1986 Cleveland Browns season

The 1986 Cleveland Browns season was the team’s 37th season with the National Football League. The death of Don Rogers, a promising young defensive back who was preparing to enter his third season in the NFL, cast a black cloud over the team as it prepared for the 1986 season.

1986 Cleveland Browns season
Owner	Art Modell
General manager	Ernie Accorsi
Head coach	Marty Schottenheimer
Home field	Cleveland Municipal Stadium
Local radio	WWWE
Results
Record	12–4
Division place	1st AFC Central
Playoff finish	Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Jets) 23–20 (2OT) Lost AFC Championship (vs. Broncos) 20–23 (OT)
Pro Bowlers	T Cody Risien NT Bob Golic OLB Chip Banks CB Frank Minnifield CB Hanford Dixon

Cleveland won their first postseason game since 1969, and for the first time in franchise history, the Browns reached the AFC Championship Game, where they would eventually fall to the Denver Broncos, in the game famous for “The Drive.” It would be the first of three AFC Championship games that the Browns would reach in four seasons, all losses to Denver.

Season Summary

The 1986 Browns finished 12–4 to not only win the division again, but also set a franchise record for regular-season victories in the NFL in addition to securing home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

In one of the most pulsating games in club history, the Browns edged the New York Jets 23–20 in double-overtime in the divisional playoffs. Then, in maybe the most disappointing contest in team annals, the Browns lost to the Denver Broncos by that same score in OT in the AFC Championship Game as quarterback John Elway orchestrated what has become known as The Drive. The Browns were involved in six contests decided by three points or less, and eight decided by six points or less. There were two OT games – in consecutive weeks, no less – when the Browns beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 37–31 and the Houston Oilers 13–10, both in Cleveland. That win started the Browns on a five-game winning streak to end the season, and it was also part of a stretch in which they won eight of nine contests.

There were several other big games in addition to the two OT affairs. The Browns beat the Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium for the first time in 16 tries, 27–24. They defeated Miami 26–16 on Monday Night Football, extracting some revenge for their loss to the Dolphins in the divisional playoffs the year before. They wound up clinching the AFC Central crown by going to Cincinnati in the next-to-last game and winning soundly, 34–3. The Bengals finished in second place at 10–6 but did not make the playoffs.

Kosar's career really took off in 1986, as he threw for 3,854 yards and seventeen touchdowns with just ten interceptions for an 83.8 quarterback rating. Wide receiver Brian Brennan, who led the way with 55 receptions and six scores, was one of seven Browns to catch 28 or more passes. The backfield combo of FB Kevin Mack and HB Earnest Byner battled injuries for much of the year. That, along with the increased emphasis on passing, caused the rushing numbers to go way down. As a team, the Browns got just 1,650 yards, with Mack rushing for a team-leading 665. He did, however, run for ten scores.

Hanford Dixon and Frank Minnifield were among the top cornerbacks in the league, leading a defense that excelled down the stretch, limiting the last four opponents to 17 or fewer points.

Offseason

NFL Draft

Main article: 1986 NFL Draft

1986 Cleveland Browns draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
2	43	Webster Slaughter *	Wide receiver	San Diego State
5	127	Nick Miller	Linebacker	Arkansas
7	167	Jim Meyer	Offensive tackle	Illinois State
7	174	Mike Norseth	Quarterback	Kansas
9	238	Danny Taylor	Defensive back	UTEP
10	265	Willie Smith	Tight end	Miami (FL)
11	292	Randy Dausin	Running back	Texas A&M
12	319	King Simmons	Defensive back	Texas Tech
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff

1986 Cleveland Browns staff

Front office President and Owner – Art Modell Executive Vice President of Football Operations – Ernie Accorsi Head coaches Head Coach – Marty Schottenheimer Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks – Lindy Infante Running Backs – Joe Pendry Receivers – Richard Mann Tight Ends – Charlie Davis Offensive Line – Howard Mudd

Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Dave Adolph Defensive Line – Tom Pratt Secondary – Tom Olivadotti Special Assistant – Darvin Wallis Special teams coaches Special Teams – Bill Cowher Strength and conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Dave Redding

Roster

1986 Cleveland Browns roster

Quarterbacks (QB) 10 Mike Pagel 19 Bernie Kosar Running backs (RB) 28 Herman Fontenot RB 33 Curtis Dickey RB 34 Kevin Mack FB 38 Johnny Davis FB 39 Major Everett RB 43 Tony Baker RB 44 Earnest Byner RB Wide receivers (WR) 85 Clarence Weathers 86 Brian Brennan 88 Reggie Langhorne 84 Webster Slaughter Tight ends (TE) 81 Harry Holt 82 Ozzie Newsome 87 Travis Tucker

