Browns 24, Raiders 21

GREG BEACHAM
Associated Press

The Oakland Raiders still are tumbling through their worst losing skid in 44 years - and now they've added an 18-point collapse to their woes.

Frye threw three touchdown passes and the Browns made key plays on defense and special teams in their 24-21 victory Sunday, yet they didn't exactly dance to the team plane for the 5-hour flight home after an unsavory game between two previously winless teams at the Coliseum.

Frye rallied Cleveland (1-3) on two third-quarter touchdown drives to overcome its big early deficit, and the Browns' defense held Oakland (0-3) scoreless with just 59 total yards in the second half of quarterback Andrew Walter's disastrous debut as a starter.

"We came in here with some heart," said Droughns, who rushed for 100 yards. "We knew we were going to have to stick in there and be tough, and we just stayed motivated. We knew we gave them some of those (first-half) points, and as an offense we had to go out and get them back."

Frye has earned two of his three career victories in front of the Raiders' aggressive fans, getting his first victory in a similarly distasteful game last season. Frye didn't much care about the quality, however.

"This win is huge. I thought it was a game we were supposed to win," said Frye, who went 22-of-32 but threw two interceptions. "I thought we were a better team than Oakland ... and I'm glad we came out in the second half and played well."

With their ninth straight loss dating to last season, the Raiders are on their longest losing streak since 1962. They had plenty of chances against Cleveland's injury-riddled defensive secondary, but Walter was sacked four times and got just one pass to Randy Moss - for a 5-yard TD - in an awful 9-for-23 performance in place of Aaron Brooks.

At least the Raiders scored their first touchdowns after managing just two field goals in their first two games. Oakland's Sam Williams returned a fumble 30 yards for the opening score, and LaMont Jordan's 59-yard TD run staked the Raiders to a big lead late in the second quarter.

"We got up 21-3 and let off the pedal," Raiders safety Stuart Schweigert said. "We can't do that. We have to go harder after that. I don't know if it was because it was something we weren't used to. We just couldn't handle it."

Cleveland finally showed off the potency of its impressive collection of skill players. Braylon Edwards had six catches for 75 yards, while Kellen Winslow and Joe Jurevicius made the Browns' second-half TD receptions.

After ripping his coaching staff last month, Winslow only had good things to say about Cleveland's assistants, including embattled offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon. Winslow made a tough 22-yard catch on fourth-and-8 in the third quarter, then caught a 2-yard TD pass two plays later.

"The O.C. has confidence in his playmakers," Winslow said. "I thought it was a must-win. We didn't want to go to the Carolina Panthers at 0-4 (next Sunday), so it was a big win."

Cleveland went ahead for good on Jurevicius' 5-yard fade route in the corner of the end zone, capping a 17-yard scoring drive set up by Dennis Northcutt's 58-yard punt return.

Oakland Raiders rushed for 194 yards, but couldn't convert a fourth-and-inches at the Cleveland 30 with 11 1/2 minutes to play. Orpheus Roye stopped Jordan for a 2-yard loss, and Oakland never threatened again.

Frye gave the Raiders one last shot with a foolish end-zone interception with 4 minutes left, echoing his foolhardy interception late in Cleveland's loss to Baltimore last week. But the Oakland Raiders punted three plays later, and the Browns ran out the clock.

"The worst thing about it is we put in the amount of work we put into it, the amount of effort, and we rush for 200 yards and still lose the game," defensive tackle Warren Sapp said. "It's unheard of. We have to find a way."

Notes: Northcutt and Joshua Cribbs both would have scored on long returns, but Raiders P Shane Lechler tackled Northcutt and K Sebastian Janikowski knocked down Cribbs. ... A contingent of San Jose Sharks attended the game, including scoring champions Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo. ... Rookie LB Kamerion Wimbley had two sacks for the Browns, and Pro Bowl DE Derrick Burgess had two for Oakland.