Matt Stover kicked four field goals and the Cleveland Browns survived a desperation drive by the Dallas Cowboys for a 19-14 victory that solidified their playoff hopes.Troy Aikman, who started after missing two games with a sprained right knee, moved the Cowboys 50 yards to the Cleveland 8 with 10 seconds remaining. He then connected with Jay Novacek on a slant pass, but Novacek slipped and fell a half-yard short of the end zone as time expired.
"Novacek is their go-to guy, so we focused on him," Browns coach Bill Belichick said.
"It worked, but I was a bit shorT," Novacek said. "I knew I had to get in the end zone. I knew I had to catch it. I came down and slipped. ... I should have scored, but I guess I was already touched."
Leroy Hoard rushed for 99 yards for Cleveland (10-4), which won at Dallas for the first time in 25 years and notched its first 10-win season since 1988. The Browns can clinch a playoff berth with a loss or tie this week by either the Buffalo Bills, the Denver Broncos or the Kansas City Chiefs.
"People said we had no chance of coming in here and beating the Cowboys, but this team believes in itself," Belichick said. "I hope we play these guys again in January, but that's far down the road. We need to concentrate on a big game against Pittsburgh next week."
Emmitt Smith rushed for 112 yards and scored two touchdowns for Dallas (11-3), which had its three-game winning streak snapped and fell one game behind San Francisco in the race for the best record in the league.
Smith became the first opposing rusher this season to amass 100 yards in a game against Cleveland.
"They play a very aggressive defensive with lots of stunting, which caused problems for our offensive line," Smith said. "It was difficult getting yards against them."
Stover kicked three field goals in the fourth quarter and has converted 20 consecutive field goals, a club record. His final kick was from 32 yards with 1:49 left and was set up by a fumble by Aikman on a fourth-down play.
"We were never in synch or rhythm and couldn't put things together offensively or defensively," Dallas coach Barry Switzer said. "Cleveland desreves credit. They played well."
Kevin Williams returned the ensuing kickoff 41 yards to the Dallas 48 and Aikman hit Alvin Harper and Michael Irvin with 15-yard passes that moved the ball to the Cleveland 22 with 28 seconds left.
After an incompletion, Aikman hit Williams on a crossing pattern to the Cleveland 8 and spiked the ball to stop the clock. Eric Turner fell on Novacek to preserve the victory.
Aikman had a spotty performance, completing 21-of-36 passes for 188 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Irvin caught eight passes for 102 yards.
Vinny Testaverde was 15-of-25 for 118 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Michael Jackson had six catches for 74 yards.
Late in the third quarter, Cleveland took over on the Dallas 45. A 17-yard run by Metcalf set up Stover's 32-yard field goal that extended the lead to six points in the first minute of the final period.
On the first play following the kickoff, Don Griffin picked off Aikman to give Cleveland possession at the Dallas 45. Jackson's 16-yard reception set up a 43-yarder by Stover that gave the Browns a 16-7 lead with 12:44 to play.
Smith rushed for 38 yards and caught a 10-yard pass from Aikman during a 78-yard drive. Smith ran four yards for the score for his 20th rushing touchdown of the season, pulling the Cowboys within 16-14 with 6:21 to go.
On their first possession, the Browns were on the verge of a score when Hoard fumbled a reception from Testaverde into the end zone that was recovered by Cowboys linebacker Robert Jones.
Dallas put together a 13-play, 80-yard drive. Smith had seven carries for 53 yards before catching a seven-yard pass from Aikman for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 4:11 left in the first quarter.
A 48-yard interference penalty against Cowboys cornerback Larry Brown moved Cleveland at the Dallas 9. Hoard ran for seven yards, and on the final play of the first quarter, Testaverde hit Michael Jackson in the left corner of the end zone for the tying score.
"We thought they would give us a test defensively," Switzer said. "Hoard is very difficult to get hold of. You have to gang-tackle him."
On the first play following the kickoff, Harper caught a 13-yard pass but fumbled. Stevon Moore recovered for Cleveland at the Browns 47. Testaverde hit Jackson for 12 yards and Hoard ran for 11 yards to position Stover for a 34-yard field goal that gave Cleveland the lead with 11:04 left before halftime.
Dallas had scoring chances on both of its remaining first-half possessions but came up empty. A game-tying 49-yard field goal by Chris Boniol was nullified by a false start penalty against Tony Tolbert and Aikman was picked off in the end zone by safety Eric Turner.