Oilers Go Out in the Cold and Win, 17-14 : AFC: Moon leads 82-yard drive for Houston’s winning touchdown in a snowstorm at Cleveland.

It is the question that the Houston Oilers have been trying to answer since Jack Pardee installed the run-and-shoot.

“Everybody says, ‘What can they do when they need to win? How will they do in bad weather?’ ” Oiler quarterback Warren Moon said. “We reacted pretty well to that today.”

Moon drove the Oilers 82 yards through a snowstorm to the winning touchdown with two minutes to play Sunday as Houston beat the Cleveland Browns, 17-14.

Moon completed six passes on the winning drive and in the process set a single-season NFL record for completions. His two-yard touchdown pass to Haywood Jeffires with 2:19 to play gave the Oilers their only lead.

It was Moon’s 382nd completion this season, surpassing the mark of 378 set by Dan Marino in 1986.

Houston (11-4) had trouble getting into the end zone but moved the ball well despite 29-degree cold and occasionally heavy snow--particularly when it counted most.

Moon completed 26 of 40 passes for 250 yards and overcame an interception that ended one fourth-quarter drive.

“It’s just a matter of making the big plays when you have to, regardless of the weather,” he said. “Coach Pardee said we had to go into this game not making an issue of the weather. We’ve made some big drives before, although this was maybe under worse conditions.”

The conditions became the Oilers’ ally.

Bernie Kosar drove the Browns (6-9) to the Houston one-yard line with four seconds left, but Matt Stover hooked a 19-yard field goal attempt wide of the left upright.

“I think I may have slipped a little bit, but it wasn’t enough to make me miss a field goal,” Stover said.

“How far was it, 18-19 yards? Hell, I don’t know. That’s crazy. I was having fun. I wanted to kick it. I felt it was, like, solid. There are no excuses.”

The loss mathematically eliminated Cleveland from playoff possibilities.

Houston matched a team record for victories in one season and kept alive its hope for a first-round bye.

Jeffires caught the winning pass in front of Alfred Jackson at the goal line, and a replay upheld the ruling that the ball crossed the plane, producing the only points by either team in the second half.

“I knew I was in the end zone,” Jeffires said. “I wasn’t supposed to be in the route at all, but the coaches always stress not being lazy on the backside of the play. Everything’s primarily to the right on that play, our 90-hook.

“I just kind of sensed Warren might get in some trouble and come to me, and I worked to get to the open area. I feel confident, like I’m the big-play receiver for this team.”

Cleveland led, 14-10, at halftime on Kosar’s touchdown passes of eight yards to Leroy Hoard and eight yards to Brian Brennan. Houston’s first-half points came on Moon’s seven-yard scoring pass to Ernest Givins and a 27-yard field goal by Al Del Greco.

The Browns nearly forced an overtime when Kosar took them from their own 18 to the Houston one in the final two minutes.

Kosar’s own 11-yard scramble put the ball at the one with eight seconds left.

After an incomplete pass consumed four seconds, Stover was unable to make the tying field goal.

It was the second time the Browns lost a heartbreaker to the Oilers this year.

Houston beat Cleveland, 28-24, on Moon’s touchdown pass to Drew Hill with nine seconds to play a month ago.