1968 NFL playoffs
| Dates | December 21–29, 1968 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 4 | ||
| Champions | Baltimore Colts | ||
| Runners-up | Cleveland Browns | ||
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The NFL playoffs following the 1968 NFL season determined who would represent the league in Super Bowl III.
Within each conference, the two division winners qualified for the playoffs. In the first round, the Capitol and Century division winners played in the Eastern Conference Game, while the Coastal and Central division winners were in the Western Conference game. The winners of the two conference games advanced to the NFL Championship Game to compete for the NFL league title and the right to face the American Football League champion in the Super Bowl. The losers of the conference championship games played in the Playoff Bowl, a third place game held at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida.
Prior to 1975, the playoff sites rotated and were known prior to the start of the season. In 1968, the hosts were the Century and Coastal division winners for the conference championships (first round), and the Eastern Conference for the championship game. This effectively gave home field advantage to the Century Division winner, the Cleveland Browns (10–4). The 1967 and 1969 playoff hosts were Capitol, Central, and Western, respectively.
The rotation system forced the 12-2 Cowboys, champions of the Capitol Division, to play at the 10-4 Browns in the Eastern Conference playoff. It had no effect in the Western Conference, where the 13-1 Colts hosted the 8-6 Vikings.
Despite the game's high score, this was actually a defensive struggle as both teams took advantage of each other's turnovers throughout the game. However, Cleveland emerged triumphant, overcoming a 10–3 first half deficit with 21 unanswered points.
Early in the first quarter, Browns defensive back Mike Howell intercepted a pass from Don Meredith and returned it 20 yards to set up Don Cockroft's 38-yard field goal. Dallas took the lead later on, when linebacker Chuck Howley forced a fumble while sacking Browns quarterback Bill Nelson and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown.
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