2. Browns 20, Chiefs 13, Sept. 21, 1980 at Cleveland
Rookie Charles White took a short Brian Sipe pass and eluded several would-be tacklers for a 31-yard touchdown with 3:19 to go in the third quarter, snapping a 13-13 tie and closing the scoring. Browns defensive end Elvis Franks recovered a Chiefs’ fumble at the Cleveland 11 with 9:02 to go, and the game ended with Kansas City at the Browns’ 32.
White, who had been the Browns’ first-round pick out of USC and the 27th selection overall, also scored on a 2-yard run for a 7-6 Browns’ halftime lead. Cleveland upped its advantage to 13-6 on Sipe’s 12-yard third-quarter scoring pass to Keith Wright.
Sipe was 23 of 36 for 295 yards. White, the 1979 Heisman Trophy winner, caught seven passes for 100 yards and rushed for 59 yards on 15 carries. Ozzie Newsome had six receptions for 55 yards and Wright returned three kickoffs for 107 yards.
The win was Cleveland’s first after opening the campaign with two losses. The Browns finished 11-5 to win the Central Division title, but lost a playoff game to the eventual Super Bowl champion Oakland Raiders, 14-12, on frigid Cleveland Stadium’s icy field. Kansas City became 0-3 and closed at 8-8.
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