It's a shame that guys who were really good get labeled by one play. Hell, Byner was the main reason we got back in the game. We were getting blown out. Fans hated him after the fumble. We ended up trading him for Mike Oliphant.
Slaughter actually caught the TD pass that brought us w/in one score. I really don't want to assign blame, but the freaking D gave up 38 points and that was in the 1980's before all the rule changes that has led to high-scoring games. We could have tied it had that fumble play not occured, but I was not confident that we would have stopped Denver had we tied it. As it was, and this is w/out watching the game again......Denver took a safety and we ended up throwing a Hail Mary at the end of the game.
I thought we had a better D the previous year. Yes, we gave up the drive. We lost 23--20 in OT, but I think people forget we had the ball first in OT w/good field position. That kick by Karlis looked bad to me. I was actually jumping up and down that he missed it. I have never been as heart-broken about one game that I wasn't a part of as that particular game.
Denver got blown out in the SB both years. Everyone pretty much knew the Browns were the better team and would have made a more competitive opponent, but that's the way it goes and it started the "curse of Cleveland" discourse that became a thing.
I know one thing. I really loved those teams under the leadership of Marty. We were hard-nosed. We competed every week. The guys were likeable. The city was in love w/the team. I remember one night being in a hole in the wall bar back then and it was packed. Three deep. That took up the entire area from the bar to the booths. Pool tables in a separate room in the back. Anyway, a segment came on the TV about Elway. It wasn't game day or anything. Just a Friday night in a small town, neighborhood bar. One dude started chanting "Elway Sucks!" "Elway Sucks!" In an instant, the entire bar was chanting the same thing. It literally gave me goosebumps. What a cool atmosphere.
I just hope we can get some of that magic back again, so old farts like us can finally experience the true passion of being a Browns fan!