Story Published:
Nov 4, 2007 at 8:28 PM PDT
Story Updated:
Nov 4, 2007 at 8:28 PM PDT
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Nate Burleson, right, beats Cleveland Browns cornerback Eric Wright (24) on a six-yard pass-reception in the first quarter.
CLEVELAND (AP) - Derek Anderson, Jamal Lewis and the Cleveland Browns passed their toughest test to date.
They just might be for real.
Phil Dawson kicked a 25-yard field goal in overtime to give the Browns a 33-30 comeback win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday along with their first three-game winning streak since 2001.
Lewis rushed for a career-high four touchdowns, the last one with 2:17 remaining in regulation, for the Browns (5-3), who trailed 21-6 in the first half and were down 27-22 in the fourth quarter.
Anderson, though, brought them back, and Cleveland's poor defense, which came in as the NFL's worst-ranked unit, made a stop - helped by a review - on a fourth-down play in OT to lift the Browns, who until Sunday had beaten teams with a combined 6-24 record.
Dawson, who hooked an extra point in the first half, atoned for his miss by kicking the game-winner - on second down 5:43 into OT - to send a crowd of more than 70,000 into a frenzy. The Browns went just 4-12 last season and were given little chance of being competitive this season.
But here they are at the halfway point of the regular season: near the top of the AFC North and in the playoff mix.
Anderson was 29-of-48 for 364 yards, and Kellen Winslow, shrugging off a painful knee, matched a career-high with 11 catches for 125 yards.
Lewis scored on runs of 2, 1, 2 and 1 yards on a day when his single-game rushing record of 295 yards was topped by Minnesota rookie Adrian Peterson.
Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck went 30-of-47 for 318 yards and two TDs for the Seahawks (4-4), who also got a 94-yard punt return from Nate Burleson in the first half to open a 15-point lead.
Bobby Engram had a career-high 14 catches for 139 yards and a TD for the Seahawks.
After Lewis' fourth TD gave the Browns a 28-27 lead with 2:17 left in regulation, they had to go for 2 because Dawson had missed an extra point in the first half. Anderson jammed a pass to Joe Jurevicius to make it 30-27.
Hasselbeck, given plenty of time by his line, then drove Seattle to Cleveland's 2 and Josh Brown booted a 22-yard field goal as time expired in regulation.