2. Browns 19, Raiders 16, Sept. 19, 1993 at Los Angeles:
There was more to this game than the mere outcome. Vinny Testaverde took over for Kosar at quarterback in the second half with the Browns trailing, 13-0. He aided the comeback by completing 10 of 22 passes for 159 yards and a touchdown. Eric Metcalf scored the game-winner on a 1-yard run in the final minute as Cleveland became 3-0.
Kosar was 8-of-17 passing for 71 yards. He was intercepted three times and had difficulty eluding the Raiders pass rush before he was pulled by coach Bill Belichick. Kosar’s solid games had helped the Browns post season-opening wins over the Cincinnati Bengals and then the powerful San Francisco 49ers in a Monday night game at Cleveland Stadium.
After the win in L.A., the Browns lost their next two games, with Testaverde and Kosar both playing. Testaverde went all the way in a 28-17 win at Cincinnati and his passing, with two Metcalf punt return touchdowns, then keyed a 28-23 home win over the Steelers.
Testaverde, though, separated a shoulder late in the Pittsburgh game. Following a bye week, Kosar quarterbacked the Browns in a 29-14 home loss to the Broncos. Kosar was released the next day, with Belichick saying Kosar had “a diminishing of his physical skills.” It was also known that the two disagreed on how the offense was run and on play calls.
With Kosar gone and Testaverde sidelined, inexperienced Todd Philcox started the next three games, all losses.
The Browns were 5-3 when Kosar was let go after the Denver loss, tied for first place with Pittsburgh and a game ahead of eventual division champion Houston. They finished 7-9. The Raiders, 2-1 after their loss to Cleveland, earned a wild card berth with a 10-6 record and won one playoff game.
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