Bernie Kosar broke Bart Starr's NFL record for error-free passing Sunday, throwing his 295th consecutive pass without an interception during the Cleveland Browns' game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Kosar extended the streak to 308 before it ended in the second quarter. Under heavy pressure, he threw a weak pass over the middle that was picked off by Ben Smith at midfield.Kosar broke the record by avoiding interceptions with his first two attempts in the game. One was completed for a loss, and the record-breaker fell incomplete.
The streak began last Dec. 16, after Kosar was intercepted by Atlanta's Deion Sanders. He sat out the final two games of the 1990 season because of a broken thumb, and he was the only NFL starting quarterback who had not been intercepted this year entering Sunday's games.
Starr threw 294 straight passes without an interception for Green Bay in 1964-65. He said last week that he had seen Kosar play on television several times this year from his home in Alabama.
"I've always been impressed with his discipline and his control," Starr said. "That is largely responsible for reducing errors. I feel that one of the reasons he has been so successful is that his vision seems to be even keener as the pressure increases. I am very pleased for him and I am rooting for him."
Kosar's career ratio of 2.35 interceptions per 100 passes is the lowest in NFL history.