Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer did little in the second half Sunday against New Orleans - until it mattered the most.
Hoyer hit a wide-open Andrew Hawkins on a 28-yard lob pass with the final seconds ticking away to cap a 79-yard drive and set up the game-winning field goal. That concluded a game in which he completed 24 of 40 for 204 yards, two scores and no interceptions. He compiled an 81.7 passer rating.
He began his day as well as he ended it. Using the no-huddle offense that proved successful in the second half of the opener in Pittsburgh, he drove his team downfield and tossed a 3-yard scoring strike to Miles Austin for a 7-0 lead. But he finished the first half 9 of 19 for just 67 yards and struggled at times finding a rhythm with his receivers until the final march.
Hoyer and the Browns host Baltimore next Sunday.