Offensive linemen (OL) 61 Mike Baab C 62 George Lilja G 63 Cody Risien T 69 Dan Fike G/T 70 Larry Williams G 74 Paul Farren T 75 Bill Contz T 77 Rickey Bolden T Defensive linemen (DL) 72 Dave Puzzuoli NT 78 Carl Hairston DT 79 Bob Golic DT 90 Ralph Malone DE 91 Sam Clancy DT/DE 96 Reggie Camp DE

Linebackers (LB) 50 Brad Van Pelt LB 51 Eddie Johnson ILB 53 Anthony Griggs ILB 59 Mike Johnson MLB 57 Clay Matthews, Jr. OLB 56 Chip Banks OLB 58 Scott Nicolas ILB Defensive backs (DB) 23 Mark Harper CB 29 Hanford Dixon CB 24 Ray Ellis SS 31 Frank Minnifield CB 22 Felix Wright FS 37 Chris Rockins FS 48 D.D. Hoggard CB Special teams 3 Mark Moseley K 7 Jeff Gossett P 89 Gerald McNeil

Reserve 9 Matt Bahr K (IR) 99 Keith Baldwin DE (IR) 18 Gary Danielson QB (IR) -- Jim Meyer T (IR) 52 Nick Miller LB (IR) —- Mike Norseth QB (IR) Rookies in italics

Regular season

Cleveland opened the regular season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears. While the Browns played well in scoring 31 points against the feared Chicago defense, they surrendered a season-high 41 points in a losing effort. The team responded well and won four of the next five games, including wins against divisional rivals Houston and Pittsburgh. The win against Pittsburgh snapped a losing streak for the Browns of sixteen games at Three Rivers Stadium.

After a week seven loss at home against the Green Bay Packers, the Browns won eight of their last nine regular season games to capture the AFC Central division title and finish the year with a franchise-record 12 wins (against 4 losses).

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap
1	September 7	at Chicago Bears	L 31–41	0–1	Soldier Field	66,030	Recap
2	September 14	at Houston Oilers	W 23–20	1–1	Houston Astrodome	46,049	Recap
3	September 18	Cincinnati Bengals	L 13–30	1–2	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	78,779	Recap
4	September 28	Detroit Lions	W 24–21	2–2	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	72,029	Recap
5	October 5	at Pittsburgh Steelers	W 27–24	3–2	Three Rivers Stadium	57,327	Recap
6	October 12	Kansas City Chiefs	W 20–7	4–2	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	71,278	Recap
7	October 19	Green Bay Packers	L 14–17	4–3	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	76,438	Recap
8	October 26	at Minnesota Vikings	W 23–20	5–3	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	59,133	Recap
9	November 2	at Indianapolis Colts	W 24–9	6–3	Hoosier Dome	57,962	Recap
10	November 10	Miami Dolphins	W 26–16	7–3	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	77,949	Recap
11	November 16	at Los Angeles Raiders	L 14–27	7–4	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	65,461	Recap
12	November 23	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 37–31 (OT)	8–4	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	76,452	Recap
13	November 30	Houston Oilers	W 13–10	9–4	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	62,309	Recap
14	December 7	at Buffalo Bills	W 21–17	10–4	Rich Stadium	42,213	Recap
15	December 14	at Cincinnati Bengals	W 34–3	11–4	Riverfront Stadium	58,062	Recap
16	December 21	San Diego Chargers	W 47–17	12–4	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	68,505	Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Season summary

Week 8 at Vikings

Week Eight: Cleveland Browns (4–3) at Minnesota Vikings (5–2)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	3	0	7	13	23
Vikings	3	14	3	0	20

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

• Date: October 26, 1986
• Game time: 1:00 p.m.
• Game weather: Indoors (dome)
• Game attendance: 59,133
• Referee: Tom Dooley
• TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Jimmy Cefalo
• Box Score, Box Score

