Forcing Fumbles Part of Denver’s Game : AFC CHAMPIONSHIP: Denver 38, Cleveland 33

Earnest Byner knew the Denver Broncos were masters at forcing fumbles. He’ll never forget that now.

Byner fumbled away Cleveland’s Super Bowl dreams at the two-yard line Sunday as the Broncos held off the Browns, 38-33, for the AFC Championship.

“We know that Denver practices stripping the ball everyday,” Byner said. “Every time you run the ball, they try to take it out of your hands.”

Denver led the AFC with 47 takeaways this season and caused three fumbles and made an interception Sunday in earning their second straight Super Bowl trip. Jeremiah Castille forced Byner’s key fumble and recovered for the Broncos’ ticket to San Diego on Jan. 31 against Washington.

“Obviously it hurts a lot. There’s a lot of weeping going on in the locker room,” Byner said. “I felt I played an excellent ballgame. Some of the guys came up to me and said ‘We love you. You played your tail off out there.’ ”

The Browns, trailing 21-3 at halftime, rallied for a tie at 31 on Bernie Kosar’s third touchdown pass. Denver’s John Elway, reminiscent of his 98-yard drive in last year’s AFC title game against Cleveland, then threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Sammy Winder for a 38-31 lead with 4:01 left.

Kosar again came back and moved the Browns to a second-and-5 at the Denver 8.

“The play was supposed to go inside but it was closed off by their right tackle,” Byner said. “I had to bounce it outside. Two guys were coming at me and I turned my body trying to get in there. I thought it was going to be a score.”

Byner had already gained a first down and was headed for the end zone when Castille lunged at him. Castille took aim at the ball in Byner’s left hand, not at his body.

Castille jarred the ball loose and fell on top of it while Byner stood in shock at the goal line.

“Maybe if I had pulled the ball in closer . . . well, I don’t know,” Byner said.

Castille, signed by Denver after being cut by Tampa Bay in the preseason, had no comment to the media. But Denver coach Dan Reeves called it a tremendous play.

“It looked like Byner was in,” Reeves said. “These games are won by individuals making great plays and that certainly had to be one of them.”

Byner had enjoyed a superb day until the critical fumble. He gained 67 yards on 15 carries and caught seven passes for another 120 yards.

“Today, I left everything I had out there on the field,” Byner said. “We just came up short.”

Browns coach Marty Schottenheimer excused Byner’s mistake.

“I told Earnest this football team would not be in the position it was in today without him,” he said. “His heroics in this game--the kind of game he played today--was what got us in position to have a chance to win.”

Denver safety Dennis Smith said he, too, thought Byner was going to score.

“It was a great individual play,” Smith said. “I think he was running kind of loose with the ball and Jeremiah pulled it out. Then I knew it was over.”

Earlier this season, Byner lost a fumble at the five-yard-line in game Cleveland lost to Indianapolis, 9-7.

“Against Indianapolis, we lost a game we definitely felt we shouldn’t have lost,” he said. “That felt worse.

Less than a yard short, by Kosar’s estimate.

“The turnovers just killed us,” Kosar said. “We were a half-yard short at the end.”