Dawson does it again
Fifty-six yard field goal gives Quinn first victoryBy MIKE McLAIN Tribune Chronicle
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - The Cleveland Browns gave the Bills a kick in the gut in a thrilling Monday Night Football game.
Phil Dawson put the Browns ahead, 29-27, with a career-long 56 yard field goal with 1:30 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Bills drove inside the Browns' 35-yard line in the final seconds, but a 47-yard field goal attempt by Rian Lindell was wide right with less than 40 seconds to play.
Dawson made five field goals. The game winner came from a distance that was on the edge of his range, but facing a fourth-and-10 at the Bills' 39, there was no choice but to go to Dawson.
"After the incomplete pass on third down I was ready to go," Dawson said. "I gave (coach) Romeo (Crennel) the nod, and he had the confidence to send me out there, which I appreciate, and we were able to get the job done.
"The ball was carrying a little better that way, but with the temperatures the way they were, I wouldn't say that it was a favorable night for a deep kick."
Dawson had a big performance in an 8-0 Browns' win over the Bills in a blizzard last season in Cleveland. He kicked two field goals, including a 49-yarder into a swirling wind.
Dawson doesn't like to rank his kicks.
"I had six one time and we lost in San Diego," Dawson said. "I'll take five and a win anytime. I've said before, and I'll keep saying it, I want to make kicks that help this team win."
The miss ended a crazy game that saw the Browns pull away to a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter on a 71-yard touchdown run by Jerome Harrison. The Bills came back with a 98-yard return of the ensuing kick by Leodis McKelvin.
Dawson added another field goal to give the Browns a 26-20 lead. The Bills regained the upper hand on a 1-yard run by Marshawn Lynch.
Browns quarterback Brady Quinn, who was 14-of-36 for 185 yards, then connected with Braylon Edwards and tight end Kellen Winslow to move the ball to within field-goal range for Dawson on a windy night at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
Like his teammates, Quinn was glad to finish a game with a win. The Browns lost second-half leads of 14 points to Baltimore and 13 points to Denver in the previous two games.
"I can't say enough for this football team and the way we battled," Quinn said. "Battling the past two weeks the way we did and not coming out in the end. We did everything we could, and fortunately we came out with a win. It wasn't the way we liked it to be, but a win is a win."
The Browns managed just nine points off Buffalo turnovers, but that didn't matter when Harrison took off on his yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter. Harrison cut back on a pitch to the left and broke free.
Leading 13-10 at halftime, the Browns extended their lead to 16-10 on a 43-yard field goal by Dawson. The kick ended a short drive following a recovery of a Lynch fumble by Ahtyba Rubin. Brandon McDonald forced the fumble,
The Bills cut the differential to 16-13 on a 31-yard field goal by Lindell in the third period. The drive covered 45 yards on 11 plays.
Harrison's touchdown run followed. McKelvin followed that with his kick return.
The Browns intercepted three Trent Edwards passes in the first half but could turn them into just two field goals by Dawson. The kicks covered 40 and 33 yards and gave the Browns a 6-0 lead in the first period.
For awhile it look like the points the Browns left on the field by not producing more points off the miscues would come back to haunt them.
"You don't get worried about that sort of thing," Quinn said. "You get a little bit frustrated. We weren't getting it in. When your defense is playing that way and you're not getting it in, you're not taking advantage of the momentum as much as you can."
Quinn led the way on a 12-play, 96-yard scoring march that culminated in a 2-yard run on an end around by Joshua Cribbs at the 9:52 mark of the second quarter.
At that point the Browns were in control and had silenced the partisan Buffalo crowd. The defense then put the Bills back into the game with poor tackling and a collapse against the run for the remainder of the second quarter.
The Bills marched 59 yards on six plays to score on an 18-yard pass from Edwards to Lynch. Lynch caught the ball near the 15 and broke multiple tackles before running over Kamerion Wimbley near the goal line to score.
After a three-and-out by the Browns, the Bills moved from their 38 to the Browns' 8. Edwards threw a pair of incompletions before settling on a 26-yard field goal by Lindell to cut the Browns' advantage to 13-10 at halftime.
Quinn completed 6-of-15 passes for 79 yards in the first half. He was 4-of-5 for 62 yards on the 96-yard scoring drive.
The Browns had a 337-334 advantage in yards. The Bills rushed for 186 yards, compared to 161 for the Browns.
In the end, it all came down to Dawson's right foot.
"Phil is one of the best kickers in the league, and he has been for a long time," Winslow said. "We have the utmost respect and confidence in him."
The Browns host the Houston Texans Sunday.
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PaGuyNow
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11-18-08 12:16 PM
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The Browns had the ball 1st and 10 at the Bill's 39 with 1:30 left and all three timeouts. The should have run the ball 3 straight times, forcing the Bills to use they're last timeout and running time off the clock. Instead, three straight (relatively) long incompletions, resulting in relying on a 56 yd. field goal attempt, and giving the Bills a chance to come back and win. Two things: 1. You can't count on winning with a 56 yd field goal...you'll miss most of those. 1. You can't count on the other team missing a 47 yd field goal...they'll make most of those. Once again, very poor clock/game management by Crennell and staff...VERY poor. ..got lucky.
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