1995: Bengals Rally to Tie Score but Browns Prevail in Overtime

The Cleveland Browns were struggling as they traveled to Cincinnati to play their intrastate rivals, the Bengals, on October 29, 1995. Head Coach Bill Belichick’s team was underachieving. They had reached the playoffs in ’94 but were coming into Cincinnati at 3-4 after sustaining three consecutive defeats. WR Andre Rison was brought in as a free agent and had failed to provide the anticipated impact and the running game was not up to par. The Browns looked especially lackluster against the expansion Jaguars the previous week and Coach Belichick chose to bench veteran QB Vinny Testaverde in favor of rookie QB Eric Zeier (pictured above).

The Bengals were in their fourth year under Head Coach David Shula, and that included back-to-back 3-13 records in 1993 and ’94. They were also 3-4 thus far, having won their first two games before dropping four straight and then defeating Pittsburgh in their most recent contest. There was talent on offense with QB Jeff Blake, TE Tony McGee, and wide receivers Darney Scott and Carl Pickens. But the defense was deficient, especially against the pass.

There were 58,639 fans in attendance at Riverfront Stadium. The Bengals had the first possession and advanced 85 yards in seven plays, helped along by a 46-yard pass interference call on CB Antonio Langham. RB Harold Green ran for 16 yards on first down and Jeff Blake completed four passes, the last of which was to Green from a yard out for a touchdown. However, a bad snap forced Cincinnati to abort the extra point attempt and the pass attempt from the holder, punter Lee Johnson, fell incomplete.

The Browns responded by driving 33 yards in 11 plays. Eric Zeier completed two passes that converted third downs, but an apparent completion to TE Brian Kinchen for 20 yards on a third-and-nine play from the Cincinnati 25 was flagged for offensive pass interference and Cleveland ultimately had to settle for a 44-yard Matt Stover field goal that narrowed the score to 6-3.

The Bengals punted following their next series and, in a possession that extended into the second quarter, Cleveland advanced 65 yards in 12 plays. The biggest was a Zeier throw to RB Earnest Byner for 22 yards in a third-and-seven situation, but with first-and-goal from the Cincinnati six, the visitors were unable to advance farther and Stover tied the score with a 25-yard field goal.

Cincinnati moved effectively on the next possession as Green carried twice for 19 yards and Blake completed passes to Tony McGee for nine yards and RB Eric Bieniemy for 19. A roughing-the-passer penalty got the Bengals to the Cleveland 23, but Green, who was injured on the play, fumbled and DT Tim Goad recovered for the Browns. Zeier immediately threw to Andre Rison (pictured below) for 23 yards but the series ended at the Cleveland 39 when RB Leroy Hoard lost a yard on a fourth-and-one play.

The teams traded turnovers before the Bengals, taking over with 4:48 left in the first half, put together a drive of 66 yards in nine plays. Facing third-and-ten, Blake connected with Darnay Scott for 18 yards and then followed up with another 18-yard completion, this time to McGee. Another completion, to WR David Dunn, gained 15 yards and an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Browns added another 15 to the Cleveland 19. The drive stalled, but Doug Pelfrey booted a 37-yard field goal that moved Cincinnati back in front by 9-6.

With the clock now down to 1:08, the Browns moved down the field with Zeier completing four passes, the longest to Rison for 46 yards. Stover kicked a 36-yard field goal and, when Pelfrey’s last-ditch try for a 63-yard field goal fell short, the score was 9-9 at the half.

The Browns had the ball first in the third quarter and broke the tie with an 11-play, 55-yard drive. Zeier completed five passes, the longest for 17 yards to Byner to reach the Cincinnati 20, but again the advance stalled and Stover came on to kick his fourth field goal, from 38 yards, to make it a 12-9 game.

The Bengals came back with an 80-yard possession that used eight plays. Green ran effectively and Blake completed passes to Scott for 31 yards and Bieniemy for 32. Facing third-and-goal, Blake completed an eight-yard touchdown pass to Carl Pickens and, with Pelfrey’s point after, the home team led by 16-12.

