Much has changed since the Cleveland Browns' last win in New England. America has had five different presidents during that span. Cassette players were in vogue. The internet's first webpage was still a year away from creation. Tom Brady was a sophomore in high school.
One thing will be relatively the same when the Browns travel to New England for Sunday's game between two 5-4 teams. The game will again involve Bill Belichick, who was the Browns' coach when Cleveland defeated winless New England midway through the '92 season. Since then, the Patriots have won the last six games against the Browns in Foxborough. Belichick was the Browns' coach for the first loss and was the Patriots' coach for the Browns' last five losses in New England.
Belichick was a 40-year-old, second-year head coach in the fall of 1992. A two-time Super Bowl winning defensive coordinator with the New York Giants, Belichick's Browns went 6-10 in his first season and were 3-3 in his second season heading into their Week 8 matchup with the Patriots. Belichick had managed to keep the Browns at bay despite losing starting quarterback Bernie Kosar to a major ankle injury that would ultimately sideline him for eight games. Kosar's replacement was Mike Tomzcak, a 30-year-old veteran who had gone 21-10 in 31 starts as the Bears' quarterback from 1986-90.
The Browns were fighting mediocrity, while the Patriots were just trying to win a game. The franchise had fallen on hard times in the years following their surprising Super Bowl run in 1985. Four years after leading the Patriots on their improbable Super Bowl run, Raymond Berry was fired following a 5-11 season. His replacement, Rod Rust, was quickly ousted after a 1-15 season in 1990.
Dick MacPherson was lured away from Syracuse to coach the Patriots in 1991. But after an encouraging 6-10 season in 1991, MacPhearson's team lost their first six games of the 1992 season. A turnover-happy offense was one of the biggest contributors to the Patriots' horrid start. Quarterback play was also an ongoing issue, as New England started four different quarterbacks that season.
At 4 p.m. on October 25, the two teams took the field in front of just 32,219 fans inside Foxboro Stadium. The Browns' offense moved the ball in the game's early stages but had to settle for three Matt Stover field goals. Cleveland's defense, which had gone 13 quarters without giving up a touchdown, saw that streak end when Kevin Turner caught Hugh Millen's slant pass and fought through several defenders before reaching the end zone. Ben Coates' 22-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter gave the Patriots a 14-9 lead.
Trailing 17-12, the Browns had one last chance to avoid becoming the '92 Patriots' first victim. Tomczak ensured that Cleveland would avoid that distinction after he found Scott Galbraith for a six-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-two play with 31 seconds left. While Tomczak completed less than half of his 29 attempts, the Browns received a solid game from running back Tommy Vardell, who ran for 80 yards on 17 carries while helping Cleveland control the ball for nearly 35 minutes.
Similar to their first six losses, the Patriots coughed the ball up four times while matching the worst start in franchise history. The fourth turnover, a fumble by Millen with 3:54 left, set up the Browns' game-winning drive.
"This is our toughest loss," Millen said after the game.
Things would not get much better for the 1992 Patriots. They would lose their first nine games and would finish with a 2-14 record. But things would begin to change in 1993 with the hiring of Bill Parcells, who led the Giants to Super Bowl wins in 1986 and 1990. Robert Kraft, a former Patriots season ticket holder, purchased the team in 1994. Two years later, the Patriots were in the Super Bowl, with Belichick on staff as Parcells' top assistant coach.
The '92 Browns continued to live on the edge after their nail-biting win in New England. With Kosar back in the lineup, Cleveland won consecutive games to move to 7-6 and in position to capture its first playoff berth since 1989. But the Browns suffered three consecutive losses after Belichick's offense mustered just 41 points over that span. Cleveland's defense, led by defensive coordinator Nick Saban, set then-franchise records for sacks (48) and fewest touchdowns allowed.
Cleveland's 1993 team started 5-2 before stumbling to a 7-9 finish. With pressure to win mounting, Belichick's team finally broke through in 1994, starting 6-1 and finishing with an 11-5 record. Facing his mentor in the wild card round, Belichick and the Browns got the better of Parcells and the Patriots, 20-13.
"In some respects, I thought I was playing myself defensively," Parcells said afterwords.
The win would be Belichick's high point in Cleveland. The Browns' promising start in 1995 was derailed by the announcement that the team would be moving to Baltimore at the end of the season. Belichick was not retained and found a soft landing spot with Parcells in New England. He became the Patriots' head coach four years later. The rest, as they say, is history.
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