NFL’s 30 best teams that didn’t win the Super Bowl
The Cleveland Browns have endured plenty of heartbreak over the past 50 years, and this might have been the toughest pill to swallow. Cleveland made the playoffs in 1985 after winning the AFC Central at 8-8 with rookie Bernie Kosar at the controls, but fell to the Miami Dolphins in the first round. In 1986, the pieces were in place for a Super Bowl run.
Kosar had a cavalcade of talent around him, led by receiver Brian Brennan and the backfield tandem of Kevin Mack and Earnest Byner, along with Hall of Fame tight end Ozzie Newsome. Defensively, Cleveland boosted the best pair of corners in the game with Frank Minnefield and Hanford Dixon. With Marty Schottenheimer on the sideline, the Browns won a second consecutive division title at 12-4.
The playoffs would prove a heart attack-inducing epic. Cleveland rose from the dead in the Divisional round, erasing a 10-point deficit against the New York Jets in the final four minutes of regulation before winning in double overtime. The following week, victory looked assured until John Elway drove the Denver Broncos 98 yards to tie the AFC title game in the final minute of the fourth quarter before Rick Karlis hit a controversial field goal in overtime to win.
Next: 23. 1988 Cincinnati Bengals