PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- Tim Couch may have given coach Butch Davis something to think about.
Couch passed for 169 yards and two touchdowns in an almost perfect first half as the Cleveland Browns rolled to a 33-13 victory over the AFC North Division rival Pittsburgh Steelers.
Starting his second straight game in place of the injured Kelly Holcomb, Couch completed 16-of-17 passes and also ran for a score in the opening half, helping the Browns build a 23-10 lead.
Couch cooled down in the second half and finished 20-of-25 for 208 yards with an interception. But despite his big night, Couch could be headed back to the bench when Holcomb returns from a hairline fracture in his left leg.
"After starting the season the way I did on the bench, I felt I could come in and play well," said Couch, who was ineffective in the second half of last week's loss to Cincinnati. "I was having a good time. I think that's what I wanted to do, get on the field and have fun playing football again. To have the receivers catching the ball and getting open the way they were, it was a fun day to play. It was my most complete game."
Davis already has stated that Holcomb, who beat out Couch for the starting job during training camp, will return as the starter when healthy, but praised Couch after the game.
"I can't say enough about Tim's performance," Davis said. "The offensive line did a tremendous job. It was probably Tim's best, 20-of-25. He made really good decisions with the ball."
While Couch did it through the air, William Green carried the load on the ground. He carried a career-high 33 times for 115 yards.
"I feel all 33 of them," Green said. "It feels good for me. It's nice that the team has the confidence to let me run the ball."
Cornerback Daylon McCutcheon returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter for the Browns (2-3), who squandered a 12-point lead with under three minutes left in a wild card loss here last January.
"Our coaches put together a great game plan," McCutcheon said. "We really didn't want to think about last year. You know what you're capable of. Tonight we just wanted to play tough for four quarters."
Tommy Maddox, who engineered the comeback last season, had a forgettable night for the Steelers (2-3). He completed 11-of-24 passes for 124 yards and two interceptions before being benched late in the fourth quarter.
"What do you think I am going to do, jump off a cliff?" Maddox said. "It is five games into the season. Are we playing the way we need to be playing, no. But it is not as gloom and doom as everybody thinks it is. We are going to get this thing turned around."
Afterwards, Steelers coach Bill Cowher was upset with his team.
"It was a very poor display of football," Cowher said. "We're not playing very good football right now. It's the same recurring thing - turnovers and big plays. It was a very disappointing performance."
The Browns moved at will in the opening half, producing three touchdowns and a field goal on five drives.
On the opening drive of the contest, Couch directed a 10-play, 81-yard march. The drive featured completions of 23 yards to Andre Davis and an 18-yard connection to Dennis Northcutt to the Pittsburgh 39.
Working from the shotgun, Couch capped the drive on 3rd-and-goal with a six-yard touchdown pass over the middle to Davis. Couch went 5-of-5 for 79 yards on the drive.
The Steelers' first drive ended in disaster when defensive end Courtney Brown jarred the ball loose from Maddox and recovered the fumble at the Pittsburgh 20.
"We had Maddox stepping up in the pocket, throwing the ball really quick, unable to make his reads down the field," Browns defensive tackle Gerard Warren said.
Cleveland reached the 1, but had to settle for Phil Dawson's 19-yard field goal with 5:46 left in the first quarter.
Northcutt muffed a punt deep in own territory late in the first quarter, setting up Jeff Reed's 30-yard field goal four seconds into the second quarter, pulling the Steelers within 10-3.
But the Browns quickly regained the momentum as Davis returned the ensuing kickoff 69 yards to the Steelers 23.
Five plays later, Couch found Kevin Johnson for a nine-yard touchdown. Dawson had the extra point blocked, leaving the Browns with a 16-3 advantage.
The Steelers had their best drive of the night later in the second quarter, going 64 yards in six plays.
Maddox found Hines Ward for 25 yards to the Cleveland 1, and Jerome Bettis plowed over from one yard on the next play, pulling the Steelers within 16-10 with 3:17 left before intermission.
But Couch responded by with a perfect drive to end the half, taking the Browns 78 yards in nine plays. He completed 6-of-6 passes for 66 yards and ran twice for 13 yards on the march.
Couch's second run was a nine-yard run around the right side for a touchdown with six seconds left, giving the Browns a 23-10 lead.
In the second half, the Browns were much more conservative on offense, opting to pound the ball with Green, who rushed for 85 yards after intermission.
On the Steelers' second possession of the third quarter, Maddox had a pass intended for tight end Jerame Tuman intercepted by McCutcheon, who raced untouched 75 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown, extending the lead to 30-10.
Maddox, who was hurried much of the night, also did not have much help from his running game. Amos Zereoue was held to 38 yards on 13 carries.
In the second half, the Steelers were only able to manage a 37-yard field goal by Reed with 2:56 left in the third quarter.
"It was embarrassing the way we performed on national TV," Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward said. "You can't do that. Anytime you get the chance to play on national TV, you want to go out there and put on a good performance. We didn't do that. You really can't go out and point fingers. It's a total team loss."
Dawson capped the scoring with a 22-yard field goal with 9:32 left in the contest.
