CLEVELAND, Ohio (AP) – Brian Hoyer threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Hawkins early in the fourth quarter and the Browns avoided a second straight embarrassing loss by beating the winless Oakland Raiders 23-13 on Sunday.
Cleveland lost at Jacksonville last week, giving the Jaguars their first win. According to STATS, no team in NFL history has lost consecutive games to winless teams in Week 7 or later.
It was hardly a perfect performance, but the Browns, who were held to 39 yards rushing and converted only 2 of 12 third downs, will take it.
Hoyer’s TD to Hawkins put the Browns (4-3) ahead 16-6, shortly after Cleveland’s defense came to the rescue.
Browns safety Donte Whitner forced a fumble late in the third quarter with a huge hit on Oakland running back Darren McFadden as the Raiders (0-7) were driving deep into Cleveland territory.