PITTSBURGH -- If they accomplish nothing else in their expansion season, the Cleveland Browns have mastered the art of the improbable comeback.
Tim Couch, sacked repeatedly and unable to lead Cleveland past midfield most of the game, threw two touchdown passes and Phil Dawson hit a 39-yard field goal as time expired as the Browns stunned the Pittsburgh Steelers 16-15 Sunday.The upset was one of the most remarkable in the 49-year history of the Rust Belt rivalry. It was made all the more improbable by the Steelers' 43-0 opening-night romp in Cleveland, when the Browns (2-9) had only two first downs.
"This had to tear the living hearts out of the Pittsburgh Steelers," defensive tackle John Jurkovic said. "Too bad for them."
The loss, the fifth in their last six home games, could prove catastrophic to the Steelers' playoff hopes. And their eardrums.
"If we don't get better, there's not going to be any playoffs for the Pittsburgh Steelers," safety Lee Flowers said. "We've been up and down, up and down all year. Nobody's pointing fingers, but it's time for us to start playing."
Flowers said coach Bill Cowher didn't blow up but, "You know how he is. I'm sure we'll hear it tomorrow. You can't come in here Monday not expecting to get yelled at."
The Steelers (5-4), who had won three straight, dismissed suggestions they took Cleveland lightly. But Flowers bragged beforehand how they could easily pad their defensive statistics.
They did, sacking Couch six times while building a 15-7 lead with 10:10 left on Kris Brown's third field goal. But the Browns (2-9), who hadn't crossed midfield since driving 80 yards for a touchdown on their opening possession, got a huge break when John Thierry intercepted Kordell Stewart's screen pass and returned it 8 yards to the 15.
"That play's been very effective for us, but they were looking for it and they fell right into it," Steelers tackle Wayne Gandy said.
Karim Abdul-Jabbar ran to the 5, where Couch hit fullback Marc Edwards on a swing pass two plays later to cut it to 15-13 with 5:12 remaining. The Steelers kept the lead when Travis Davis and Earl Holmes stacked up Abdul-Jabbar inches short of the goal line on the 2-point attempt.
A key penalty helped the Browns during the decisive drive, which came two weeks after Couch's 56-yard TD pass on the last play upset the New Orleans Saints for Cleveland's first win since returning to the NFL.
"The game in New Orleans was a tough way for them to lose," Couch said. "But we earned this one."
Couch's teammates said he was remarkably composed before the final drive.
"I could see that gleam in his eye," Abdul-Jabbar said. "He kept talking to the guys and telling them we were going to pull it out. He has a lot of poise for a young quarterback."
Couch, who was 18-of-28 for 199 yards, found Darrin Chiaverini for 23 yards, and 15 yards were tacked on when reserve linebacker Mike Vrabel smacked Couch with a forearm to the helmet.
Three plays later, with the Browns scrambling to get lined up with no time outs, Dawson directed a kick into a stiff wind just inside the left upright for the Browns' first victory in eight games against Pittsburgh since 1993.
"The wind was really blowing. I thought if it was inside the 25, it would be realistic," Dawson said. "The wind was coming out of the tunnel. The only thing you can do is aim down the middle and hit it as hard as you can."
He did, and the aftershock might be felt in Pittsburgh for weeks. As they left the field, the Steelers -- 1-3 at home this season -- were showered with boos.
"The fans have a right to be upset," linebacker Earl Holmes said.
Only a week before, the Browns were embarrassed 41-9 by the Baltimore Ravens, who abandoned Cleveland after the 1995 season and left the city without an NFL team for three years.
Sunday's turnaround was reminiscent of 1989, when the Browns beat the Steelers 51-0 in Pittsburgh in the opener, only to lose to the Steelers 17-7 in Cleveland.
Until the dramatic finish, the Steelers dominated defensively, holding the Browns to two first downs after Couch led a five-play opening drive finished off by his 35-yard scoring pass to Kevin Johnson with 2:35 gone.
Couch's fumble inside the Browns 10 led to Pittsburgh's only touchdown, Richard Huntley's 5-yard run in the third quarter. The 2-point attempt failed as Stewart was tackled on a keeper.
