Paul Warfield attempts to catch Frank Ryan's pass near the end of the game.
Cleveland,Oct. 8 –The Pittsburgh Steelers upset the Cleveland Browns,28-23,by stopping Frank Ryan and the Browns on four plays from the Steelers seven yard line with less than a minute to play. The loss was the second in as many weeks for Cleveland who dropped a shocker to the expansion Saints last week. It appeared the Browns would save themselves after Johnny Brewer intercepted a Kent Nix pass with less than two minutes remaining. The interception left the Browns 35 yards from a game-winning touchdown,but the failures of QB Frank Ryan cost the Browns for a second consecutive week. Ryan failed to complete a pass on the drive,and Cleveland moved to the seven yard line on the legs of Leroy Kelly and Ernie Green. With first and goal and no timeouts remaining,Cleveland was forced to place its trust in the arm of Ryan for four consecutive passes. Ryan looked unsuccessfully for wideout Paul Warfield on the first two plays. His attempt to tight end Ralph Smith was broken up as was the last gasp attempt to Kelly on fourth down.
Willie Ashbury was the leading rusher for Pittsburgh,and his 51 yard TD rumble in the fourth quarter was the difference in the game. Cleveland’s Kelly was the game’s leading rusher with 80 yards. It was a significant setback for Cleveland who dropped a game behind Pittsburgh in the Century Division standings. In other notable action,third year running back Dave Osborn from North Dakota rushed for more yards in a NFL game by any player not named Jim Brown,leading the Minnesota Vikings to a 27-20 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. Osborn ran for 220 yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns.
