SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 19, 2014
Jaguars 24, Browns 6: Denard Robinson broke out for a career-high 127 rushing yards and scored his first touchdown as host Jacksonville snapped a nine-game losing streak extending to last season.
Rookie Blake Bortles threw for 159 yards and one touchdown pass to Allen Robinson as the Jaguars (1-6) survived three interceptions to defeat the Browns for the second straight season. Linebacker Paul Posluszny recorded one of his team's three sacks and recovered a fumble to spearhead a solid defensive effort for Jacksonville, which limited Cleveland to 266 total yards and has held its last three opponents to a combined 39 points.
Brian Hoyer threw 10 straight incompletions in the midst of going 16-of-41 for 215 yards with one interception as Cleveland (3-3) failed to follow up an impressive home win against Pittsburgh. Andrew Hawkins had five catches for a career-high 112 yards while Ben Tate led a meager rushing attack with 36 yards on the ground.
The league's lowest-ranked offense entering Sunday, Jacksonville had four punts and two Bortles interceptions until the rookie found Robinson for a 31-yard score with 27 seconds left in the first half for a 7-6 lead. Hoyer was sacked and lost the football on Cleveland's opening possession of the third quarter, leading to Josh Scobee's 30-yard field goal and a 10-6 advantage for the hosts.
Hoyer finally snapped his string of incompletions late in the quarter but that drive stalled out and the Browns lost a chance to get back into it when Jordan Poyer muffed a punt return with just over six minutes left, setting up Robinson's 8-yard TD run that made it 17-6. Hoyer was picked off three plays later and Storm Johnson ran it in from 3 yards out to break it wide open and help Jacksonville polish off a 185-yard effort on the ground.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Hoyer has completed 24-of-58 passes over his last two games. ... Robinson had a total of 160 rushing yards in his first 22 NFL games. ... FS Tashaun Gipson had two of Cleveland's three interceptions and has four on the season.