The Cleveland Browns are not alone. Their company is small, but they’re not alone.
On Monday, in , the Browns became the sixth team in the last five years to have a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown, and the first this season.
According to Elias Sports Bureau, the Browns also became the only other team in the NFL to have a field goal blocked and returned for a walkoff “kick-six.”
The other? The San Diego Chargers, who fell victim to the Broncos in a Nov. 17, 1985 meeting at Mile High. And in that game, Chargers kicker Bob Thomas had his attempt blocked not once but twice by the Broncos in overtime, when the score was tied at 24-all.
The first attempt, from 40 yards out, was blocked and then scooped up by cornerback Louie Wright. But the play was called back because the Broncos called timeout right before the kick.
So Thomas attempted the kick again. And again it was blocked, by Dennis Smith, and scooped up by Wright, who returned it 60 yards for the game-winning (30-24) score.
But it gets better.
The Broncos finished the 1985 season 11-5, one game behind the Los Angeles Raiders in the AFC West, but missed the playoffs because of tiebreakers to the New York Jets and New England Patriots, who had the same record.
The 8-8 Cleveland Browns, however, won the AFC Central and made it in.
At the time, the Broncos were the only team since the NFL expanded to a 16-game schedule in 1978 to not make the playoffs with an 11-5 record. The Patriots later joined them in 2008, when they missed the cut while the 8-8 Chargers made it in.
