Spokesman-Review
National Football League
Cleveland 37, Buffalo 24
When: 8:25 PM ET, Thursday, October 3, 2013
Where: FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Temperature: 75°
Head Official: Peter Morelli
Attendance: 71239

Browns 37, Bills 24: Brandon Weeden came off the bench to throw for 197 yards and a touchdown as host Cleveland notched its third straight victory.

Travis Benjamin returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown and had another long return to set up one of Billy Cundiff's three field goals in a game that saw both starting quarterbacks knocked out with right knee injuries. T.J. Ward clinched the victory when he intercepted Jeff Tuel and returned it 44 yards for a TD with 1:44 to play.

Weeded came on for Brian Hoyer, who the Browns fear suffered torn ligaments in his knee, early in the first quarter and completed 13-of-24 passes - including a tying 37-yard scoring strike to Josh Gordon in the third quarter. Cundiff tacked on a pair of fourth-quarter field goals as the Browns (3-2) ran off the final 20 points after Buffalo (2-3) scored touchdowns on its first two possessions of the second half to take a 24-17 lead.

Fred Jackson had a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs and C.J. Spiller raced 54 yards for a score for the Bills, who saw rookie quarterback E.J. Manuel exit midway through the third quarter. Tuel, forced to play with two of his top receivers injured, finished 8-of-20 for 80 yards and the costly interception

Willis McGahee, who rushed for 72 yards on 26 carries, scored from a yard out before Benjamin returned a punt for a TD to give the Browns a 17-10 edge at halftime. Spiller tied it 69 seconds into the third quarter before Jackson capped an 11-play drive on which Manuel was hurt with his second score for a 24-17 lead with 6:32 left in the period.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Hoyer is scheduled for an MRI exam on his right knee after he was hurt at the end of a scramble early in the first quarter. Manuel also hurt his right knee, although it did not appear to be severe. ... Bills WR Stevie Johnson left the game in the first half with a back injury, while Browns DE Desmond Bryant was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure after suffering from shortness of breath. ... Benjamin had seven punt returns for 179 yards, breaking the team's single-game record of 166 set by Eric Metcalf in 1993.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Buffalo   Cleveland
C.J. Spiller Player Willis McGahee
8 Attempts 26
66 Yards 72
8.2 Avg Yards 2.8
1 Touchdowns 1
54 Long 16
Receiving
Buffalo   Cleveland
Robert Woods Player Josh Gordon
5 Receptions 4
64 Yards 86
12.8 Avg Yards 21.5
0 Touchdowns 1
24 Long 37
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Buffalo 343 155 188 3 1 0 5.0 2
Cleveland 290 91 199 4 3 1 4.0 0
Upcoming Games
  • Cleveland will play their next game at home against Detroit. The Browns have a W/L % of .667 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • Buffalo will play their next game at home against Cincinnati. The Bills have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .667 after a loss.