Mac Aljancic's most memorable Browns' Monday Night Football games

Monday Night Football is returning to the shores of Lake Erie. Back in the days when every house was topped by an antenna, any visit from Howard Cosell and his yellow-blazered buddies felt like Christmas morning (or maybe New Year’s Eve). Four decades and 4000 viewing options later, MNF has lost much of its magnetism. Still, to paraphrase Ron Burgundy, it’s kind of a big deal. Big enough to inspire another "10-4 Good Buddy" countdown — my top 10 MNF memories during my four-plus decades as a Browns fan.

Browns 26, Cowboys 7

September 24, 1979. My first Monday Night Football Browns’ memory was when the 4-0 Browns dominated America’s team, the two-time defending NFC champions. Dad let 8-year old me stay up for the entire Howard Cosell-Frank Gifford-"Dandy" Don Meredith broadcast. I remember two things in particular: Those beautiful royal blue Cowboy jerseys (now extinct due to their bad luck), and recent Hall of Fame inductee Drew Pearson puking on the sideline!

Browns 27, Bears 21

November 3, 1980. A massive crowd of 84,225 watched Mike Pruitt outrush Walter Payton, 129 yards to 30, as the Kardiac Kids improved to a division-leading 6-3. For my 10th birthday, Dad actually took me to this game! My 2:30 a.m. bed time probably brought out a rare "Moody Mac" appearance in the classroom the next morning.

Browns 26, Dolphins 16

November 10, 1986. Bernie Kosar had his NFL breakout party in front of a primetime national audience, piling up 401 passing to outgun All-Pro QB Dan Mario and lift Cleveland’s record to 7-3.

Browns 38, Dolphins 31

December 12, 1988. In the Orange Bowl, former Fins back-up Don Strock came off the bench with the Browns down 14 points and tossed two late TD passes to tie the game up with 59 seconds left. Marino took over from there.

Browns 30, Broncos 29

October 8, 1990. Denver had beaten Cleveland in three of the previous four AFC Championship games. The Browns got their revenge — and ended a seven-game losing streak to the Broncos — by scoring 10 points in the final 3:30 at Mile High Stadium, including a 30-yard Jerry Kauric field goal at the buzzer. The 2-3 Browns would win just one more game that season.

Dolphins 27, Browns 23

September 14, 1992. Another Kosar-Marino match-up! Trailing 20-3 with less than 12 minutes left, the Browns rally back behind two TD passes by a limping Kosar (later diagnosed with a broken ankle), taking the lead on a short Mark Bavaro catch with 1:15 left. A Miami 1-yard TD run with seven seconds left crushes the comeback.

Steelers 20, Browns 3

November 13, 1995. This stinker vs. the Browns' hated rival is memorable for one reason: It was Cleveland’s first game after Art Modell announced he was moving the franchise to Baltimore, casting a dark cloud over the broadcast (along with rookie QB Eric Zeier’s putrid performance: 7-for-19, 67 yards, 1 interception). Some Steelers fans wore orange to support their heartbroken Rust Belt neighbors.

Browns 35, Giants 14

October 13, 2008. Cleveland got its first MNF win since 1993 by dominating the defending Super Bowl champions. The Browns picked off Eli Manning 3 times, capped by an Eric Wright 94-yard TD return to nail the coffin shut.

Browns 23, Jets 3

September 16, 2019. Thanks to an off-season trade for star Odell Beckham, Jr., Cleveland got chosen for just its second MNF appearance since that 2008 win. OBJ lived up to his headliner billing upon returning to the Big Apple, catching six passes for 161 yards. The former Giant pulled off an amazing one-handed 33-yard catch near the goal line and later took a quick slant pass 89 yards to the house.

Ravens 47, Browns 42

December 14, 2020. Was this a shootout between two Heisman Trophy winners who would dominate the division for the 2020s? That might be half right. Baker Mayfield threw for 343 yards and accounted for three fourth quarter TDs (2 passing, 1 running). Unfortunately, Lamar Jackson returned from the locker room right before the two-minute warning to toss a fourth-down, 44-yard TD pass. A Mayfield TD toss tied it with 1:04 left, but Mr. Automatic, Justin Tucker, drilled a 55-yard game-winner with two seconds left.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Mac Aljancic recounts his most memorable Monday Night Football games