JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The ball hung in the air. With it, the Browns season hung in the balance.
The most important play of Cleveland’s season to date began at the 26-yard line with nine seconds left. Jacksonville’s Matt Jones, the basketball player masquerading as a receiver, got his outstretched hands on the ball in the left side of the end zone. If he secures it immediately, the Jaguars win and the Browns drop to 2-5.
But he didn’t.
The ball popped loose and floated above Jones’ hands, hovering long enough for cornerback Brandon McDonald to get a hand on it. Then safety Nick Sorensen converged and was able to deflect the ball out of bounds.
One second remained Sunday night, but the Browns had dodged the bullet and escaped Jacksonville Municipal Stadium with a 23-17 victory. They improved to
3-4, closed within two games of Pittsburgh in the AFC North and stayed within the mix of playoff contenders in the conference.
What was nose tackle Shaun Rogers thinking as the drama in the end zone unfolded?
“Hell, break it up!” he said. “Just don’t let him get the ball.”
Rogers epitomized the effort of a Cleveland team desperate for a win. He had nine solo tackles, a sack and a blocked field goal.
“Jack said all week that the hungrier dog would get the bone,” Jaguars quarterback David Garrard said of coach Jack Del Rio. “They proved how hungry they were by coming in here and taking a win from us.”
And they did it without tight end Kellen Winslow. He’s scheduled to rejoin the team this morning, but the Browns proved they can win without him, going 2-0 in games he’s missed.
“This team is a team,” coach Romeo Crennel said. “They all wanted Kellen with us. But they know they have to put aside distractions and then prepare themselves to play.
“They wanted to go prove they’re a team.”
Tight ends Steve Heiden and Darnell Dinkins again showed their value. Heiden had three catches for 73 yards, including a 51-yarder on fourth-and-1 that set up a 2-yard Jamal Lewis (20 carries, 81 yards) touchdown that gave the Browns a 14-7 lead in the second quarter.
“If they work, they’re great plays. If they don’t work, you look bad calling them,” Crennel said of his decision to go for it on fourth down on his side of midfield. “Sometimes you just get a gut feeling when you need to take a chance.”
Dinkins had a catch for 5 yards and was best as a blocker, especially on a fourth-quarter drive that started with four Lewis runs for 25 yards and ended with a Phil Dawson field goal for a 20-17 lead with 4:35 left.
“Obviously they’re not Kellen and they don’t replace the things that he brings to us, but Dink and Heiden play their rear ends off,” quarterback Derek Anderson said.
Anderson had an up-and-down day, finishing
14-for-27 for 246 yards, a touchdown and a 95.6 rating. He hasn’t thrown an interception in a career-best 105 passes — one was nullified by an offsides penalty — and was able to convert some big plays to set up scores.
He hit Braylon Edwards (two catches, 64 yards) on a 43-yard fly and Syndric Steptoe for a 53-yarder to the 1-yard line before Dawson’s go-ahead field goal. The Browns faced third-and-7 at their 46-yard line when Anderson’s throw split two defenders on the post to Steptoe.
“Yeah, I kinda snuck it in there,” Anderson said.
The completion allowed the Browns to score for the first time since the second quarter. They couldn’t find a rhythm in the second half as the Jaguars (3-4) scored 10 points to tie it at 17.
But on the kickoff after the Dawson field goal, rookie Beau Bell stripped Brian Witherspoon and Joshua Cribbs recovered. The Browns didn’t pick up a yard on three plays, but Dawson’s 42-yard kick gave them a 23-17 lead with 4:06 left.
But it’s never easy for the Browns. After an exchange of punts and the Jaguars’ final two timeouts, Jacksonville got the ball back with 1:51 left at its 30-yard line.
Garrard continued his masterful play by overcoming a Brodney Pool sack and an unnecessary roughness penalty on right tackle Tony Pashos – he drilled Sorensen well after the play, causing Sorensen to leave for a play to be checked by doctors – to get the ball to the 26 with nine seconds left.
Garrard finished 25-for-42 for 283 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, a 95.6 rating and 59 yards rushing on seven scrambles. And when it mattered most, he made a perfect throw to Jones.
“Dave threw a great ball,” said Jones, who’s facing a three-game drug suspension and had eight catches for 117 yards and a touchdown. “As a receiver that is what you want, you want to come down with it with the game on the line. We just got to make that play.”
He didn’t, and the Browns did.
“I just kind of stuck my hands in there, and McDonald and I were kind of fighting with him at the end,” said Sorensen, who played for the Jaguars from 2003-06. “It was a forever fight for the ball on that play. I was fired up for sure.”
He wasn’t alone.
“My hats are off to my guys,” Crennel said. “They fought real hard for the whole game, all the way down to the end.
“That plays shows some of the determination that my team had today.”

Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com.