Zeier threw to Rison for a 59-yard gain to the Cincinnati five on the first play following the kickoff, but he was sacked and his next pass was intercepted by LB Steve Tovar. The Bengals had to punt, with Lee Johnson’s kick traveling only 27 yards to give the Browns good starting field position at their own 48. It came to naught as, with the game now into the fourth quarter, Cleveland was pushed back by penalties and had to punt in turn.

Following another punt by the Bengals, the Browns put together a 90-yard series in six plays. Zeier completed two passes before running for a 22-yard gain to the Cincinnati 37. After a pass interference call picked up another 20 yards, Zeier threw high to a leaping Rison for a 17-yard TD. Stover’s kick put the Browns in the lead by 19-16.

Cincinnati went three-and-out and punted and the Browns had to punt as well. However, the visitors got a break when Tom Tupa’s 64-yard kick was muffed by CB Corey Sawyer and CB Johnny Thomas recovered for Cleveland at the Bengals’ five. Two plays later, Byner ran for a three-yard touchdown. Stover kicked the extra point and, with less than three minutes remaining in regulation, the Browns were ahead by 26-16.

The Bengals needed to score quickly and Blake passed for 10 yards to RB James Joseph but suffered a slight concussion when sacked on the next play. Backup QB David Klingler, who was just coming back from being sidelined with a broken jaw, came into the game and threw to Bieniemy for 33 yards. Following the two-minute warning, Klingler threw an incomplete pass and was then sacked, but facing third-and-20 he hit McGee for a gain of 21 yards. Pelfrey kicked a 41-yard field goal and it was a seven-point game with 1:09 on the clock.

The Bengals executed a successful onside kick and were back on offense at the Cleveland 37. Klingler threw to Dunn for 17 yards but, after two more passes fell incomplete, consecutive pass interference penalties on Langham moved the ball to the one yard line. From there, Klingler threw to Pickens for a touchdown and Pelfrey’s extra point sent the contest into overtime tied at 26-26.

The Browns had the first possession in the extra period and punted. Cincinnati, with Blake again behind center, also had a short series and punted. Following another Cleveland punt, the Bengals had the ball at their own 38 and Blake went to the air. DB Dana Hall intercepted the tipped ball and the Browns were back on offense at the Cincinnati 45. Zeier threw to FB Tommy Vardell for seven yards and the fullback then rushed for six more. Following an incomplete pass, Byner ran around end for a 23-yard gain to the nine and, two plays later, Stover kicked a 28-yard field goal to give the Browns a 29-26 win.

Cleveland led in total yards (480 to 384) although the Bengals had the edge in first downs (27 to 26). The Browns also had five sacks, to two by Cincinnati, while the Bengals turned the ball over four times, to two suffered by Cleveland. Both teams were heavily penalized, with the Browns drawing 15 flags, at a cost of 188 yards, to 10 thrown on Cincinnati.

Eric Zeier completed 26 of 46 passes for 310 yards and a touchdown while giving up one interception and also rushed for 44 yards on 8 carries. Andre Rison had his most productive game with Cleveland, catching 7 passes for 173 yards and a TD. Earnest Byner ran for 74 yards on 17 attempts that included a score and also had four pass receptions for 43 yards. Matt Stover made good on all five his field goal attempts.

For the Bengals, Jeff Blake was successful on 20 of 35 throws for 249 yards and two TDs while also giving up two interceptions. In relief, David Klingler went five-of-11 for 73 yards and a touchdown. Eric Bieniemy (pictured at left) caught 6 passes for 95 yards while adding 19 yards on four rushing attempts. Harold Green topped the club with 66 yards on 14 carries and scored a TD on one of his four pass receptions for 23 yards.

“I’m exhausted right now,” said Eric Zeier. “It was a great football game. It’s the kind you want to be part of and remember for a long time.”

