4. Browns 27, Bengals 24, Dec. 9, 1972 at Cincinnati
The Browns clinched the lone AFC wild card berth with this win and knocked Cincinnati out of contention for the same spot.
Don Cockroft’s 27-yard field goal with 4:18 left broke a 24-24 tie. Linebacker Billy Andrews secured the Browns win when he intercepted a Virgil Carter pass near the goal line with 27 seconds remaining.
The Browns led 14-0 after the first quarter, as Mike Phipps threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Frank Pitts and Leroy Kelly ran five yards for a score. Cincinnati rallied for a 17-14 lead, but the Browns went back on top, 24-17 with third quarter scores on Phipps’ 20-yard pass to Fair Hooker and Cockroft’s first 27-yard field goal.
Phipps completed 10 of 24 passes for 151 yards. Pitts caught four passes for 77 yards, and Bo Scott gained 59 yards on 12 carries.
The Browns became 9-4 and finished 10-4. They lost their playoff game, 20-14, to the Dolphins in Miami after leading 14-13 in the fourth quarter. Miami went on to win the Super Bowl and complete their famed 17-0 season.
The Bengals were 7-6 with the loss and finished 8-6.
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