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  Saturday, Jan. 16 4:45am ET
Elway's magic brought down the Browns
From ESPN SportsCenter

"The Drive" was a classic backyard hypothetical: fourth quarter, down by a touchdown with the whole field in front of you. All for a spot in the Super Bowl.

 
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Except being down seven points with 5:32 remaining and 98 yards to go was no hypothetical for John Elway and the 1986 Denver Broncos.

Furthermore, their AFC title game against the Cleveland Browns was for more than just a shot at the Super Bowl. It was the opportunity to prove that the Broncos were winners.

"There weren't a lot of people that had respect for us as a football team," former Broncos coach Dan Reeves said. "And that's what they felt, like this was a game of respect."

No matter what was at stake, Elway still needed to move his team a long way in a small amount of time.

"It was a do-or-die situation for us, and we always seem to play our best when our backs are against the wall," Elway said. "And we couldn't get any closer to the wall there."

 John Elway
In 1986, John Elway solidified his reputation as a comeback quarterback with his 98-yard drive against Cleveland.

Here's the play-by-play:

"Elway in the end zone. It's complete. (Sammy) Winder out to the 7-yard line. ... The pitch is to Winder, cuts it to the right, gets it to the 10-yard line."

Elway gave the ball to Winder on the next two plays, moving the Broncos to the 15-yard line.

"Elway drops, the play fake, runs up in the pocket, running left, John's across the 20 and out to the 26-yard line. ... Elway back to pass on first down. The pass is for Sewell. Got it and keeps it at the 48 and is he hammered!"

After a short completion and a Cleveland sack, the Broncos were left with third-and-18 and less than two minutes to play.

"They've got work to do now. In the shotgun, Watson in motion, snap to Elway, and Elway's pass is caught at the 30-yard line. ... The snap, Elway's drop, the late pressure -- throws to Sewell 30, 25, down the sidelines, 20, cuts back inside the 15. First down Broncos."

An Elway scramble brought the Broncos inside the Browns' 5-yard line.

"Mark Jackson in motion, snap to Elway. The look. The throw. Touchdown! John Elway has just thrown the touchdown to Mark Jackson. 98-and-a-half-yard drive!"

The score and extra point tied the game at 20, sending the game into overtime.

But somehow, the Rich Karlis 33-yard field goal to win the game was anticlimactic compared to "The Drive."

"The ball is down, Karlis' kick is on the way, and it is good! ... The Broncos are going to the Super Bowl because they earned the trip!"

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