BEREA Browns climb back into AFC North championship hunt

Cleveland's dominating win over Arizona has given it reason to believe.
BEREA (AP) -- The guy who soaped "Butch Must Go" on the back windows of his orange customized Browns van was probably at the car wash on Monday.
And the computer hits at the newly created www.firebutchdavis.com weren't nearly as fast and furious as they were last week.
All is well with the Browns -- for the moment.
Cleveland coach Butch Davis isn't going anywhere, and following a 44-6 rout of the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, the Browns (4-6) have never felt better about a season that seemed doomed just a few days ago.
"We're back in it," safety Earl Little said. "I've said all along that a 7-9 record might be good enough to make the playoffs, and so far I'm right."
Division chase
By ending a three-game losing streak with their most lopsided win since 1989, the Browns moved back into contention in the wide-open and weak AFC North.
With six games remaining, Cleveland is one game behind division co-leaders Baltimore and Cincinnati, which upset previously unbeaten Kansas City on Sunday.
The Browns' dominating win -- they had season highs in points, yards and first downs -- capped a dizzying week of events. There was the release of popular wide receiver Kevin Johnson and the NFL's four-game suspension of running back William Green for violating the league's substance abuse program.
From the outside, it appeared the locker room was divided, Davis was out of control and, with one more loss, the season would plunge into a deep hole.
However, the adversity did just the opposite.
"I think it's a little bit like all the water in the ocean won't sink the ship if you don't let it in," Davis said. "I think it certainly galvanized the team from the standpoint that everybody pulled together, and I think they put the team first.
"It was more about the team. It was more about the Cleveland Browns than anything. It wasn't about egos. It wasn't about anybody doing anything other than what it was going to take to get the Browns to win a football game."
Must-win
A loss to the Cardinals would have been devastating, and Little said some of Cleveland's players were even considering the consequences of one before kickoff.
"I was like, 'Hey, let's not even talk like that.' There wasn't a lot of people, but I heard it. It would have been terrible," Little said. "If we had lost that game, you guys would have been riding us about the K.J. situation, the fans would have been on us. It was a game we really needed."
Perhaps it isn't a coincidence that Johnson's departure was immediately followed by the most complete game this season by Cleveland's offense.
Wideouts Quincy Morgan and Andre' Davis went over 100 yards in receiving. Quarterback Kelly Holcomb passed for 392 yards and three touchdowns. And slot receiver Dennis Northcutt, who wasn't getting as much playing time with Johnson around, had six catches and was used as a decoy for much of the game.
Morgan, far more accessible and talkative since Johnson's departure, has been saying for the past week the Browns wouldn't miss Johnson as much as many thought.
"It was one guy," Morgan said. "It wasn't Michael Jordan."
Morgan said last week's headline-making events might have been just what the Browns needed to make a playoff push.
"I'd be lying if I didn't say they didn't," he said. "All the outside talk, it really got this team fired up and we're going to try and keep this fire lit for six more weeks."