The Associated Press

BEREA, Ohio - Kelly Holcomb may have saved the Browns' season on Sunday at the expense of a portion of his own.

Cleveland's quarterback fractured a bone in his right leg during the first quarter but refused to come out, rallying the Browns to a stunning 13-12 win over the 49ers.

Wincing in pain and hobbling, Holcomb completed 12-of-14 passes on a 91-yard scoring drive in the final minutes, throwing an 11-yard TD pass to Andre' Davis with 29 seconds left to give the Browns (1-2) their first win.

"It was somewhat John Wayne-esque," Browns coach Butch Davis said Monday. "It was kind of heroic. He fought through the whole day and refused to surrender, like a heavyweight prize fighter. He kept getting up off the mat."

But Holcomb could be down for a while.

X-rays taken during halftime and again Monday revealed that Holcomb has a hairline fracture of his fibula, the smaller bone located on the outside of the leg.

Holcomb could miss a few games, but Davis hasn't ruled him out of practice this week or playing Sunday against the Bengals.

That's typical of Davis, who usually downplays injuries hoping that his optimism can help a player return earlier than expected.

Davis dismissed a radio report that Holcomb will be out 4-to-6 weeks as "totally erroneous." He added that Holcomb could conceivably play with the injury all season.

Holcomb, named the starter over Tim Couch at the end of training camp, was injured while making a quarterback sneak near his own goal line. As Holcomb pushed into the line, 49ers defensive end Chidi Ahanotu fell on the quarterback's leg.

Davis said initial X-rays didn't show the fracture. He considered switching to Couch in the third quarter, but decided against it when Holcomb - blitzed nearly nonstop by the 49ers in the first half - appeared to be dealing with his injury.

"He was moving around fine and he was playing fine," Davis said. "We were more concerned about getting the protections changed than we were about changing the quarterback. He was able to plant and able to throw."

If Holcomb has to sit Sunday or is sidelined for an extended period, the Browns will again turn to Couch, who led them to eight wins last season before losing his job this summer.

"Our football team believes in Tim," Davis said. "Tim has won games here. Tim prepares. His mental attitude has been very good. When he's on the sideline, he's watching coverages. He and Kelly are talking. ... From that standpoint, we feel good."

RAMS: Running back Marshall Faulk will be sidelined four-to-six weeks with a broken left hand, even though the injury will not require surgery.

Faulk also will undergo surgery to repair torn cartilage in his knee, an injury that's been bothering him off and on since training camp.

RAIDERS: Kicker Sebastian Janikowski was jailed during the weekend after getting into a fight in a restaurant.

He was arrested Saturday night on suspicion of misdemeanor assault, misdemeanor vandalism and public drunkenness, police said.

He was expected to play Monday night against the Broncos.

CHARGERS: Tackle Vaughn Parker had an MRI on his sprained left knee, and coach Marty Schottenheimer said the 10-year pro has an injury "of some consequence."

COLTS: Indianapolis might be without starting right tackle Ryan Diem Sunday night at New Orleans because of an injured left ankle.

VIKINGS: Quarterback Daunte Culpepper has three broken bones on the left side of his back and another is cracked.

He is doubtful for Sunday's game against San Francisco.

Return to Bengals front page...