brian Sipe-led 1980 team, which, combined with a similar season in 1979, earned the nickname “Kardiac Kids” for all of the exciting, down-to-the-very-end games it played. A total of 13 of the 16 games — 14 of 17 if you count the postseason — were not decided until the final two minutes.

Sipe was named the NFL Most Valuable Player that year — the first Brown to win it since Jim Brown in his final season of 1965, and, still to this time, the last member of the team to garner it — after leading the Browns to an 11-5 record and their first AFC Central crown in nine years, and their first playoff appearance in eight seasons.

The key to that season was keeping Sipe upright and healthy. For without Sipe, the 1980 season would have never played out like it did.

So, as Zegura aptly pointed out, here are the 2023 Browns with a number of close games — eight of the 14 thus far for the 9-5 club. And just like in 1980 with Sipe, if the current Browns want to take all these fantastic finishes and turn them into a fantastic finish in the standings and their first playoff berth since 2020, then they have to protect quarterback Joe Flacco, who has stepped in to save the season. Whatever it takes, they have to keep him upright, for without Flacco and the late-game magic he has displayed recently in re-invigorating the Browns during this frantic, down-the-stretch push, the season won’t end well.

And that continues — in a major way — with Sunday’s road game against the Houston Texans.

Steve King