Manning leads Broncos to OT win
For the Browns, it always seems to end in heartbreak against the Broncos.
The Denver drought endures.
Josh McCown threw a costly interception in the final minute of regulation and the Browns couldn’t capitalize on intercepting Peyton Manning three times as they lost 26-23 in overtime Sunday to the Broncos, who have won 11 straight over Cleveland.
McCown, who played so brilliantly last week in an overtime win at Baltimore, had the Browns driving for a potential game-winning field goal when he inexplicably forced a pass that was intercepted with 44 seconds left in regulation.
On second down at the Denver 46, McCown rolled right from pressure and looked downfield. But instead of throwing the ball away and keeping the drive alive, McCown threw it into traffic and was picked by safety David Bruton Jr.
“I was stepping up trying to throw the ball out of bounds and avoid a sack so we could keep moving up to get in field-goal range and win this thing,” McCown said. “I just didn’t get enough on the ball when I threw it. It just makes me sick because there is an opportunity there in regulation to win.”
The Browns (2-4) had another chance in overtime, when Barkevious Mingo intercepted Manning and returned it to the Denver 39.
Cleveland only needed 10 yards or so to give kicker Travis Coons a chance to hand the Broncos (6-0) their first loss. But running back David Turbin was thrown for a 3-yard loss and McCown was sacked on consecutive plays, forcing Cleveland to punt.
Given a third chance, Manning drove the Broncos from their 12 to set up a 34-yard field goal by Brandon McManus with 4:56 left in OT. The Browns haven’t beaten the Broncos since 1990, and prior to that regular-season win, Cleveland lost to Denver in three AFC title games in four years.
This loss didn’t sting like those, but McCown and his teammates were hurting from a win that slipped away.
“It’s just a huge missed opportunity,” said McCown, who finished 20 of 39 for 213 yards and threw two TD passes to Gary Barnidge.
“We’ll feel like that for the next 24 hours or so. Then, we have to bounce back and respond. We felt this same way walking into the locker room out in San Diego (a 30-27 loss). We felt like we had missed opportunity and we responded, and we have to do the same thing.”
Down 10-0 at halftime, the Browns chipped away and finally took the lead when linebacker Karlos Dansby grabbed a pass bobbled by Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown with 8:07 left.
But Cleveland’s lead lasted all of 14 seconds as Manning countered with a 75-yard TD pass to Emmanuel Sanders, who streaked past Browns cornerback Tramon Williams to make it 23-20.
Coons kicked a 26-yard field goal with 1:30 left in regulation to tie it, and the Browns got the ball back when they forced the Broncos to punt after a series that lasted 19 seconds.
Carolina 27, Seattle 23: Cam Newton threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Greg Olsen with 32 seconds left and the Carolina Panthers remained unbeaten, rallying for a stunning 27-23 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
Newton led the Panthers (5-0) to touchdowns on their final two possessions after trailing 23-14, the second straight week the Seahawks collapsed in the fourth quarter. Newton found Olsen wide open down the seam as All-Pros Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman looked at each other in confusion.
Green Bay 27, San Diego 20: The Green Bay Packers stopped San Diego on fourth-and-goal from the 3 with 15 seconds left and overcame a career day by Philip Rivers to hold off the Chargers 27-20.
Rivers set career highs with 43 completions, 65 attempts and 503 yards passing. He threw for two touchdowns for the Chargers (2-4). But he needed one more completion.
Detroit 37, Chicago 34, OT: Matt Prater kicked a 27-yard field goal with 2:29 left in overtime, and the Detroit Lions beat the Chicago Bears 37-34 for their first victory of the season.
Matthew Stafford heaved a 57-yard pass to Calvin Johnson to set up the kick for the Lions (1-5). Johnson finished with six receptions for 166 yards.
Houston 31, Jacksonville 20: Brian Hoyer threw three touchdown passes on third down, two to DeAndre Hopkins, and the Houston Texans beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-20 on Sunday.
Hoyer regained the starting job last week against Indianapolis and looked deserving of the spot. At least against the Jaguars (1-5), who lost their fourth in a row and surely raised more questions about coach Gus Bradley’s job security.
Minnnesota 16, Kansas City 10: Minnesota’s defense and rookie wide receiver Stefon Diggs bailed out Teddy Bridgewater for an erratic performance, and the Vikings held on to beat the mistake-prone Kansas City Chiefs 16-10 on Sunday.
Alex Smith’s 42-yard touchdown pass to Albert Wilson midway through the fourth quarter pulled the Chiefs within three points, but the Vikings (3-2) played well enough early to survive their ragged finish.
Miami 38, Tennessee 10: Cameron Wake got his first four sacks this season and also forced two fumbles all in the first half and the Miami Dolphins routed the Tennessee Titans 38-10 in Dan Campbell’s debut as interim coach.
The Dolphins (2-3) came in having lost three straight, costing coach Joe Philbin his job Oct. 5.
N.Y. Jets 34, Washington 20: Ryan Fitzpatrick threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, and the New York Jets overcame a sloppy first half to beat the banged-up Washington Redskins 34-20 Sunday.
Chris Ivory ran for 146 yards and a TD on 20 carries for the Jets, who improved to 4-1 for the first time since 2010. Brandon Marshall had seven catches for 111 yards, and Eric Decker also caught a TD.