On Sunday, October 18, the Denver Broncos and the Cleveland Browns will renew their rivalry.
If you can call it that.
As shown in win-loss stats courtesy of FootballDB.com on view below, the Browns beat the Broncos three of the first four times they played. Since 1975, however, the Broncos have gone 21-2 against the squad — and the last time the Browns tasted victory against Denver was in 1990.
Those 22 wins out of 27 attempts aren't the only reasons Browns fans despise the Broncos, though. It's the way those losses took place. The Denver Broncos 2015 media guide includes ten wins over the Browns in its "Historical Highlights" section, including the most famous: "The Drive," during which quarterback John Elway led his team on a 98-yard march over five-plus minutes, with the touchdown pass to Mark Jackson ripping out the heart from every man, woman and child rooting for the Browns.
Look below to media-guide descriptions of those ten wins, illustrated with screen captures from The Drive. They're followed by overall stats and a video of a sequence that still gives Browns loyalists chest pains more than a quarter-century later.
OCTOBER 24, 1971:
Denver coach Lou Saban and the Broncos down Cleveland 27-0. It was the first time the Browns were shutout since 1952 and marked Saban’s last victory as Bronco coach.
SEPTEMBER 26, 1976:
Rick Upchurch ties an NFL record by returning two punts for touchdowns in a 44-13 win over the visiting Cleveland Browns.
OCTOBER 5, 1980:
Randy Gradishar returns an interception 93 yards for a touchdown vs. Cleveland, the longest such return in team history and the NFL’s longest for 1980 season.
JANUARY 11, 1987:
The Broncos post a thrilling, 23-20 overtime win over the Cleveland Browns to win the AFC championship and earn a trip to Super Bowl XXI.
JANUARY 17, 1988:
Denver becomes the first AFC team to win consecutive conference championships since Pittsburgh of 1978-79 by defeating Cleveland 38-33. The game garnered a 91 television share in the Denver area, believed to be an all-time national viewing high.
JANUARY 14, 1990:
The Broncos become the only AFC team to win three conference titles in the 1980s with a 37-21 victory over Cleveland in the AFC Championship Game.
DECEMBER 8, 1991:
A 17-7 win at Cleveland clinches a playoff berth for the Broncos.
OCTOBER 22, 2006:
By allowing only one touchdown in its 17-7 win at Cleveland, Denver becomes the first team since the 1934 Detroit Lions to allow two or fewer touchdowns through its first six games of a season.
NOVEMBER 6, 2008:
With their 34-30 comeback win at Cleveland on Thursday Night Football, the Broncos become just the second original AFL team to reach 400 overall victories.
SEPTEMBER 20, 2009:
Shannon Sharpe is inducted into the club’s Ring of Fame in a halftime ceremony during Denver’s regular-season home opener against Cleveland. Outside linebacker/defensive end Elvis Dumervil ties a club record with four sacks against the Browns.
| Date | Team | Opponent | H/A | Stadium | Result | Attend |
| 12/23/2012 | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | H | Sports Authority Field at Mile High (Denver, CO) | W 34-12 | 76,351 |
| 09/20/2009 | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | H | Invesco Field at Mile High (Denver, CO) | W 27-6 | 73,931 |
| 11/06/2008 | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | A | Cleveland Browns Stadium (Cleveland, OH) | W 34-30 | 73,141 |
| 10/22/2006 | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | A | Cleveland Browns Stadium (Cleveland, OH) | W 17-7 | 73,024 |
| 12/14/2003 | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | H | Invesco Field at Mile High (Denver, CO) | W 23-20,OT | 75,358 |
| 10/15/2000 | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | H | Mile High Stadium (Denver, CO) | W 44-10 | 75,811 |
| 10/30/1994 | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | H | Mile High Stadium (Denver, CO) | W 26-14 | — |
| 11/07/1993 | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | A | Cleveland Municipal Stadium (Cleveland, OH) | W 29-14 | — |
| 09/27/1992 | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | A | Cleveland Municipal Stadium (Cleveland, OH) | W 12-0 | — |
| 12/08/1991 | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | A | Cleveland Municipal Stadium (Cleveland, OH) | W 17-7 | — |
| 10/08/1990 | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | H | Mile High Stadium (Denver, CO) | L 30-29 | — |
| 01/14/1990 * | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | H | Mile High Stadium (Denver, CO) | W 37-21 | — |
| 10/01/1989 | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | A | Cleveland Municipal Stadium (Cleveland, OH) | L 16-13 | — |
| 11/13/1988 | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | H | Mile High Stadium (Denver, CO) | W 30-7 | — |
| 01/17/1988 * | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | H | Mile High Stadium (Denver, CO) | W 38-33 | — |
| 01/11/1987 * | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | A | Cleveland Municipal Stadium (Cleveland, OH) | W 23-20,OT | — |
| 09/16/1984 | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | A | Cleveland Municipal Stadium (Cleveland, OH) | W 24-14 | — |
| 12/04/1983 | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | H | Mile High Stadium (Denver, CO) | W 27-6 | — |
| 11/08/1981 | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | H | Mile High Stadium (Denver, CO) | W 23-20,OT | — |
| 10/05/1980 | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | A | Cleveland Municipal Stadium (Cleveland, OH) | W 19-16 | — |
| 11/12/1978 | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | A | Cleveland Municipal Stadium (Cleveland, OH) | W 19-7 | — |
| 09/26/1976 | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | H | Mile High Stadium (Denver, CO) | W 44-13 | — |
| 10/19/1975 | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | H | Mile High Stadium (Denver, CO) | W 16-15 | — |
| 10/27/1974 | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | A | Cleveland Municipal Stadium (Cleveland, OH) | L 23-21 | — |
| 10/29/1972 | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | H | Mile High Stadium (Denver, CO) | L 27-20 | — |
| 10/24/1971 | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | A | Cleveland Municipal Stadium (Cleveland, OH) | W 27-0 | — |
| 12/20/1970 | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns | H | Mile High Stadium (Denver, CO) | L 27-13 | — |
* AFC Championship Game
