NFL

Browns Complete 2 Passes, Score 6 Points ... And Win

Derek AndersonConsidering that Cleveland and Buffalo entered Sunday a combined 1-7 on the year, no one could have been expecting the two teams to wage an all-time classic. But what resulted instead was so far at the opposite end of the spectrum that it may go down as one of the worst NFL games in recent memory.

How bad was it? Well, Browns quarterback Derek Anderson completed 2-of-17 passes for 23 yards, threw an interception -- and won.

Cleveland took advantage of a fumbled punt by Buffalo's Roscoe Parrish with three minutes left to boot a game-winning field goal and claim a 6-3 win.


If you want to play devil's advocate for a minute, and argue that the Cleveland and Buffalo defenses were simply that good, go ahead, we'll wait.

Done? Ok, now back to the actual facts ...

Buffalo committed three turnovers -- two fumbles and one Trent Edwards interception -- and ran two plays inside Cleveland's red zone. On the first, they committed a false start, backed up to the 22, lost three yards on the next snap, and wound up throwing an interception on 4th-and-24. The second, from the Cleveland 19, came on a Rian Lindell field goal.

The Browns, meanwhile, only got inside the Buffalo 40 on two occasions -- with both trips ending in Billy Cundiff field goals.

And that was enough to win!

Back to Anderson for a minute. His unbelievable miserable stats were good for a mighty 18.2 passer rating. Compare that to Eli Manning's Week 5 effort -- a perfect 158.3 -- and you can about estimate the gap between the Giants and Browns squads in this 2009 season.

Eric Mangini may never forget this contest, his first win as Cleveland's head coach, but everyone else would probably prefer to never think about it again.

Related Articles

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

GOT SOMETHING TO SAY?

Fantasy Football Player Rankings

Fantasy Football Position Rankings