Hope abounds for the NFL’s final four as Browns, Lions, Texans and Jaguars eye elusive Super Bowl

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — They are bonded by football futility for now, but surely not forever. Right?

Cleveland, Detroit, Houston and Jacksonville — the NFL’s final four, if you will — are the last remaining teams to never make a Super Bowl. They’re far from favorites yet still in contention to end their droughts as the playoffs near.

The Browns (11-5) and Lions (11-5) have clinched postseason berths. The Texans (9-7) and Jaguars (9-7) can join them with victories this weekend.

“It’s great for all four of those franchises,” said retired NFL cornerback Johnathan Joseph, who spent nine of his 15 professional seasons with Houston. “They’re on the verge and they’re not going away. They’re all young teams with young talent. It’s only a matter of time.”

The Browns, Lions and Jaguars have been close before, all of them reaching conference championship games in different decades and losing in stomach-churning fashion.

Here’s a look at a few defining failures for the NFL’s final four:

CLEVELAND BROWNS

Of the four, the Browns have come the closest to ending their misery. That’s hardly any consolation for Bernie Kosar.

“It’s only taken me 30 years to get over it,” Cleveland’s former quarterback said.

Led by Kosar and an underrated defense, the Browns got to three AFC Championships in four seasons (1986-89) but lost to the Denver Broncos each time. The first two losses came in soul-crushing fashion and are immortalized with nicknames: “ The Drive ” and “ The Fumble.”

The third was another loss, only not as painful.

On Jan. 11, 1987, the Browns, who last won an NFL title in 1964, were minutes away from their first Super Bowl trip when Broncos quarterback John Elway got the ball at Denver’s 2-yard line.

Appearing in just the second playoff game of his Hall of Fame career, Elway engineered a game-tying, 98-yard touchdown drive and the Broncos won 23-20 in overtime on a 33-yard field goal by bare-footed Rich Karlis, who to this day Cleveland fans swear hooked his kick left.

The pain has endured in Cleveland, and Kosar found himself facing a reminder recently when his flight connected through Denver’s airport.

“The spiritual world has such a Rodney Dangerfield-comedic presence that the Cleveland gate is right next to the John Elway Steakhouse,” Kosar said.

In truth, Kosar, who wound up winning a Super Bowl ring as Troy Aikman’s backup in Dallas, is proud of those oh-so-close moments with the Browns.

“I now look back so fondly on those games, and I’m honored as a guy from northeast Ohio to have even played for the Browns and played in games like that,” he said. “It’s taken me about 30 years to get to this spiritual healing and enlightenment part because I would have to close my eyes in the Denver airport.”

DETROIT LIONS

Former Lions kicker Eddie Murray played a key role in one of Detroit’s many postseason shortcomings.

In the 1983 NFC divisional round, Murray made three field goals before missing one late as San Francisco held on to win 24-23 after taking advantage of Gary Danielson’s five interceptions.

“Not being able to make that kick at the end of the game was gut-wrenching not only for myself, but the team,” Murray said. “We were the best team on the field that day and we were really good on both sides of the ball that year, but mistakes killed us against the 49ers.”

Murray, with star teammate Barry Sanders carrying the load, got closer in 1991. They beat Dallas in the divisional round only to get trounced by juggernaut Washington in the NFC title game.

The 67-year-old Murray has made the Motor City his home for 43 years, witnessing a series of rebuilding efforts. Finally, it looks like the Lions might have another solid shot at an elusive Super Bowl.

“It’s long overdue,” Murray said. “In my 12-year tenure with Detroit, we had two winning seasons. There were a lot of frustrating years for me and for the fans over the years.”

HOUSTON TEXANS

Joseph won six AFC South titles during his time in Houston, so getting to the playoffs was never a problem. Advancing to the conference championship was another story.

Joseph immediately pointed to 2011 — Houston’s first foray into the postseason — as his most painful reminder of what could have been. The Texans were 7-3 after 10 games and looked like the AFC’s best team.

But Matt Schaub suffered a Lisfranc injury to his right foot executing a quarterback sneak at Tampa Bay and missed the rest of the season.

The Texans initially turned to Matt Leinart but ended the season with rookie T.J. Yates under center. Yates threw three interceptions in a 20-13 loss at Baltimore in the divisional round.

“We were kind of rolling before then,” Joseph said. “We had opportunities.”

Several, too.

They were no-shows at home against Kansas City (2015) and Indianapolis (2018), and they led Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs 24-0 in Arrowhead Stadium in 2020 before a stunning collapse and a 51-31 drubbing.

“There’s a lot of times when you look back on it and be like, ‘Man, we wish we could have made it further,’” Joseph said. “Because once you get there and you get hot, that’s all it takes. You’ve got to have a lot of luck on your side with injuries and pretty much have your main workhorses be available all year and clicking on the right cylinders.”

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Hall of Fame left tackle Tony Boselli has witnessed all three of Jacksonville’s chances to make the big game. He was on the field for one, on the sideline for another and in the radio booth for the most recent.

Each one ended in heartache for Boselli.

More than two decades before Tom Brady connected on a third-and-18 play and Myles Jack was ruled down — plays that have haunted the Jaguars for six years already — Boselli endured the most agonizing of the franchise’s playoff losses.

Trailing 13-6 in the fourth quarter at New England in the 1996 AFC championship, Jacksonville was facing second-and-goal from the 5. Mark Brunell, with a completely clean pocket, threw an interception with 3:43 to play.

The Jags forced a punt, but James Stewart fumbled near midfield. Otis Smith scooped up the loose ball and ran 47 yards for a score. Game over.

“Anytime you get to the AFC title game, you’re one good performance, one win, away from the game everybody wants to play in,” Boselli said. “And when you come up short, it’s excruciating.”

Three years later, Boselli (knee injury) was a spectator as Jacksonville lost for the third time in as many tries against rival Tennessee, this one at home in the conference championship. The Jaguars turned the ball over six times as the Titans scored the final 26 points.

“I’m not saying we would have won if I played, but you feel like maybe you could have made a difference, maybe you could have helped,” Boselli said. “You go back and it’s shoulda, woulda, coulda.

“It’s probably worse than if you never get there and it becomes worse when you never get back.”

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AP Sports Writers Larry Lage in Detroit and Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.

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