Cleveland Has Sights Set High : Interconference: Browns shoot for three wins in a row after ending eight-game losing streak by beating Falcons, 13-10.

At least the Cleveland Browns haven’t lost their sense of humor.

“Everybody’s shouting in the locker room, ‘Three-peat!’ ” interim coach Jim Shofner said after the Browns ended an eight-game losing streak by beating the Atlanta Falcons, 13-10, Sunday.

The Browns (3-11) have long been out of the playoff picture, but a three-game winning streak at the end of the year might ease some of the pain of their horrible season. They finish on the road against AFC Central Division rivals Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.

“Maybe we can three-peat before this season is over,” said Shofner, who is 1-4 since replacing fired Bud Carson Nov. 5. “I’ll tell you, that was so much fun, we’re going to try to do it again next week.”

The Browns won for the first time since Oct. 8 and broke a team-record six-game home losing streak. Atlanta (3-11) has lost seven in a row overall and 18 consecutive road games.

Cleveland’s Kevin Mack, who bruised his right forearm and elbow during the game, ran 13 times for a season-high 80 yards. The Browns had a season-best 142 yards on the ground.

Mack scored the Browns’ only touchdown on a five-yard run in the second quarter, turning an interception by Atlanta’s Deion Sanders to Cleveland’s advantage.

The Browns trailed, 3-0, when Sanders blanketed Webster Slaughter and made a spectacular one-handed interception of Bernie Kosar’s pass deep in Atlanta territory in the second quarter.

The interception, however, gave Atlanta the ball at its four-yard line, and when the Falcons’ offense could not get a first down, a 15-yard punt return by Brian Brennan put Cleveland at the Atlanta 35. Four plays later, Mack bulled over the left side and stretched the ball across the goal line for a touchdown.

That put the Browns ahead for good at 7-3, their first lead in four weeks. Jerry Kauric’s 23-yard field goal made it 10-3 at halftime, only the second time the Browns have led at halftime all year.

Kauric added a 41-yard field goal in the third quarter, set up by Mack’s 26-yard run, his longest of the year.

Atlanta’s Andre Rison caught six passes for 100 yards, his team-record fifth 100-yard game of the year. Rison was carried off on a stretcher with a sprained left knee sustained while making an 11-yard catch in the final minute, but the Falcons said he would probably be able to play next week.

Atlanta quarterback Scott Campbell, making his second start in place of injured Chris Miller, was benched after completing three of nine passes for 41 yards in the first half. He was replaced by former Ram backup Hugh Millen.

Cleveland sacked Campbell three times and Millen five times. The eight sacks were the most by the Browns since they had nine against Philadelphia on Oct. 16, 1988.

Kosar completed 22 of 37 passes for 217 yards against the NFL’s 28th-ranked pass defense. Tight end Ozzie Newsome, probably playing his last home game, caught four passes for 34 yards.