The Associated Press

CLEVELAND - The Carolina Panthers were smiling, laughing and hugging. A season soured by suspensions, an arrest and an ugly fight was finally fun again.

After nearly three months of self destruction, the Panthers finally damaged somebody else's season.

Dee Brown rushed for 122 yards in his first career NFL start as Carolina ended an eight-game losing streak Sunday with a 13-6 win over Cleveland, crippling the sloppy Browns' playoff chances.

The Panthers (4-8), who began the season 3-0, won for the first time since Sept. 22 and ended a string of futility that included all sorts of off-field problems - the most notable being wide receiver Steve Smith's assault of teammate Anthony Bright during a film session.

"So many bad things have happened to us," said tight end Wesley Walls, who scored the game's lone touchdown. "That made this one sweet, real sweet. This is our most satisfying win because of what we've been through."

During the losing streak, Carolina lost four games by three points or fewer and had blown fourth-quarter leads in all four.

"A bounce finally went our way," said cornerback Reggie Howard.

Like so many of Cleveland's games in the past two seasons, this one had some controversy as officials waved off an apparent go-ahead TD by Browns wide receiver Kevin Johnson with 1:57 remaining.

The Browns (6-6) committed five turnovers and quarterback Tim Couch threw three interceptions, including one on a bobbled ball that Carolina's Eugene McDaniel picked off with 1:45 left.

"This is a really tough loss because of how much it meant to us," Couch said. "It's tough to take."

Carolina quarterback Rodney Peete threw a 24-yard TD pass to Walls in the first quarter.

Brown was filling in for Lamar Smith, the Panthers' leading rusher and scorer, who was put on paid leave following an arrest on drunken driving charges.

The second-year back from Syracuse helped Carolina rush for 158 yards and allowed the Panthers to control the clock late in the fourth quarter.

On fourth-and-1 with 5:31 left, Brown avoided Robert Griffith's tackle behind the line of scrimmage and ran for three yards and the game's most important first down.

After Brown's gutty run, the Panthers had to settle for Shayne Graham's 44-yard field goal with 2:53 left.

Moments later, the Browns' chances appeared to be over when Reggie Howard picked off Couch's pass in front of Carolina's bench. But Howard lost the ball as he hit the ground, and Johnson alertly picked it up and ran 27 yards for an apparent TD.

However, the officials ruled Howard never had possession. The Browns couldn't challenge the call because they were out of time outs, and the play wasn't automatically reviewed because the snap came with more than two minutes left.

Referee Walt Coleman said side judge Dave Wyant initially ruled a fumble, but Wyant changed his call after conferring with the crew.

"We talked about the fact that you have to come all the way to the ground with the ball in your possession to have a completed catch," Coleman said. "Then he said it was incomplete."

McDaniel, who was released by the Browns this summer, sealed the win with his second interception.

"The ball just bounced our way," he said. "It's about time."

Carolina rookie defensive end Julius Peppers had a sack, knocked down two passes and had several pressures in possibly his final game this season. Peppers, who has 12 sacks, will have a hearing Tuesday to appeal a four-game suspension for using a banned substance.

"If it's the last game, it's a great way to go," he said. "But I'm not looking at it that way. I'm ready to finish with four wins in a row."

Notes: Browns WR/KR Dennis Northcutt sprained his right knee late in the first half and didn't return. He left the stadium on crutches. ... Browns rookie William Green's 94 rushing yards helped Cleveland run for more than 100 yards for the third straight game. It's the first time they've done that since '93. ... Brown came in with only 119 career rushing yards in 10 games. ... Walls' TD was Carolina's first in seven quarters.

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