BROWNS Playoff push begins in Big Easy

At 5-5, Cleveland has a shot at making the postseason.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Talk about your big play.
The expansion Cleveland Browns, coming off a 34-3 drubbing by the Rams, were a dismal 0-7 back in 1999 and looked as if they would soon be 0-8.
The New Orleans Saints weren't much better at 1-5, but had a 16-15 lead and time was running out. Then, as the seconds ticked away, Cleveland's Tim Couch threw a 56-yard pass into the end zone that a couple of Saints players batted around before Kevin Johnson latched onto it to give the Browns a 21-16 victory.
"It was our first win ever since we came back as a franchise," Couch said. "The fashion that the game ended, with a Hail Mary pass, is something that I will remember as long as I'm playing."
The victory was sweet for the Browns, giving them hope their struggles would pay off.
For the Saints, who would finish 3-13, it was another dismal loss in a tumultuous time. Coach Mike Ditka fell face-first to the Superdome carpet after the play and lay there, unable to watch the Cleveland celebration.
"I think that was my favorite part of it all," Couch said. "You knew you got them when you saw Coach Ditka laying there on the turf."
Only five starters remain with the Browns from that 1999 team. Only three of the Saints' starters are still with New Orleans, and both teams have put that bleak season behind them.
They have a shot
Under second-year coach Butch Davis the Browns (5-5) are a half-game behind Pittsburgh in the AFC North.
Cleveland is coming off a 27-20 victory over Cincinnati, and with six weeks remaining, has a realistic shot at making the postseason
"We figure we've got as good a chance as anybody else," said Cleveland tight end Mark Campbell. "What we're trying to do is build something here and get a push toward the playoffs, which we haven't had in the last three years."
That's the same push New Orleans (7-3) is looking for.
The Saints fell out of a tie for first place after their second loss to Atlanta. New Orleans now trails Tampa Bay by a game and is only a half-game ahead of the Falcons in the NFC South.
"These next three games are usually when teams leap and have themselves prepared to go to the playoffs or they fall out of it," said Saints coach Jim Haslett. "These next few weeks are critical to all teams."
Haslett breaks the season down into four-week stretches. He is looking for the Saints to put together a winning streak down the stretch to catapult them into the playoffs.
"I told the players that we have a lot of football to play in a short period of time," Haslett said. "We don't have a lot of days left to get these six games in. We have about 40 days to play six games. In these 40 days, and hopefully longer, we need to focus and execute and do the things it takes to win games."