AFC NORTH Browns regroup with 2 straight wins, will have momentum against Chargers

Tim Couch will start at quarterback again against winless San Diego.
BEREA (AP) -- It's been a long haul for the Cleveland Browns just to get back to .500.
After an 1-3 start that included two humbling losses, the Browns have defeated two teams that reached the playoffs last season, are just a half game out of first place in the AFC North, and seem to have won back their home-field advantage.
But are the Browns a playoff contender?
"I know we're a playoff team," linebacker Andra Davis said Monday.
Davis leads the Browns with 63 tackles on a defensive unit that's allowed only two touchdowns over the last two games. They've also shut down Pittsburgh and Oakland's running game.
That's the same defense that allowed Baltimore's Jamal Lewis to rush for an NFL record 295 yards.
Davis hasn't forgotten.
"We know we're in the record books for it ... it was a fluke I think. But as long as we keep doing what we're doing now, I'm not worried about it," he said.
Couch likely starter
The Browns are 2-1 since Tim Couch stepped in following starter Kelly Holcomb's leg injury. It appears Couch will again be the starter when winless San Diego comes to town Sunday.
"Whoever gives us the best chance to win is going to be the guy," Browns coach Butch Davis said. "There's no reason to suspect that it will change until Kelly is 100 percent healthy."
Davis made it clear on Monday that Holcomb is not ready to return.
"He's not 100 percent. I wish I could tell you when he's going to be 100 percent," Davis said. "Today, he admitted some trouble running and jogging."
Holcomb said last week that it would take six weeks for his broken right fibula to heal completely, which would push his return back to the Nov. 9 game at Kansas City.
Skips the situation
Davis on Monday refused to address the decision that he eventually will have to make for the second time this season -- Couch or Holcomb?
"When [Holcomb's] 100 percent, we'll deal with it," Davis said. "The only thing we'll worry about now is San Diego."
Meanwhile, Couch continues to play the role of the modest backup.
"Obviously, I want to play," Couch said. "But I came into the year as a backup. Whatever decision coach makes, I'm going to continue to do just like I was doing before and be ready to go if I get another opportunity."
Couch has the opportunity to lead the Browns to three straight wins for the first time since they started 2001 with a 3-1 record. That's also the only time since their return to the league in 1999 that they've won two straight at home.
Different scene
The Browns' convincing win at Pittsburgh a week earlier seemed to fire up the fans at Cleveland Browns Stadium, who cheered Couch as he emerged from the tunnel Sunday. The scene was quite a difference from the Browns' last home game -- a loss to Cincinnati -- which ended with Couch trading angry shouts with a fan.
"The crowd stepped up. That was nice," offensive lineman Barry Stokes said. "I was really appreciative of the crowd. I don't think sometimes they know what an impact they have on the players."
The Raiders committed 19 penalties, including a few false starts that Davis attributed to crowd noise.
"It is critical for the fans to be into it," Davis said. "That's why [there is] home-field advantage."