Scoring summary
FIRST QUARTER
BROWNS 7, JAGUARS 0. Donte Stallworth 3 from Derek Anderson (Phil Dawson kick), 2:08. DRIVE: Nine plays, 80 yards. TIME OF POSSESSION: 4:44. KEY PLAYS: Anderson completed a 13-yard pass to Lawrence Vickers and a
21-yarder to Braylon Edwards. Jamal Lewis ran for 19 yards.
SECOND QUARTER
BROWNS 7, JAGUARS 7. Reggie Williams 5 from David Garrard (Josh Scobee kick), 10:28. DRIVE: Thirteen plays, 74 yards. TIME OF POSSESSION: 6:40. KEY PLAYS: Jaguars converted four third downs, the biggest of which was Garrard’s 24-yard scramble on
third-and-10 from the Jacksonville 37-yard line. Dennis Northcutt caught an 8-yard pass to the 5 on third-and-2.
BROWNS 14, JAGUARS 7. Jamal Lewis 2 run (Dawson kick), 7:20. DRIVE: Six plays, 62 yards. TIME OF POSSESSION: 3:08. KEY PLAYS: On fourth-and-1 from the Jaguars’ 47-yard line, Anderson faked a handoff and threw to Steve Heiden, who ran to the 2-yard line.
BROWNS 17, JAGUARS 7. FG Phil Dawson 32, 2:09. DRIVE: Five plays, 49 yards. TIME OF POSSESSION: 1:47. KEY PLAY: Anderson hit Edwards for 43 yards on a fly on the first play of the drive.
THIRD QUARTER
BROWNS 17, JAGUARS 14. Matt Jones 8 from Garrard (Scobee kick), 10:27. DRIVE: Nine plays, 72 yards. TIME OF POSSESSION: 4:33. KEY PLAYS: Garrard opened the half with a 32-yard pass to Williams. Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 2 yards on fourth-and-1 from the 10.
FOURTH QUARTER
BROWNS 17, JAGUARS 17. FG Scobee 53, 8:48. DRIVE: Seven plays, 39 yards. TIME OF POSSESSION: 2:17. KEY PLAY: Jones caught a 20-yard pass on third-and-10, and a roughing-the-passer penalty on Shaun Rogers added 15 yards.
BROWNS 20, JAGUARS 17. FG Dawson 20, 4:35. DRIVE: Ten plays, 77 yards. TIME OF POSSESSION: 4:13. KEY PLAYS: Lewis ran for 25 yards on the first four plays. Anderson hit Steptoe for 53 yards to the
1-yard line.
BROWNS 23, JAGUARS 17. FG Dawson 42, 4:06. DRIVE: Four plays, 0 yards. TIME OF POSSESSION: 0:21. KEY PLAY: Brian Witherspoon fumbled the kickoff for Jacksonville, caused by Beau Bell and recovered by Joshua Cribbs.
 

Browns 23, Jaguars 17
Cleveland 7 10 0 6 — 23
Jacksonville 0 7 7 3 — 17
First Quarter
Cle—Stallworth 3 pass from Anderson (Dawson kick), 2:08.
Second Quarter
Jac—R.Williams 5 pass from Garrard (Scobee kick), 10:28.
Cle—Lewis 2 run (Dawson kick), 7:20.
Cle—FG Dawson 32, 2:09.
Third Quarter
Jac—M.Jones 8 pass from Garrard (Scobee kick), 10:27.
Fourth Quarter
Jac—FG Scobee 53, 8:48.
Cle—FG Dawson 20, 4:35.
Cle—FG Dawson 42, 4:06.
A—64,775.
  Cle Jac
First downs  15 23
Total Net Yards 327 380
Rushes-yards                 24-91         29-113
Passing  236 267
Punt Returns 1-5 2-23
Kickoff Returns               3-78            6-134
Interceptions Ret. 0-0 0-0
Comp-Att-Int                 14-27-0     25-42-0
Sacked-Yards Lost 1-10 3-16
Punts                   5-41.4         3-46.7
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 1-1
Penalties-Yards 1-15 6-40
Time of Possession 24:55          35:05
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Cleveland, Lewis 20-81, Vickers 2-10, J.Wright 1-1, Harrison 1-(minus 1). Jacksonville, Garrard 7-59, Jones-Drew 12-29, Taylor 8-24, Williamson 1-1, G.Jones 1-0.
PASSING—Cleveland, Anderson 14-27-0-246. Jacksonville, Garrard 25-42-0-283.
RECEIVING—Cleveland, Heiden 3-73, Stallworth 3-13, Edwards 2-64, J.Wright 2-18, Steptoe 1-53, Vickers 1-13, Lewis 1-7, Dinkins 1-5. Jacksonville, M.Jones 8-117, Northcutt 5-49, R.Williams 3-42, M.Lewis 3-34, Jones-Drew 3-19, G.Jones 1-11, Williamson 1-6, Angulo 1-5.
Team statistics
MISSED FIELD GOAL—Jacksonville, Scobee 38 (BK).

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