Stewart never did find a groove, going 15-of-32 for 137 yards -- his fourth straight game under 150 yards. Jerome Bettis carried 26 times for 99 yards.
BILLS 23, DOLPHINS 3: Steve Christie kicked field goals of 31, 48 and 47 yards into the wind and the Bills allowed the Dolphins only 101 yards -- Buffalo's third-best defensive performance in history, and Miami's second-worst offensive production ever.
Antowain Smith rushed for a season-high 126 yards, the first back to rush for more than 100 yards against the Dolphins this season.
COLTS 27, GIANTS 19: Indianapolis won behind its potent passing duo of Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison.
Manning hit Harrison on touchdown passes of 19 and 57 yards and Terrence Wilkins scored on a 39-yard punt return as the Colts won their fifth straight. That matches their longest since moving from Baltimore in 1984.
EAGLES 35, REDSKINS 28: The Eagles (3-7) took advantage of six Washington turnovers. Redskins quarterback Brad Johnson lost two fumbles and was intercepted three times.
Eric Bienemy scored the decisive touchdown on an 11-yard run with 3:17 left. Duce Staley rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown, and Allen Rossum had an 89-yard TD on a punt return and an 86-yard kickoff return.
BUCS 17, CHIEFS 10: Embattled Trent Dilfer delivered his second solid performance since a one-week benching, throwing for 270 yards and two touchdowns. Dilfer regained the job last week because Eric Zeier is injured, and he has made most of the opportunity in successive victories for Tampa Bay (5-4).
Visiting Kansas City (5-4) pulled within a touchdown on Elvis Grbac's 50-yard pass to Joe Horn, but couldn't take further advantage of six Tampa Bay turnovers. Safety Reggie Tongue forced three fumbles and recovered one.
VIKINGS 27, BEARS 24 (OT): Gary Anderson, who didn't miss a kick last season, botched a 20-yard field goal with 16 seconds left. But he hit a 38-yarder in overtime for visiting Minnesota's fourth straight victory.
The Bears (4-6) blew their own chance to win when Chris Boniol missed a 41-yarder in OT.
TITANS 24, BENGALS 14: Tennessee, which yielded 35 points to Cincinnati in the season opener, recovered four fumbles and had seven sacks. Eddie George rushed for 123 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the visiting Titans (7-2).
RAMS 35, PANTHERS 10: Kurt Warner threw two touchdown passes, increasing his NFL-leading total to 26, and the Rams got defensive touchdowns from Todd Lyght and Mike Jones. Host St. Louis (7-2) has a four-game lead in the NFC West.
SAINTS 24, 49ERS 6: The Saints (2-7) broke a seven-game slide with their most impressive victory ever against the 49ers (3-6), who have lost five straight for the first time in 19 years.
The victory snapped the longest losing streak of coach Mike Ditka's career. It ended a decade of futility for the Saints against San Francisco, which had won the last seven games between the teams, 11 of 12 and 14 of 16.
COWBOYS 27, PACKERS 13: Without Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin for the first time in a decade, the host Cowboys (5-4) moved into a tie for first in the NFC East with Washington and the Giants.
The Packers (4-5) lost their third straight and fourth in five games to fall below .500 in the second half of a season for the first time since 1994.
JAGUARS 6, RAVENS 3: Despite gaining only 132 yards, their worst offensive output since joining the league in 1995, the Jaguars improved to 8-1, best record in the NFL. But they lost running back Fred Taylor again with a reaggravated hamstring injury.
CARDINALS 23, LIONS 19: An extra-point decision haunted the visiting Lions (6-3). After Terry Fair returned a fumble 35 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 23-19 with 5:26 to play, coach Bobby Ross went for two. Gus Frerotte's pass was intercepted by the Cardinals (3-6).
The Lions drove to the Arizona 11 in the final minutes, and could have tied the game with a short field goal if they had kicked the extra point. Instead, they were forced to go for the touchdown and Frerotte threw three consecutive incompletions.
RAIDERS 28, CHARGERS 9: Rich Gannon, who used a bye week to recover from a broken bone in his left wrist, threw four touchdown passes, two each to Tyrone Wheatley and Rickey Dudley.