The good showing by Eric Zeier in his first career start was not followed by comparable outings and Vinny Testaverde regained the starting job later in the season. By then, owner Art Modell had let it be known that the Browns would be moving to Baltimore in 1996, and the team completely collapsed down the stretch to finish at 5-11 and in fourth place in the AFC Central. They swept the season series with Cincinnati, but the Bengals still managed to finish ahead of them in second at 7-9.

Zeier completed 82 of 161 passes for 864 yards and four touchdowns while giving up nine interceptions overall in 1995. He moved with the franchise to Baltimore and spent another three years with the rechristened Ravens, having only middling success when again given the opportunity to start. Andre Rison ended up with 47 catches for 701 yards (14.9 avg.) and three touchdowns, which was well below expectations, and he didn’t remain with the relocated club. He spent the ’96 season with Jacksonville and Green Bay before briefly rejuvenating his career with the Chiefs in 1997.

1993: Browns Rally from First Quarter Deficit to Defeat Bengals

Two AFC Central rivals, the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, met in a 1993 opening week contest on September 5. Both teams were in a rebuilding mode, with the Browns having gone 7-9 in ’92 and the Bengals 5-11.

Cleveland was beginning its third year under Head Coach Bill Belichick and had been active in signing veteran free agents such as QB Vinny Testaverde, WR Mark Carrier, and G Houston Hoover on offense and DT Jerry Ball and CB Najee Mustafaa on defense. They had also drafted an offensive lineman in the first round, Michigan center Steve Everitt. Still, the starting quarterback was Bernie Kosar (pictured above), in his eighth year with the club, and there were talented veterans on the tough defense that included DT Michael Dean Perry and LB Clay Matthews.

The Bengals were a young team with 28 first- or second-year players on the roster to start the season. They had a young head coach as well in Dave Shula, son of the legendary Don Shula and back for a second season at age 34. QB David Klingler, the team’s 1992 first-round draft choice who started some late-season games, was now taking over for nine-year veteran Boomer Esiason, who had been dealt to the Jets during the offseason.

It was a sunny and mild day with 75,508 fans in attendance at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The teams exchanged punts to start the game before the Bengals put together an 80-yard drive in six plays. David Klingler completed two passes to WR Jeff Query for gains of 25 and 51 yards. The second was a screen pass in a third-and-nine situation and set up a four-yard touchdown run by RB Ostell Miles. Doug Pelfrey added the extra point.

A short series by the Browns resulted in a punt and Cincinnati, benefiting from a 36-yard return by WR Patrick Robinson, again advanced to a score. Klingler completed a third-and-four pass to RB Derrick Fenner for 23 yards to the Cleveland 18 and, after Fenner ran for four yards, two more passes were good to Miles for nine yards and to WR Carl Pickens for a five-yard TD. Pelfrey again converted and the visitors were staked to a 14-0 lead with three minutes remaining in the opening period.

The Browns responded by driving 80 yards in 10 plays that extended into the second quarter. After a penalty on the Bengals gave Cleveland a first down at its own 31, RB Leroy Hoard ran for 12 yards and Bernie Kosar threw to Mark Carrier for 24 yards to reach the Cincinnati 33. Three consecutive completions that included a third-and-six pass to RB Eric Metcalf for 14 yards advanced the Browns to the 15 and, two plays later, Kosar connected with WR Michael Dyson (aka Jackson) for a 13-yard touchdown. Matt Stover’s point after narrowed the score to 14-7.

The teams again traded punts until the Browns put together another scoring possession, going 59 yards in 10 plays. Kosar started the series off with a throw to Carrier for 29 yards and had four more completions, setting up RB Tommy Vardell’s one-yard touchdown run with 31 seconds remaining in the first half. Stover again added the PAT and the teams went into halftime tied at 14-14.

Cleveland had the first possession in the third quarter and put together an 11-play, 64-yard drive. Vardell (pictured at left) ran effectively, picking up 35 yards on six carries, and while he was held for no gain on a third-and-one play at the Cincinnati 11, Stover put the Browns ahead by three with a 28-yard field goal.

