Browns keep pace in AFC North by disposing of Texans
Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - Derek Anderson threw for 253 yards and two scores on 24-of-35 passing, as the Cleveland Browns beat the Houston Texans, 27-17, at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Jamal Lewis ran for 134 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries, and the Browns (7-4) won their second game in a row and kept pace in the AFC North. Cleveland entered Sunday's contest one game behind division-leader Pittsburgh, which plays Monday night against Miami.
Kellen Winslow led the Browns in receiving, grabbing 10 balls for 107 yards and a score. Braylon Edwards also had a touchdown catch, helping Cleveland win its fifth of six.
Matt Schaub had similar numbers to Anderson, throwing for 256 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions on 22-of-36 passing, but the Texans (5-6) broke a two-game winning streak.
Ron Dayne rushed for 78 yards, and Owen Daniels and Kevin Walter each had a touchdown receiving. Daniels led the Texans with seven catches for 82 yards.
Down by three points halfway through the second quarter, the Browns posted the next four scores, seizing the lead and keeping it for good.
Anderson engineered an 11-play drive touchdown drive just before half, that culminated with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Winslow.
Anderson timed a perfect pass, firing a fastball between two defenders for another score, putting the Browns up 14-10 with 16 seconds left in the half.
After each team had a three-and-out to begin the third quarter, Cleveland drove all the way down to the Houston eight-yard-line. Phil Dawson chipped in a 25-yard field goal for a seven-point Browns lead, the only score of the stanza.
Dawson added another field goal midway through the final quarter, a 27-yarder, and the result of a six-play, 25-yard drive. Though Cleveland went up 20-10 on those points, Houston's dangerous passing offense had a shot to come back.
The Texans started the next drive on their own 20, and backed up 12 yards after Schaub was sacked by Antwan Peek. On the next play, from the shotgun, Schaub tried a long pass for Andre Johnson, which was intercepted by Brandon McDonald.
That gave Cleveland the ball on the Houston 30, and it took the Browns just four plays to notch a back-breaking score. Lewis had the final two touches, polishing the drive off with a one-yard plunge, putting his team up 27-10 with just 5:48 left.
"We just didn't make the plays," Schaub said. "I threw a couple interceptions, and we were not moving the football."
The Texans added one more score, on a six-yard pass from Schaub to Daniels. The Browns recovered the onsides kick, Houston had one timeout, and with 3:12 left, Cleveland was able to run out the clock.
"The defense played well. Everyone played well. We didn't come out firing, but we made some plays," Anderson said. "I missed a few throws, but we were able to take what they were giving us."
Houston struck first in the game, as Schaub led Houston downfield with several first-down throws. From the Cleveland 29, Schaub found Walter for 12 yards, then for 17 into the end zone. Walter was all alone on the right side of the field, giving him plenty of room to score and put Houston up 7-0 with 2:23 left in the first quarter.
Cleveland then evened up the score in the beginning measures of the second quarter, in a similar fashion. D'Qwell Jackson intercepted Schaub as the Texans drove into Browns territory, giving the Browns the ball on their own 30.
Anderson found Joe Jurevicius for a 25-yard gain down to the Houston 36, and Lewis rambled 17 yards from there two plays later, breaking a few tackles along the way. Anderson then threaded the ball between three Texans defensive backs, 19 yards to Edwards for the score, tying the game with 9:55 left in the half.
The Texans threatened to score on their ensuing drive, moving all the way down to the Cleveland 23, but stalled. Kris Brown kicked the 41-yard field goal to put Houston up 10-7 halfway through the stanza.
Game Notes
The Browns wore throwback uniforms, from the 1957-59 era. The only remarkable changes from their current uniforms were numbers on the helmets and striped socks...Cleveland won its fifth straight home game for the first time since 1994...Dawson moved into third-place on the Browns' all-time scoring list, passing Jim Brown...Daniels surpassed Billy Miller for most yards by a tight end in Houston's franchise history.