Game information

First quarter MIN – Chuck Nelson 33-yard field goal, 6:55. Vikings 3–0. CLE – Matt Bahr 52-yard field goal, 3:16. Tie 3–3. Second quarter MIN – Darrin Nelson 5-yard run (Chuck Nelson kick), 5:00. Vikings 10–3. MIN – Anthony Carter 8-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Chuck Nelson kick), 0:24. Vikings 17–3. Third quarter CLE – Felix Wright 30-yard blocked punt return (Matt Bahr kick), 12:40. Vikings 17–10. MIN – Chuck Nelson 32-yard field goal, 3:29. Vikings 20–10. Fourth quarter CLE – Matt Bahr 19-yard field goal, 13:13. Vikings 20–13. CLE – Curtis Dickey 17-yard run (Matt Bahr kick), 3:23. Tie 20–20. CLE – Matt Bahr 22-yard field goal, 1:46. Browns 23–20. Top passers CLE – Bernie Kosar – 9/18, 101 yards, TD MIN – Tommy Kramer – 18/35, 261 yards, TD, INT Top rushers CLE – Curtis Dickey – 19 rushes, 106 yards, TD MIN – Darrin Nelson – 22 rushes, 118 yards, TD Top receivers CLE – Reggie Langhorne – 2 receptions, 37 yards MIN – Allen Rice – 4 receptions, 71 yards

Week 15

1 2 3 4 Total • Browns 14 3 14 3 34 Bengals 3 0 0 0 3 Date: December 14 Location: Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 27 °F or −2.8 °C, wind 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn) Referee: Dick Jorgensen TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui, Bob Trumpy

Scoring summary 1 CLE Kevin Mack 1 yard run (Mark Moseley kick) Browns 7–0 1 CIN Jim Breech 23 yard field goal Browns 7–3 1 CLE Webster Slaughter 47 yard pass from Bernie Kosar (Mark Moseley kick) Browns 14–3 2 CLE Mark Moseley 39 yard field goal Browns 17–3 3 CLE Kevin Mack 1 yard run (Mark Moseley kick) Browns 24–3 3 CLE Webster Slaughter recovered fumble in end zone (Mark Moseley kick) Browns 31–3 4 CLE Mark Moseley 19 yard field goal Browns 34–3

Standings

AFC Central
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Cleveland Browns(1)	12	4	0	.750	5–1	10–2	391	310	W5
Cincinnati Bengals	10	6	0	.625	3–3	7–5	409	394	W1
Pittsburgh Steelers	6	10	0	.375	3–3	4–8	307	336	L1
Houston Oilers	5	11	0	.313	1–5	3–9	274	329	W2

Best Performances

• Bernie Kosar, November 10, 1986, 401 passing yards vs. Miami Dolphins
• Bernie Kosar, November 23, 1986, 414 passing yards vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Postseason

See also: 1986–87 NFL playoffs

The first round opponent for the Browns in the playoffs was the New York Jets. In a marathon game that lasted over four hours, the Browns won their first playoff game in 18 years, 23–20, on a 27-yard Mark Moseley field goal in double overtime.

Eight days later, the Browns hosted the Denver Broncos to determine the AFC Championship and a trip to Pasadena, California to face the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. In a repeat of the Browns' playoff game from the previous week, the game was, once again, undecided at the end of regulation with both teams having scored 20 points. Even though the Browns had star defensive players like Hanford Dixon and Frank Minnifield, the Broncos offense would not give up. The Broncos forced overtime on a 98-yard possession at the end of the fourth quarter that culminated in a game-tying touchdown and later became known simply as "The Drive". The Browns received the ball to begin the overtime period, but were forced to punt after running only three plays. The Broncos then took possession and ultimately scored the game winning points on a 33-yard field goal by Rich Karlis to send Denver to the Super Bowl.

Round	Date	Opponent (seed)	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
Division	January 3, 1987	New York Jets (4)	W 23–20	1–0	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	Recap
AFC Championship	January 11, 1987	Denver Broncos (2)	L 20–23	1–1	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	Recap

AFC Divisional Playoffs

Cleveland Browns 23, New York Jets 20 (2OT)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	2OT	Total
Jets	7	3	3	7	0	0	20
Browns	7	3	0	10	0	3	23

at Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

• Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 79,720
• Referee: Ben Dreith
• TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy

AFC Championship Game

Denver Broncos 23, Cleveland Browns 20 (OT)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Broncos	0	10	3	7	3	23
Browns	7	3	0	10	0	20

at Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

• Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 79,973
• Referee: Chuck Heberling
• TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen

This game is best remembered for "The Drive", during which when the Broncos drove 98 yards to tie the game with 37 seconds left in regulation, and Denver kicker Rich Karlis made the game-winning 33-yard field goal 5:38 into overtime.

More than 30 years later, an article in The Athletic stated that “The Drive” was still an open wound for Browns players and fans of this era.

External links

• 1986 Cleveland Browns at Pro Football Reference (Profootballreference.com)
• 1986 Cleveland Browns Statistics at jt-sw.com
• 1986 Cleveland Browns Schedule at jt-sw.com
• 1986 Cleveland Browns at DatabaseFootball.com