Tag: The Drive

Broncos vs. Browns history: Denver has dominated all-time series

The Broncos have had quite a few memorable games against the Browns, and Denver leads the all-time series 24-7.

The Denver Broncos come into Week 12 on a four-game winning streak. It hasn’t always been pretty, but the Broncos have found a way.

In Week 12, Denver comes into a home game against the defense-heavy Cleveland Browns, who have lost their starting quarterback Deshawn Watson for the season.

The Browns are coming to the Mile High City on a three-game win streak of their own against the Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.

All-time, the Broncos have dominated the series between these two teams 24-7-0. Along the way, this game has brought some pretty great matchups.

The two most famous games in this series came during the late 1980s, when John Elway and the Broncos went to back-to-back Super Bowls in 1986 and 1987. In the 1986 AFC Championship game, Elway led “The Drive,” a game-tying, five-minute 98-yard fourth-quarter drive before barefoot kicker Rich Karlis made a game-winning overtime kick. In the following year’s AFC Championship, the defense made the game-winning play when safety Jeremiah Castille stripped Browns running back Ernest Byner at the Denver two-yard line to preserve a win.

The last time these two teams met, the Browns churned out a 17-14 victory over the Broncos in Cleveland.

Russell Wilson, Sean Payton and the Broncos look to solve a league-leading Browns defense and make it a five-game win streak on Sunday.

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John Elway completed ‘The Drive’ 36 years ago today

January 11, 1987 is a very memorable day in Denver Broncos history.

Wednesday marked one of the most iconic moments in Denver Broncos franchise history: “The Drive.”

The 1986 AFC championship game pitted the Denver Broncos against the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland’s notorious “Dawg Pound.”

Late in the fourth quarter, the Browns went up 20-13, and on the ensuing kickoff, the Broncos mishandled the ball, and eventually recovered it inside their own two-yard line. There were a little over five and a half minutes left in the game, and it was up to John Elway and Co. to come up with a drive.

What happened next is often considered the beginning of Elway’s legend.

In 15 plays, Elway orchestrated one of the guttiest late-game performances in league history. Of the 98 yards on the drive, Elway’s passing and rushing accounted for 93 of them. The final pass of the drive came with 39 seconds remaining, a five-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Mark Jackson. Kicker Rich Karlis booted the extra point to tie the game.

The game went into overtime, where Elway put together a drive that allowed Karlis to kick the game-winning field goal, sending Denver to their second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.

“The Drive” remains one of the most iconic moments in the Hall of Fame career of John Elway, and one of the most memorable events in NFL history.

To check out more about The Drive, here is the event recounted by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and here is the Broncos’ version.

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