Cleveland took the opening kickoff and drove to the Raiders 14-yard line. But in what turned out to be the crucial play of the game, running back Charles White lost a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Jeff Barnes. After the turnover, LA drove 89 yards and increased their lead to 20–10 on Allen's 3-yard touchdown run. Cleveland would never mount a serious scoring threat for the rest of the game. In the fourth quarter, Los Angeles essentially put it out of reach with a 65-yard drive, including Plunkett's completions to Malcolm Barnwell for 26 yards and Branch for 15, that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Frank Hawkins, making the final score 27–10.