It got worse for the Bengals on the next series as a Klingler pass was intercepted by CB Selwyn Jones, giving the ball back to the Browns at the Cincinnati 48. Kosar immediately threw to Carrier for 26 yards but the home team advanced no further and Stover booted another field goal, this time from 34 yards.

Following another exchange of punts, the Browns added to their lead early in the fourth quarter when Klingler, who was being sacked for the third straight play, fumbled and SS Stevon Moore recovered and ran 22 yards for a touchdown. Stover’s extra point put Cleveland ahead by a commanding 13 points.

Once more the teams traded punts before the Bengals, with 10:25 left to play, took over from their 17 yard line and began to move down the field. Klingler hit on five straight passes, including one to WR Tim McGee that covered 33 yards to the Cleveland 16. A pass interference penalty gave the visitors a first down at the one, but the defense held as three carries by Fenner netted a one-yard loss and on fourth down Klingler fumbled the snap. It was, in essence, the last gasp for Cincinnati.

Taking over on downs, the Browns kept the ball on the ground and were finally forced to punt from their 19 with the clock now down to 1:15. There were no last-minute heroics in store and when Klingler threw a pass that Selwyn Jones intercepted, it nailed down the 27-14 win.       

Cleveland led in total yards (263 to 227), first downs (18 to 12), and time of possession (32:38 to 27:22). The Browns recorded six sacks, to two by Cincinnati, and the Bengals turned the ball over three times, while Cleveland had none. The visitors further were hurt by nine penalties, to five flags thrown on the Browns.

Bernie Kosar completed 18 of 30 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown while giving up no interceptions. Tommy Vardell ran for 60 yards on 16 carries that included a TD while Eric Metcalf, who gained 14 yards on four rushing attempts, had 9 catches for 60 yards. Mark Carrier topped the club with 79 yards on his three pass receptions.

For the Bengals, David Klingler (pictured above) was successful on 20 of 28 throws for 214 yards and a TD, but gave up two interceptions and suffered from being under constant pressure in addition to the sacks. Derrick Fenner rushed for 41 yards on 13 attempts and also pulled in 9 passes for 64 yards. Jeff Query, thanks to the long reception in the first quarter, gained 80 yards on three catches.

The Browns got off to a 3-0 start and then, after a 2-3 stretch, Bernie Kosar was released in a stunning move and ultimately replaced by Vinny Testaverde. Cleveland went 2-6 the rest of the way to end up with another 7-9 record and third place finish in the AFC Central. Cincinnati was 0-10 before finally winning three of its last six contests to place last in the division at 3-13. David Klingler continued to struggle, not helped by the deficient offensive line, and ultimately failed as a starting quarterback. While the Browns would turn things around in ’94 with Testaverde behind center, Cincinnati remained in a prolonged funk, with both Coach Shula and QB Klingler falling by the wayside.

1994: Don Shula’s Dolphins Beat David Shula’s Bengals in Father vs. Son Matchup

The October 2, 1994 game between the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals had a special distinction, not because of the action on the field, but due to the family relationship of the two head coaches. It was the first-ever father vs. son coaching matchup in pro football history – indeed, in any major professional sport.

For the visiting Dolphins it was Don Shula, who had started his NFL head coaching career in 1963 with the Baltimore Colts and, since 1970, had been head coach and general manager in Miami. Along the way his teams had reached the playoffs 17 times, won a pre-merger NFL title, five post-merger AFC championships, and two Super Bowls. In 1993, he had passed George Halas as the winningest head coach in league history and, with a 3-1 start in ’94, had an overall record of 330 wins, 159 losses, and 6 ties (309-143-6 in the regular season, 18-15 in the playoffs). His place in pro football history was secure, to say the least.

Son David Shula of the Bengals was in anything but a secure situation. Having started out as an assistant to his father with the Dolphins in 1982, he had gone on to become offensive coordinator of the Cowboys before being hired as head coach in Cincinnati for the 1992 season. The Bengals went 5-11 and 3-13 in the first two years under the younger Shula, and were off to a 0-4 beginning in ’94 for an overall tally of 8-28. QB David Klingler was proving to be a first-round bust, the defense was poor against the run, and overall, the organization under Vice-President/GM Mike Brown failed to devote needed resources to scouting. There was much speculation as to how much longer the third-year head coach would last if the situation didn’t begin to turn around.

