CLEVELAND (AP) -- Finally on the field, Lee Suggs got the Cleveland Browns running in the right direction.
Suggs, who missed Cleveland's first three games with a neck injury, rushed for 82 yards and scored on a 3-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, leading the Browns to a 17-13 win over the Washington Redskins on Sunday.
From his first carry of the season, a 25-yard dash in the first quarter, the speedy Suggs gave the Browns (2-2) the spark that their ground game had been missing.
Jeff Garcia went 14-of-21 for 195 yards and a TD for the Browns, who didn't secure the win until Washington's Laveranues Coles fumbled with two minutes left.
The Redskins (1-3) can pin their third straight loss on going just 1-for-11 on third downs. Mark Brunell finished 17-of-38 for 192 yards.
Browns tight end Aaron Shea had a TD catch and Phil Dawson kicked a 31-yard field goal, extending his NFL-leading streak to 18 in a row.
John Hall kicked two field goals for Washington.
Leading by four late, the Browns faked a field goal but holder Derrick Frost was stopped short of a first down. Brunell then completed a 13-yard pass to Coles, who fumbled as he was being taken down, and Browns safety Earl Little recovered.
Garcia, who played poorly in Cleveland's two previous losses, then only had to kneel and run out the clock since the Redskins had used up their timeouts.
Clinton Portis gained only 58 yards on 20 carries.
Other than his 25-yarder the first time he touched it, Suggs wasn't very flashy -- just efficient. With the Browns down 13-10, he ripped off a 14-yard run as Cleveland drove for the go-ahead score and Garcia completed a huge third-down pass to Quincy Morgan.
A few plays later, Garica lofted a 26-yard pass to uncovered wideout Andre' Davis to the Washington 3. On the next play, Suggs pushed in to make it 17-13.
Trailing 10-3, the Browns, who have yet to score a TD in the first half this season, were booed as they left the field for halftime.
Garcia's struggles continued as he went just 4-for-8 for 64 yards -- 37 coming on one play -- in the first 30 minutes.
But Cleveland got a break when Portis fumbled on the first play of the third quarter and Andra Davis recovered at the Washington 31.
Garcia capitalized, using three short rollout passes, the last to Shea, who ran untouched for 14 yards and then plowed over two defenders for the last one as the Browns tied it 10-10.
A gamble by Redskins coach Joe Gibbs late in the second quarter led to Washington's first touchdown. Gibbs decided not to punt and went for it on fourth-and-6 from the Cleveland 37.
The Browns then got burned on a blitz as Brunell found Coles wide open over the middle for 30 yards. Two plays later, Portis surged in from the 1 and the Redskins took a 10-3 lead.
Hall gave the Redskins a 3-0 lead with a 31-yard field goal in the first quarter.
Helped by two Washington penalties -- one a questionable flag against safety Matt Bowen for roughing Garcia -- the Browns tied it on Dawson's 30-yard kick.
Jeff Garcia overcame a slow start, and Lee Suggs provided a much-needed spark as the Browns rallied to beat the Redskins, 17-13.
Suggs, playing for the first time in the regular season, ran 22 times for 82 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown, a 3-yarder, with 6:51 to play.
His run capped an impressive nine-play, 80-yard drive. Suggs carried four times for 32 yards on the drive, and Garcia completed a 23-yard pass to Andre' Davis that set up Suggs' touchdown.
Earl Little recovered a Laveranues Coles fumble with 1:58 to go, thwarting the Redskins' last attempt to win. Kevin Bentley was credited with the forced fumble.
Garcia finished 14-of-21 passing for 195 yards. He threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Shea in the third quarter to tie the game at 10.
The Browns defense held Clinton Portis to 58 rushing yards on 20 carries.
Winning is what matters By Pat McManamon, Editor October 3, 2004
The neighbor - one of the good guys in the suburban 'hood we call home - reminded me before I left for Sunday's game.
"Be fair and balanced," he said.
No problem.
Little did I know what I was in for, though. Let's just say that Sunday's 17-13 win over the Washington Redskins was not one of the prettiest games you'll ever see.
But to be completely fair and balanced, the Browns snuck one out the side door. On a day when they did not play well and did not look like they had a sense of smell, much less a sense of urgency, the Browns pulled out a win thanks to Lee Suggs and a fourth-quarter drive that finally saw quarterback Jeff Garcia making some plays.
That 80-yard drive led to a Suggs touchdown that put the Browns ahead. The win sends the Browns to Pittsburgh with some good feelings - but also with much, much, much room for improvement.
The brightest note on a day that could have been very disappointing was the running of Lee Suggs, who provided the lift the struggling offense needed.
Suggs opened with a 25-yard run, then had 12 yards on his next 12 carries but came up with several big carries in the fourth quarter as the Browns turned a 10-3 halftime deficit into a win.
Garcia, too, finally completed a few big passes. Most notable were a third-down throw to Quincy Morgan and a key throw off the blitz to Andre' Davis that set up the go-ahead touchdown.
Up 17-13 and trying to run out the clock, Garcia also hit Davis down the sideline on a pump-and-go for a big completion on third-and-two.
Was it pretty? No.
But when Dallas beat the Browns in week two, Bill Parcells said his team didn't play well but it had won - and that was what mattered.
The Browns did a lot of things to hurt themselves. They made some bonehead plays. They were booed coming off the field at halftime.
If you'll notice (which you probably didn't), I picked Cleveland to win this week on Ladders...just had a feeling. Too bad I picked that as game 13 (as well as SD over TEN as game 14).
This week is a different story, though...should be another great Steelers vs. Browns contest!
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by slowkidz » Sun Oct 03, 2004 6:19 pm 
