Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer overcame the pressure of a miserable first half and the spectre of Johnny Manziel as his possible replacement to lead an inspired rally Sunday in Pittsburgh that nearly resulted in victory.
Throwing crisply and confidently to a wide array of receivers, Hoyer completed 15 of 20 for 174 yards after intermission. Included was a 9-yard touchdown off a bootleg to Travis Benjamin in the left corner of the end zone. He finished the game 19 of 31 for 230 yards and no interceptions.
Hoyer nailed three of his first four attempts, including a 47-yarder to tight end Jordan Cameron, but missed on seven of his next eight tries. He then engineered four scoring drives in first 20 minutes of the second half to turn a 27-3 deficit into a 27-27 tie.
He will try to lead the team to its first win next Sunday when the Saints come marching in.