ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -Joshua Cribbs scored on a 2-yard end around and Phil Dawson kicked three field goals to give the Cleveland Browns a 16-13 lead over the Buffalo Bills after three quarters Monday night.
the Bills in the second, hit Steve Johnson for 21 yards to the Browns 32. But two plays later, Fred Jackson fumbled while struggling for extra yardage and Ahtyba Rubin recovered for the Browns.
Brady Quinn, making the first road start of his career, gained 8 yards on his second bootleg of the game and then, facing third-and-10, hit a wide-open Braylon Edwards along the right side for 23 yards to the Buffalo 27. But two plays later, Kawika Mitchell sacked Quinn on a blitz for a 9-yard loss and the Browns had to settle for Dawson’s third field goal of the game, a 43-yarder at 6:27.
Buffalo took the ensuing kick and drove 45 yards on 11 plays and moved within 16-13 on Rian Lindell’s 31-yard field goal with 22 seconds left in the period. Edwards hit Marshawn Lynch for 12 yards on a dump pass, Jackson gained 19 yards on four carries and Lynch gained another 14 over left tackle to key the drive.
Trent Edwards had been struggling, having produced nearly as many turnovers (five interceptions and two fumbles) as scoring drives (three touchdowns, five field goals) in his previous three games. And he added to the misery in the first quarter, throwing two interceptions on his first three attempts.
Buffalo fell behind 13-0 in the second quarter before rallying on an 18-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown by Lynch, and Lindell’s 26-yard field goal as time expired in the half.
wo of Edwards’ interceptions as Quinn struggled to find consistency. He was 10-for-21 for 126 yards and no turnovers after three quarters. Edwards was 12-for-21 for 111 yards with the three picks and one TD.
Quinn found his touch early in the second quarter, though, directing a 96-yard, 12-play scoring drive that took nearly six minutes. He completed passes to Braylon Edwards of 20, 18 and 10 yards, and Jamal Lewis added a 16-yard run around the right side to the 2. Cribbs scored at 9:52 to end the longest drive of the year for the Browns.
The Bills finally got untracked offensively, and they did it on the ground after their awful first quarter. After Leodis McKelvin had another sparkling kickoff return to the Buffalo 41, Jackson had runs of 19 and 17 yards on consecutive plays, moving the ball to the Cleveland 17.
After Jackson lost a yard, Edwards hit Lynch in the left flat, and he weaved his way into the middle, breaking five tackles along the way, and lunged over the goal line to bring the Bills within 13-7 at 6:20.
The Browns then went three-and-out, and Edwards guided the Bills downfield to Lindell’s 26-yard field goal. Edwards hit Steve Johnson for 11 yards, Lynch had an 8-yard run and Jackson followed with a 9-yard run to move the ball to the Cleveland 33.
2. But in the final seconds, Edwards’ pass in the end zone for Roscoe Parrish was batted away at the goal line and the Browns forced him to throw another away, setting up Lindell’s kick as time expired.
The Browns won the toss and deferred, and the Bills gained terrific field position when McKelvin returned the kick 38 yards to the Buffalo 44. Edwards’ first-down pass was deflected at the line of scrimmage by Shaun Rogers and intercepted by Kamerion Wimbley at the Cleveland 42.
The Browns responded by going three-and-out as Quinn threw two incompletions.
Four plays later, Cleveland had the ball again. After Edwards hit Parrish for 21 yards to get the towel-waving capacity crowd in a frenzy, linebacker Andra Davis stepped in front of another Edwards pass and intercepted it at midfield.
This time, the Browns took advantage. Quinn gained 12 yards around the right side on a bootleg and hit Charles Ali on a crossing route over the middle for another 12 yards to set up Dawson’s 40-yard field goal, the 200th of his career, at 9:29.
Neither team moved the ball on its next possessions, but the Browns got another break when Parrish, standing near his own 20, was in poor position to field a punt and it rolled dead at the 1. After Lynch gained nine yards on two carries, Brandon McDonald intercepted Edwards’ pass at the Buffalo 22.
ird-down pass at the goal line for tight end Kellen Winslow was broken up by Bryan Scott.
It was a midseason matchup with lots at stake between two teams that began the season expecting to be playoff contenders. The Bills (5-4) have lost three straight and four of five and have looked nothing like the team that started the season with four straight wins.
The Browns (3-6) are even worse off. Coming off two losses, they appear to be unraveling by the week, undone by a series of distractions that have led to some infighting, with running back Lewis questioning whether some teammates had quit.
Buffalo was minus its top pass-rusher, Aaron Schobel (left foot), and nickel cornerback Ashton Youboty (foot). But the Bills’ most versatile defensive back, safety Donte Whitner, returned after missing last week’s game at New England with a separated shoulder.
The teams met in Cleveland last December in blizzard-like conditions with wind gusts up to 40 miles per hour and over 2 inches of snow. The Browns won 8-0 but failed to make the playoffs despite a 10-6 finish. The loss started a three-game losing streak for the Bills, who finished 7-9.
Monday night’s game was played in temperatures in the 20s with a steady wind at 10 mph, but predicted snow showers never materialized.
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