From the Plain Dealer:
CLEVELAND, Ohio â€" The first thing Patriots coach Bill Belichick did after shaking Browns coach Eric Mangini's hand following Cleveland's 34-14 upset was seek out running back Peyton Hillis to comment on his stunning performance.
"He just said, 'Congratulations. I was impressed with you,' " Hillis said. "When you get a compliment like that from a great coach, it actually means something. Coming from a small town in Arkansas, growing up and watching this when you were a kid, it's just mesmerizing that you actually get to do it."
Hillis rushed for a career-high 184 yards on 29 carries and tied a career-high with two touchdowns. His 184 yards marked the ninth-highest total ever against the Patriots and the most since Ricky Williams rushed for 185 yards against them on Dec. 29, 2002.
"With Peyton, what we get is a guy who's going to run perfect footwork, he's going to run hard and he's going to run over people," said Browns left tackle Joe Thomas. "If we give him just a little crack, we know he's going to run guys over and get 4 yards minimum. As the defense wears down, he just gets stronger. In the fourth quarter, it's unstoppable."
Hillis, who averaged 6.3 yards, ran for 111 yards in the second half, keeping Patriots quarterback Tom Brady off the field. The Browns had the ball for 20:47 in the second half to the Patriots' 9:13. On the Browns' second-to-last drive, Hillis ran six times for 60 yards, including a 35-yard TD with 2:38 remaining that produced the final margin.
"Peyton's the best," said Browns quarterback Colt McCoy. "Him and I are really close, but at the same time, the guy's a heck of a football player. He understands the game. Things like this go unnoticed, but at the end of the game, he stays inbounds twice with a stiff-arm, getting the first down, keeping the clock rolling.
"Then all of a sudden, we hit a big one. He fires up the offensive line, the sideline gets fired up, the fans get fired up. It all starts with him. He played great."
Hillis began the game by hurdling Patriots safety James Sanders for extra yards on an 18-yard run. It led to a field goal and set the tone for his plowing through defenders and dragging them for extra yards.
On the Browns' second drive, after they recovered a fumble, Hillis smashed through the pile for a 2-yard TD that made it 10-0.
"The offensive line did a nice job today," Hillis said. "I couldn't have done it without those guys. They're opening up holes, and our coaches did a great job this week. We were expecting everything they were going to do."
On the Browns' third drive, Hillis bulldozed his way for 16 yards when linebacker Jerod Mayo ripped the ball out -- Hillis' fourth fumble of the season. Fortunately for Hillis, the defense forced a punt. The Browns came back to him on their next play, and he delivered the rest of the game.
"Against a team like that, you never can let off the gas," Hillis said. "If you want to be successful in life and in this league, you have to learn to let the mistakes fall behind you. We rebounded well today."
He also caught the longest pass of the game, a 29-yarder on third down that led to a fourth-quarter field goal. That time, he got the best of Mayo.
"We were scheming that all week," Hillis said. "We knew they like to play man in third down and short. We thought they'd bring a 'backer on me, you can do a stutter-and-go, beat them deep, stuff like that, and it just worked out to our advantage. They did exactly what we thought they'd do."
Hillis attributed the big day, in part, to healing from his pulled quadriceps muscle, one that plagued him the previous three games.
"Having the two weeks off did wonders," he said. "I came out of it healthy."
Hillis, who was overlooked last year in Denver, now has 644 yards and a career-high seven rushing TDs. He's on pace for 1,288 yards and 14 TDs. He's scored a TD in every game this season except Pittsburgh.
To reach this Plain Dealer Reporter:
mcabot@plaind.com, 216-999-4670
I'd be happy with a solid 100 and a score!