Couch Makes Himself at Home

Tim Couch played like he never has before in the place the Cleveland Browns almost never win. Even worse for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tommy Maddox kept playing exactly like he’s been playing.

Couch threw for two touchdowns and ran for another before halftime, and the Browns took advantage of three turnovers by Maddox to end a six-game losing streak to their biggest rivals, beating the Steelers, 33-13, Sunday night.

In essentially a must-win game, the Browns (2-3) shook off the absence of injured quarterback Kelly Holcomb and two tough losses in Pittsburgh a year ago to beat the Steelers (2-3) for only the third time in 16 games.

Brown Coach Butch Davis beat the Steelers for the first time in six attempts as Cleveland -- coming off a 21-14 loss at home to Cincinnati -- won in Pittsburgh for only the sixth time in 33 tries since 1970.

“We won tonight, but I’m not convinced the game wasn’t won earlier in the week, when the players decided to win,” he said.

Maddox led both of the Steelers’ comeback wins against the Browns last season, including a 36-33 playoff victory in which Pittsburgh trailed, 24-7, late in the third quarter. But his own mistakes prevented him from mounting a rally this time, and so did the Browns’ excellent coverage against Hines Ward and Plaxico Burress. The AFC’s top receiving duo had only three catches between them, and Maddox was lifted after going 11 for 24 for 136 yards.

Maddox became agitated when asked whether he still has confidence in himself.

“Of course I do,” he said. “You want me to go jump off a cliff? It’s only five games into the season, it’s not the gloom and doom everybody says it is.”

History says they might be in trouble. The Steelers are 2-3 for the fourth time in five seasons; they recovered to go to the playoffs last season, but didn’t in 2000 or 1999.

Perhaps the pivotal play was an interception by Cleveland cornerback Daylon MuCutcheon early in the third quarter. McCutcheon stepped in front of a Maddox pass intended for Jerame Tuman and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown and a 30-10 Brown lead.

Of Maddox’s eight interceptions, three have been returned for touchdowns and a fourth was returned to the one, leading to another touchdown.