Top AFC Championship Games of All Time

This week we will decide who will be squaring off in the Super Bowl in Indianapolis on the first Sunday in February.  It’s always a great weekend of football, with some of the greatest games in history.  Often this weekend turns out to be better than Super Sunday, with four teams left to fight for the right to be called “champions”.  Before we get there, I’d like to take this chance and look back at the greatest conference championship games.  Today, we’ll take a look at the AFC.

– The defending Super Bowl champions traveled to Denver to take on the Cinderella Denver Broncos on New Year’s Day.  While the game was just another in a long line of AFC Championship appearances for Oakland, the game marked only the second playoff game in Broncos history, the first being the week before.  The inexperience didn’t manage to faze the Broncos, however, as they used a strong defense and big play offense to upset the Raiders and advance to the franchise’s first Super Bowl.

Denver

20 –

Oakland

17

– The Drive, the first of the Denver – Cleveland AFC Championship Game trilogy.  The Browns were riding high after surviving against the Jets in double overtime the previous week, while the Broncos came in to Cleveland after dispatching the defending AFC Champion Patriots.  On a gray January Sunday, the defenses of both teams took the leading roles, dealing both offenses heavy blows that would keep the score low all afternoon.  Late in the game, however, Cleveland Quarterback Bernie Kosar would connect with receiver Brian Brennan who outmaneuvered Denver safety Dennis Smith for what appeared to be the clinching touchdown with just over five minutes to play.  When the ensuing kickoff was muffed by the Denver return man the Broncos took over at their own two-yard line, and it looked like the Browns would be advancing to their first Super Bowl.  From there, Denver Quarterback John Elway took over, leading his team the length of the field and scoring the tying touchdown with seconds remaining in the game.  The teams would enter overtime and after a Browns punt, Denver marched into field goal range.  The deciding points would be scored by Denver kicker Rich Karlis and the Browns could only dream of what might have been.

Denver

23 –

Cleveland

20 (OT)

– The Fumble, Round 2 of the Denver – Cleveland trilogy.  As with the previous season, the AFC Championship was decided by the Browns and Broncos, this time in Denver.  The Browns were coming in after knocking out the Eric Dickerson-led Colts, and the Broncos had finished off the Houston Oilers in a rout the week before.  This time the two teams would play an offensive game as the Broncos built a lead on big plays before Bernie Kosar and Earnest Byner rallied the Browns to tie the game in the fourth quarter.  A Sammy Winder catch and run would give Denver a seven point lead late in the game, and set the stage for the frantic finish.  With minutes left in the game, the Browns drove all the way inside the Denver 10 yard line, when Byner, heading into the end zone for what would have been the tying touchdown, was stripped of the football by Denver’s Jeremiah Castille, who then recovered the ball at the two yard line.  Denver took an intentional safety minutes later and held the once-again heartbroken Browns in the final seconds for the win and second consecutive trip to the Super Bowl.

Denver

38 –

Cleveland

33

– The Chargers rode a stingy defense and the tough running of Natrone Means into Pittsburgh to challenge the heavily favored Steelers in a game that would mirror the two teams’ road during the NFL’s 75

th

Anniversary season.  The Steelers were the AFC’s best team during the regular season, earning home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, and shrugging off the Cleveland Browns in the divisional round, while the Chargers were the NFL’s Cinderella team, squeaking by Dan Marino and Miami the previous week.  The game appeared to be going Pittsburgh’s way most of the afternoon as into the fourth quarter San Diego appeared to be just holding on, close enough to stay in the game, but unable to make a move to take the lead.  Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the opportunistic Chargers seized the moment as quarterback Stan Humphries connected with Tony Martin on a 43-yard touchdown pass that gave the Chargers their first lead late in the game.  Pittsburgh would make it all the way into the Chargers red zone before a last-gasp pass attempt would be batted down at the goal line by San Diego linebacker Dennis Gibson.  The defensive stand won the game for the Chargers and sent them to their first Super Bowl appearance, while Pittsburgh would have to wait another year.

San Diego

17 –

Pittsburgh

13