Oct 5, 2014 7 min read

The Cleveland Browns shook off a sluggish start with a finish for the NFL record book.

Brian Hoyer threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Travis Benjamin with 1:09 left, and the Browns rallied from a 25-point deficit to beat the Tennessee Titans 29-28 on Sunday in the largest comeback in league history by a road team.

Only two other clubs have come back from bigger deficits in the regular season. San Francisco rallied from 28 down in beating New Orleans Dec. 7, 1980, and Buffalo trailed 26-0 before beating Indianapolis 37-35 on Sept. 21, 1997.

Every Browns game this season has been decided by three points or fewer.

“I did tell them after the game they got to stop doing it,” first-year Cleveland coach Mike Pettine said. “I have an EKG scheduled for tomorrow because my heart can’t take many more of these.”

It also was the biggest comeback in Browns history. On Dec. 4, 1966, Cleveland trailed the Giants 34-14 and won 49-40, according to STATS.

On Sunday, the Browns (2-2) won a road game for the first time since Sept. 22, 2013, at Minnesota. That looked unlikely when they fell behind 28-3 in the first half.

Cleveland snapped a seven-game road losing streak by scoring 26 unanswered points, including 16 in the fourth quarter.

It was the biggest regular-season lead blown by the Titans (1-4) a franchise that once squandered a 35-3 advantage to Buffalo in the playoffs as the Houston Oilers.

“Unbelievably tough loss for us today after we played so well in the first half,” Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt said.

Jake Locker didn’t return after hurting his right thumb in the second quarter. X-rays were negative, but he’ll have more tests Monday. Backup Charlie Whitehurst couldn’t protect the big lead.

Tennessee turned the ball over on downs at the Titans 42 with 3:03 left when the Browns stopped Whitehurst on fourth down and less than a yard to go. Whitehurst said he didn’t hear a whistle stopping his forward progress short, and he finished by sticking the ball out. Whisenhunt said he thought about punting.

“But I felt like with Cleveland having one timeout, we had a chance to win the game,” Whisenhunt said.

New Orleans 37, Tampa Bay 31, OT: Khiry Robinson’s tackle-breaking, 18-yard touchdown run in overtime lifted the Saints, 37-31, over Tampa Bay.

Pierre Thomas caught eight passes out of the backfield for 77 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 35 yards and a score to help New Orleans (2-3) overcome Drew Brees’ three interceptions and an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

Dallas 20, Houston 17, OT: The Cowboys’ Dan Bailey kicked a 49-yard field goal in overtime to stop Houston, 20-17, after a miss at the end of regulation ended his franchise record streak of made kicks.

Bailey’s kick was set up when Tony Romo threw off his back foot with pressure coming and Dez Bryant made a spectacular leaping catch for 37 yards.

The Cowboys (4-1) won their fourth straight for the first time since 2011 despite blowing a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter.

Carolina 31, Chicago 24: Cam Newton threw two touchdown passes to Greg Olsen and the Panthers’ defense forced four turnovers to overcome a 14-point deficit and beat Chicago, 31-24..

With the game tied 24-24, Carolina’s Antoine Cason stripped Matt Forte of the ball and the Kawaan Short recovered at Chicago’s 23. Six plays later, Newton found Olsen on a slant route for a 6-yard touchdown with 2:18 left.

Buffalo 17, Detroit 14: Dan Carpenter hit a 58-yard field goal with 4 seconds remaining to lift Buffalo over Detroit, 17-14.

Kyle Orton, making his debut as Bills starter, set up the decisive kick by completing a 20-yard pass over the middle to Sammy Watkins as Buffalo (3-2) overcame a 14-0 deficit. It was the eighth game Orton has won in overtime or when trailing in the fourth quarter.

Orton went 30 of 43 for 308 yards with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Chris Gragg.

Indianapolis 20, Baltimore 13: Andrew Luck threw one touchdown pass and ran for another score and the defense held on late in a 20-13 victory by Indianapolis over Baltimore. Luck was 32 of 49 for 312 yards with two interceptions, but scored the decisive points on a nifty 13-yard run with 8:56 left.

Indianapolis (3-2) has won three straight. Baltimore (3-2) lost for the first time since Week 1.

N.Y. Giants 30, Atlanta 20: First-round draft pick Odell Beckham Jr. made his NFL debut a memorable one, catching a go-ahead 15-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning with 10:02 left in the Giants’ 30-20 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

Fellow rookie Andre Williams scored on a 3-yard run to ignite the second-half rally that saw the Giants (3-2) come from 10 points down to win their third straight game.

Philadelphia 34, St. Louis 28: Nick Foles threw two touchdown passes, the defense and special teams each scored, and the Philadelphia Eagles held on for a 34-28 victory over the St. Louis Rams.

The Eagles (4-1) rebounded from a tough loss at San Francisco with a strong all-around performance until the end. Chris Maragos returned a blocked punt for a touchdown, Cedric Thornton recovered a fumble for a score and nearly took another one the distance.

Denver 41, Arizona 20: Peyton Manning joined Brett Favre in the NFL’s most exclusive of clubs with his 500th touchdown pass Sunday when the Denver Broncos handed the Arizona Cardinals their first loss, 41-20.

Manning finished with four TD throws, moving him within five of Favre’s record 508.

Manning found tight end Julius Thomas twice in the end zone, including the touchstone touchdown, a 7-yard dart in the first quarter.

San Francisco 22, Kansas City 17: Colin Kaepernick threw for 201 yards and a touchdown, Frank Gore ran for 107 yards and the San Francisco 49ers converted a fake punt to beat the Kansas City Chiefs 22-17.

The 49ers (3-2) turned to a trick play on fourth-and-1 from their own 29 early in the fourth quarter, giving a direct snap to Craig Dahl for a 3-yard run up the middle. Kaepernick directed the offense down field, and Phil Dawson kicked a 27-yard field goal with 8:42 to play for the go-ahead score.

Dawson also connected from 55, 52, 35 and 30 yards.

San Diego 31, N.Y. Jets 0: Philip Rivers threw two touchdown passes to Antonio Gates and rookie running back Branden Oliver’s big day included his first two NFL touchdowns as the San Diego Chargers beat the hapless New York Jets 31-0 Sunday for their fourth straight win.

The Chargers (4-1) heaped more pain on the Jets (1-4), who lost their fourth straight game and turned to Michael Vick. Vick replaced Geno Smith on New York’s first possession of the second half, but wasn’t any more effective.