SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 13, 2013
Lions 31, Browns 17: Matthew Stafford threw three of his four touchdown passes to rookie tight end Joseph Fauria, including the go-ahead score with 10:35 remaining in the fourth quarter as visiting Detroit continued its dominance over Cleveland.
Stafford completed 25-of-43 passes for 248 yards and Reggie Bush gained 78 yards on the ground while adding a receiving touchdown for the Lions (4-2), who improved to 15-4 in the all-time series against the Browns with their sixth win in the last seven meetings. Star receiver Calvin Johnson saw limited action after missing a game with a knee injury, making three catches for 25 yards.
Brandon Weeden was 26-of-43 for 292 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Browns (3-3), who had their three-game winning streak snapped. Josh Gordon had seven receptions for 126 yards.
Fauria hauled in a 1-yard TD pass with 3:27 left in the first quarter to open the scoring and, with Detroit trailing 17-14, caught a 23-yard scoring toss from Stafford early in the fourth to put the Lions ahead for good. After David Akers kicked a 51-yard field goal to make it 24-17, Stafford hit Fauria with a 10-yard pass with 2:05 remaining to seal the victory.
Cleveland dominated the second quarter as Weeden connected with Chris Ogbonnaya on a 4-yard scoring toss and found Greg Little for a 2-yard TD with 1:20 left for a 14-7 lead. After three straight incompletions by Stafford, the Browns got the ball back and Billy Cundiff booted a 40-yard field goal eight seconds before halftime to push the lead to 10.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Cleveland has not won four consecutive games since Dec. 10, 2009-Jan. 3, 2010. ... The Lions lost their previous two road contests this season. ... Travis Benjamin led the Browns in rushing, gaining 45 yards on his lone carry. Veteran Willis McGahee rushed 10 times for just 37 yards.