and returned, however, Kosar had established himself as the Browns' permanent starter. In a new, passing-focused offense, Kosar threw for 3,854 yards and finished second in the league with 310 completions. The Browns took the top seed in the American Football Conference (AFC) with a 12–4 record. In the divisional playoffs against the New York Jets, Kosar threw for a then-playoff-record 489 yards (a record since eclipsed by Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII) in leading the Browns to a 23–20 comeback victory in double overtime. But the following week, John Elway's 98-yard drive in the AFC championship game kept the Browns out of the Super Bowl. Kosar's most productive year statistically was 1987. In the strike-shortened season, he completed 62 percent of his passes for 3,033 yards and 22 touchdowns and led the AFC in quarterback rating. In an AFC championship rematch against Elway's Denver Broncos, Kosar threw for 356 yards and three touchdowns in a 38–33 loss. Kosar spent most of the 1988 season sidelined with injuries but came back to throw for 3,533 yards in 1989. That year, the Browns advanced to the AFC championship for the third time in four years, losing again to the Broncos in Denver. Kosar set a record for consecutive playoff games with at least three touchdown passes (3 games) having thrown three scores against both Indianapolis and Denver in 1987, and three against Buffalo in 1989. Kosar's later years in Cleveland were dampened by injuries and dwindling support around him. In 1990, Kosar threw a career-high 15 interceptions as the Browns went 3–13. He also started the 1990 season by setting an NFL record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception with 286. The following year, 1991, Kosar came back to throw for 3,487 yards and 18 touchdowns to only 9 interceptions. In 1990 and 1991, Kosar set league records by throwing 308 consecutive passes without an interception, which stood as an AFC League record for almost two decades. In 1991, the Browns hired Bill Belichick as head coach. Following a 1992 season that saw Kosar miss nine games with a broken ankle and go 2–5 in the games that he started, Belichick signed quarterback Vinny Testaverde, also a former University of Miami quarterback, prior to the 1993 season. After falling from 3–0 to 3–2 in the 1993 season, Belichick benched Kosar in favor of Testaverde. An injury to Testaverde returned