Lions Finally Show Off Their Ware, 24-14 : Interconference: He passes for two touchdowns and runs for 68 yards as Detroit dims Cleveland’s playoff hopes.

After wasting away on the Detroit Lions’ bench, Andre Ware didn’t waste his chance.

Ware passed for 138 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 68 yards as the Lions dealt a crushing blow to the Cleveland Browns’ playoff chances with a 24-14 victory Sunday.

“(Ware) hurt us, getting outside containment and with the run,” Cleveland Coach Bill Belichick said. “It was something we anticipated, and we just didn’t do a good enough job. We knew what he was capable of.

“Ware is a big guy with a good arm, and that’s what he showed. It’s not like we didn’t know he could run and throw.”

Ware was making his first start since the ninth game of the 1990 season against the Minnesota Vikings. He was benched at halftime of that game with the Lions trailing, 7-0.

Coach Wayne Fontes said Ware, the third quarterback Detroit (4-10) has started in as many weeks, following Erik Kramer and Rodney Peete, will start again next Sunday against the Chicago Bears. However, Fontes declined to call Ware the No. 1 quarterback.

Ware didn’t seem to care.

“This was nice for the team,” he said. “We needed a win.”

Cleveland (7-7) must beat Pittsburgh and Houston--teams they defeated earlier in the season--in the next two weeks to have any chance to make the playoffs.

A disappointed Belichick bristled when asked about the Browns’ playoff prospects.

“Next question,” he snapped.

Ware threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Brett Perriman on the Lions’ first possession, and Barry Sanders made it 14-0 in the third quarter with a 14-yard scoring run--the first rushing touchdown given up by the Browns in 46 quarters.

Detroit’s Bennie Blades blocked Brian Hansen’s punt a few minutes later. Ed Tillison scooped up the ball and returned it 10 yards to the Cleveland 19. Three plays later, Ware hit Reggie Barrett with a 19-yard touchdown pass for a 21-0 lead. Jason Hanson added a 46-yard field goal for the Lions in the fourth quarter.

Bernie Kosar, trying to engineer a third consecutive victory for Cleveland since he returned to the starting lineup from an ankle injury, completed 20 of 28 passes for 276 yards, including a 69-yard scoring pass play to Michael Jackson and a five-yarder to Eric Metcalf with 1:10 to play.

“I don’t question the effort we gave,” Kosar said. “It just didn’t work out for us today. We didn’t make the plays we had to, and we’ve had a little trouble with consistency on our team.”

The Lions intercepted two of Kosar’s passes.

“I thought the defense played as well as it should have been all year,” Fontes said. “We blitzed because Kosar is a good pocket passer and we wanted to get him moving.”