EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - Derek Anderson got the better of Kellen Clemens this time around, too.
In doing so, Anderson significantly improved the Browns' playoff chances.
Anderson threw two touchdown passes and Joe Jurevicius recovered two late onside kicks as Cleveland held on to a slippery 24-18 victory over the New York Jets punctuated by a wild final few minutes.
Jamal Lewis had a touchdown catch and added a 31-yard TD run with 1:22 left, and the Browns (8-5) ruined any plans the Jets (3-10) had of pulling off an upset in a matchup of quarterbacks who were childhood rivals in Oregon.
Clemens led the Jets downfield in the closing minutes and scored on a 1-yard sneak with 2:59 left to get within 17-12, but the 2-point conversion pass to Chris Baker fell incomplete.
New York then pulled off a successful onside kick as Brad Smith grabbed the ball, which popped out as he fell and Brad Kassell recovered at the Browns 43. Jerricho Cotchery, who missed the Jets' last game with a finger injury, had a 26-yard catch. Two plays later, Thomas Jones ran for 11 yards to the 20. But New York stalled and coach Eric Mangini brought out Mike Nugent to kick a 38-yard field goal that made it 17-15 with 1:43 left.
The Jets tried another onside kick that Jurevicius recovered. Three plays later, Lewis broke a number of tackles and rumbled into the end zone for a 24-15 lead. Lewis finished with 118 yards rushing on 21 carries.
New York got the ball back and drove for a 35-yard field goal by Nugent with 32 seconds remaining. On another onside kick Jurevicius again came up with the ball to seal the win.
Coupled with Pittsburgh's loss to New England, the Browns moved a game behind the AFC North-leading Steelers, though they would lose a tiebreaker because they lost twice to Pittsburgh this season.
Both Anderson and Clemens grew up in small towns in Oregon and faced each other a handful of times on the football fields and basketball courts of the Pacific Northwest. With conditions cold and rainy at times, the quarterbacks must have felt right at home at the Meadowlands.
Score this latest matchup in favor of Anderson, whose teams have beaten Clemens' three out of four times - but the first as starting NFL quarterbacks. Anderson's Scappoose High School squad beat Clemens' Burns team in the state semifinals in 2000, but Clemens came out on top three years later when he led Oregon over Oregon State. Anderson had a huge game in the "Civil War" matchup a year later when the Beavers routed the Ducks.
Anderson didn't have an eye-popping performance in this one, but was good enough. He finished 16-of-29 for 185 yards, while Clemens was 24-of-41 for 286 yards, but had two costly interceptions.
The Browns broke through in a scoreless game with 1:15 remaining in the first half on Lewis' 7-yard touchdown catch.
The drive was prolonged by a 14-yard catch by Braylon Edwards on fourth-and-4 as he came down with both feet along the Jets sideline. New York coach Eric Mangini challenged the call, thinking perhaps one of Edwards' shoes came down on the line, but it was upheld. After Steve Heiden's 19-yard grab got the Browns to the 7, Anderson pulled off a play-action fake and rolled to his right, where he found a wide-open Lewis for the score.
Nugent's 35-yard field goal as time expired made it 7-3.
On the Browns' third play in the second half, Anderson completed a 45-yard pass to Edwards, who leaped over Darrelle Revis and took off down the left sideline. Two plays later, Edwards made a one-handed grab over Revis in the end zone to give Cleveland a 14-3 lead.
Nugent, who kicked four field goals, added a 41-yarder with 2:50 remaining in the third quarter to make it 14-6.
Phil Dawson's 49-yarder through the freezing rain that began to fall in the fourth quarter gave the Browns a 17-6 lead with 12:59 left.
