January 5, 1964- Green Bay Packers 43 Cleveland Browns 20

In 1963, the defending NFL champion Green Bay Packers battled George Halas’ Chicago Bears for league supremacy. The Pack came up just short posting an 11-2-1 record. Their only losses came at the hands of the Bears (11-1-2). The Bears would go on to win the NFL championship that season and the Packers would settle for an appearance in the Playoff Bowl. Jim Taylor rushed for over 1000 yards and Bart Starr to Boyd Dowler was a lethal passing combination. In the East, the Cleveland Browns finished a game behind the New York Giants with a 10-4 record. The Browns were led by league leading rusher Jim Brown (1863 yards) and Frank Ryan, who threw for 2038 yards.

When the season ended, Green Bay had the third best winning percentage in NFL history for a team not to make the playoffs since the format was adopted in 1933. The Packers were favored in the Playoff Bowl and would not disappoint. They easily handled the Browns, 40 to 23. Green Bay was led by Tom Moore, who had two touchdowns, including a 99-yard pass reception from Bart Starr. The pass completion tied an NFL record for longest completion in history. Unfortunately, the statistics from exhibition games are not included in the permanent NFL record annals. The record is currently shared by 9 individuals, including the Packers’ Robert Brooks (Sept. 11, 1995).

Bart Starr was voted MVP of the game as he completed 15 of 18 passes for 259 yards. The Browns' Frank Ryan completed 18 0f 28 for 310 yards and two touchdowns in the losing effort. Green Bay opened the scoring on a first quarter 18 yard pass play from Starr the Ron Kramer. Then came Moore's incredible reception. Starting from their own one after holding the Browns out of the end zone, Starr hit Moore at the 19 and he raced the length of the field for the touchdown. The Packers never looked back from that moment and coasted to an easy victory. Cleveland managed to keep it close in the first half on a Lou Groza field goal and a 5 yard touchdown run by Ernie Green.  But Max McGee (15 yard pass from Starr) and Jim Taylor (one yard run) each scored in the second period to make the score 28-10 at the half.

The second half belonged to the Packers defense. The held Cleveland's star running back, Jim Brown, to 56 yards on 11 carries. The Packers got second half scores on a 1 yard Moore run, a Jerry Kramer field goal and a sack of Frank Ryan in the end zone for a safety. Ryan had a pair of second half touchdown passes, 20 yards to Rich Kreitling and 25 yards to Bob Crespino. The final was 40-23.

Anticipation was high for the 1964 season for another showdown between the Packers and Bears. But, it would by Ryan and the Cleveland Browns who would win the NFL title 11 months later.

The Packers just couldn't get by the Bears in 1963

MIAMI, Fla (AP)-Bart Starr broke the pro football Playoff Bowl record with three touchdown passes in the first half Sunday and the Green Bay Packers rolled over the Cleveland Browns, 40-23, to win third place in the National Football League.

A crowd of 54,921, a record for the 4-year-old series, failed to see much of a battle between the two great fullbacks, Jim Brown of the Browns and Jim Taylor of the Packers, the No. 1 and No. 2 rushers of the NFL. Neither the elusive Brown nor the violent Taylor were called on for heavy duty as Starr and Cleveland's Frank Ryan hooked up in an aerial duel.

Ryan, although subjected to a fierce rush by the Packers, broke the playoff records for completed passes and aerial yards gained, but it was Starr who put the most points on the scoreboard with his fine first half show.

One of Starr's shots, from behind his own goal line, hit Tom Moore in the clear and launched him on a 99-yard gainer, the longest of the series. He hit Ron Kramer for 18 and Max McGee for 15 for two more touchdowns and passed the Packers into position for another score on Taylor's one-yard smash as Green Bay grabbed a 28-10 halftime lead.

The Packers, playing in this game for the first time, were romping along on a 38-10 lead when Ryan's aerials closed the gap.

The Browns were denied two touchdowns by the Packer goal line defense and the clock.

In the first quarter, with first down at the Packer two, Brown and Ernie Green failed in four line smashes to get it over. And time ran out in the half with Cleveland on the Green Bay 10.

Tom Moore hit for 26 yards on the ground and took a Starr’s pass for 22 more as the Packers drove with the opening kickoff from their own 28 to the Cleveland three. A Starr pass to Ron Kramer in the end zone was canceled by a holding penalty, but Starr immediately threw from the 18 to the same receiver for the score.

Starr's third touchdown pass of the half broke the series record of two held by Milt Plum of Cleveland and Jim Ninowski and Earl Morrall of Detroit.

Jesse Whittenton set the Packers up for a touchdown in the third period by tipping one of Ryan's passes into the hands of Willie Wood at the Green Bay 38. Wood returned it to the Cleveland 19. Starr then whipped a 13-yard pass to Moore at the six and, four plays later, Moore banged over.

It was late in the second period before the Browns found the way to Green Bay's goal. Ryan hit Gary Collins for 23, Ray Renfro for 27 and Collins again for nine. With second down at the five, Ernie Green bolted in for the score.

Kramer's eight-yard field goal early in the fourth pushed the Packers into a 28-point lead before Ryan finally began to move the Browns. He hit Rich Kreitling with a 20-yard touchdown pass and got another with a 25 yard heave to Bob Crespino to narrow the margin to 38-23.

Lioned Aldrich and Urban Henry nailed Ryan in his endzone for a safety late in the game.

Ryan connected with 18 of 28 passes for 310 yards. This wiped out the records of 16 completions for 274 yards by Plum last year.

Jim Brown tries the Packers' line

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

GB- R. Kramer 18 yard pass from Starr (J. Kramer kick)

GB- Moore 99 yard pass from Starr (J. Kramer kick)

Second Quarter

CLE- FG Groza 35

GB- McGee 15 yard pass from Starr (J. Kramer kick)

CLE- Green 5 run (Groza kick)

GB- Taylor 1 run (J. Kramer kick)

Third Quarter

GB- Moore 1 run (J. Kramer kick)

Fourth Quarter

GB- FG J. Kramer 8

CLE- Kreitling 20 yard pass from Ryan (Groza kick)

CLE- Crespino 25 yard pass from Ryan (Kick blocked)

GB- GB- Safety (Ryan tackled in endzone)

Attendance: 54,921

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