By Tom Withers
The Associated Press

CLEVELAND - Julius Peppers knocked down passes. He tossed around offensive tackle Ryan Tucker and chased Cleveland Browns quarterback Tim Couch all over the field.

If this was Peppers' last rookie game, Carolina's sensational defensive end made it one to remember.

The Panthers finally have something to savor, too.

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.

"I'm so proud of this team," Panthers first-year coach John Fox said. "This group has stuck together - what's left of them."

Carolina (4-8) opened the season with three straight wins, but a series of embarrassing off-field problems - the most notable being receiver Steve Smith's assault of teammate Anthony Bright, and running back Lamar Smith's arrest last week on drunken driving charges - had made the Panthers a league-wide laughingstock.

"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."

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

The Browns (6-6) turned the ball over five times and dropped 11/2 games behind first-place Pittsburgh in the AFC North. Cleveland's players know they let a big chance slip away.

"We felt this was a winnable game," said Couch, who threw three interceptions. "It's a heartbreaking loss."

Brown only learned on Friday that he would start after Smith, the team's leading rusher and scorer, was put on paid leave following his arrest.

The second-year back from Syracuse came in with just 119 career yards, but ran like a seasoned veteran. His biggest carry was his next-to-last, picking up a crucial first down late in the fourth as the Panthers tried to run out the clock.

"This is a tremendous feeling for me and all of us because of all the adversity we've faced," Brown said. "It was unfortunate what happened to Lamar; we all support him."

Peppers might be the next Carolina player needing solace.

He recorded a sack, deflected two passes and had several pressures in what may have been his final game this year. Peppers will have a hearing Tuesday in New York 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."

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

After Brown ran through Robert Griffith's tackle for a first down with 5:31 left, the Panthers got a 44-yard field goal from Shayne Graham to go ahead 13-6.

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 for an apparent TD.

However, the officials ruled Howard never had possession. The Browns couldn't challenge the call because they were out of timeouts, 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."

The Browns got one last chance, but Emmanuel McDaniel, released by Cleveland this summer, sealed the win by intercepting Couch for the second time.

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

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 yards rushing helped Cleveland run for more than 100 yards for the third straight game. It's the first time they've done that since '93. ... Walls' 24-yard TD reception was Carolina's first in seven quarters.

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