It was an uncomfortable situation leading up to the contest. Father and son met at a barbecue the day before the game at David’s house in which the talk was about family, not football. There was an awkward staged media event at midfield prior to the kickoff.

“Please, Dad Not 0-5,” said a sign hanging from the upper deck at Riverfront Stadium. David Shula had lambasted his team at midweek, and the winless Bengals came out looking pumped up and upset-minded. Cincinnati scored first, on the third play of the game, thanks to a 51-yard pass play from Klingler to WR Darnay Scott, who blew past a hobbled Miami CB Troy Vincent.

While Cincinnati attempted razzle-dazzle and tried for big plays in the first two series, they were unable to score again and the tally remained 7-0 after one period of action. In the second quarter, Dolphins QB Dan Marino completed six passes on a possession that led to a 28-yard field goal by Pete Stoyanovich.

Miami followed up with an 80-yard drive in nine plays for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:14 left in the first half. Marino fired the 11-yard scoring pass to FB Keith Byars running a slant and the Dolphins took a 10-7 lead into halftime.

Early in the second half, Marino audibled and tossed a four-yard TD pass to WR Mark Ingram that gave Miami a ten-point margin, allowing the senior Shula to play conservatively. Stoyanovich kicked field goals of 27 and 32 yards in the fourth quarter as the Dolphins coasted to a 23-7 win.

The performance by the Dolphins was workmanlike and it was apparent there would be no effort to run up the score on the hapless Bengals. As an example, up by 20-7 and with a third-and-nine situation at the Cincinnati 15, Miami opted for a shovel pass to set up a field goal attempt rather than try for the end zone. At one point, Ingram, TE Keith Jackson, and WR Irving Fryar were seen behind the bench slamming their helmets in frustration at not trying to put more points on the board.

Miami outgained the Bengals (345 yards to 246) and had more first downs (21 to 14). The Dolphins also didn’t turn the ball over, while Cincinnati suffered five turnovers. It was a relatively ordinary day for Dan Marino, who completed 26 of 35 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns. David Klingler, by contrast, was successful on just 16 of 30 throws for 188 yards and was intercepted three times, as opposed to the one early TD pass.

Irving Fryar might have been discontented with the conservative play of the Miami offense, but he still caught 8 passes for 89 yards; Keith Byars added 6 for 54. RB Steve Broussard was the top receiver for the Bengals, with 7 catches for 43 yards, and his 16 yards on six carries put him just three behind the team’s leading ground-gainer, RB Derrick Fenner, with 19 yards on four attempts (RB Bernie Parmalee led the Dolphins with 73 yards on 18 carries).

“This is all team. You can't ever think about anything individually,” Don Shula said afterward. "My responsibility is this football team and Dave's responsibility is his football team. He does the best job he can and I try to do the best job I can. We were just the better team.”

“Once the game began, there was no thought that Dad was the opposing coach,” the younger Shula commented. “There were too many other things to think about.”

Cincinnati reached 0-8 before finally winning two straight games. The Bengals again ended up at 3-13 to place third in the AFC Central. David Shula was retained as head coach and the club improved to 7-9 in ’95, including a second meeting against the Dolphins and Don Shula that Miami won by a much closer (26-23) score. However, following a 1-6 start in 1996 he was replaced by offensive coordinator Bruce Coslet. His overall record ended up at 19-52.

The Dolphins went on to finish atop the AFC East in 1994 with a 10-6 record, winning in the Wild Card round of the postseason but losing by one point (22-21) to San Diego at the Divisional level. Following a disappointing 9-7 season and earlier exit from the playoffs in 1995, Don Shula was forced into retirement by owner Wayne Huizenga in favor of Jimmy Johnson, formerly of the Univ. of Miami and the Dallas Cowboys. He ended up with 347 career wins (328 regular season, 19 postseason) and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997.