1. Browns 24, Raiders 17, Dec. 20, 1987 at Los Angeles:
Bernie Kosar completed 21 of 32 passes for 294 yards and two touchdowns as Cleveland advanced toward its third straight AFC Central Division title. Earnest Byner ran for a touchdown and caught a Kosar pass for another, and Webster Slaughter had seven receptions for 115 yards and a score as the Browns snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Raiders (including two playoff defeats).
The victory made the Browns 9-5 and maintained their one-game division lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Oilers. Cleveland clinched the Central the next week with a 19-13 regular season finale win at Pittsburgh. The NFL schedule had been reduced to 15 games because of an early-season players strike. Each team played three games with the bulk of their rosters comprised of “replacement players” in place of the striking players. The Browns were 2-1 in such games.
Cleveland went on defeat the Indianapolis Colts, 38-21, in a home playoff game before losing the AFC Championship Game, 38-33, to the Broncos in Denver. That was the game in which Byner, whose brilliant performance had keyed a Browns comeback, seemed headed for a late game-tying touchdown before losing a fumble just short of the goal line.
The defeat made the Raiders 5-9. They closed at 5-10.
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