Cleveland Browns vs. N.Y. Jets: 5 best games of all-time
By Thomas Moore
The Browns looked to be turning the corner at the midway point of the 2010 season under second-year head coach Eric Mangini.
After beginning the year at 0-3, the Browns rallied to win three of their next five games, including consecutive at New Orleans and at home over the New England Patriots.
Suddenly the Browns appeared to have some fight in them when the 6-2 Jets came calling on Nov. 14.
Related: Browns Top 10 passing games of all-time
The Browns gave the playoff-bound Jets all they could handle that day in taking a 10-3 lead in the first quarter. But the Jets scored two touchdowns in the second quarter and, after holding onto the football for 23 minutes in the second half, appeared poised to walk out with a win.
Cleveland quarterback Colt McCoy rallied the Browns, driving team 59 yards in 10 plays, hitting Mohamed Massaquoi with a touchdown pass to tie the game with 44 seconds left. On the drive McCoy was five-of-nine for 58 yards, with a 17-yard completion to Ben Watson on third-and-10 and an 18-yard completion to Evan Moore on the next play.
It was probably the finest moment for McCoy in a Cleveland uniform.
The Browns won the toss and were driving on their opening possession of overtime when wide receiver Chansi Stuckey fumbled the ball while fighting for extra yardage, with the Jets recovering on their own 32-yard line.
New York missed an opportunity to win the game on the ensuring drive when kicker Nick Folk was wide right on a 47-yard field goal attempt. Cornerback Joe Haden would foil another potential New York scoring drive when he intercepted quarterback Mark Sanchez on Cleveland’s three-yard line with less than two minutes remaining in the game.
Cleveland went three-and-out, however, and punted the ball away, with the Jets taking over at Cleveland’s 37-yard line with 24 seconds remaining in the overtime session.
It only took the Jets one play to finally put the game away, as Sanchez hit wide receiver Santonio Holmes with a short pass and Holmes worked his way through the Browns’ defense for the game-winning score.
The Browns, once so close to victory, fell to 3-6 on the season with the loss. The defeat was the first of a what would turn into a 2-7 finish to the season, marking the end of Mangini’s tenure with the Browns.
Next: No. 4: A heart-stopping opener