Cutler leads Broncos over Browns
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Jay Cutler threw for a season-high 447 yards and three fourth-quarter scores to rally the Denver Broncos past the Cleveland Browns 34-30 on Thursday.
Cutler found wide receiver Brandon Marshall for the winning 11-yard touchdown pass with 1:17 left, capping a clutch 80-yard drive downfield and ruining a sparkling NFL debut for Browns quarterback Brady Quinn.
"We just needed drive to end in a score and not a field goal," Marshall told the NFL network. "This is a game we can build off of, and take the momentum back to Denver."
Denver's heroics in the fourth quarter overshadowed the highly anticipated first start of Quinn, who finished with 239 yards and two touchdowns.
The second-year signal-caller connected on 23 of 35 passes and engineered a 78-yard drive that ended with Jamal Lewis's one-yard TD run to give the Browns a 30-27 advantage five minutes from time.
But it was more than enough time for the Broncos (5-4), who erased a 23-10 deficit in the third quarter to snap a three-game losing streak.
The Browns made it to their own 42-yard line on their final drive before Quinn threw an incompletion on fourth-and-one.
"In the end we didn't make enough plays," Quinn said. "I felt pretty comfortable; (on our last drive) we were just trying to get to take a shot in the end zone."
The Broncos surged ahead in the fourth when Cutler hooked up with tight end Daniel Graham for a 28-yard touchdown that gave Denver a 27-23 edge with 10 minutes to go.
Just three minutes earlier, Cutler hurled a 93-yard score to Eddie Royal to get the Broncos within three.
Quinn, taking over from starter Derek Anderson who had struggled through the first half of the season, finally got his chance to start a game after a year and a half of waiting.
He found tight end Kellen Winslow for a five-yard touchdown in the first and a 16-yard score in the second to put Cleveland 17-7 ahead.
The Browns fell to 3-6.
(Reporting by Jahmal Corner; Editing by Ed Osmond))
