DENVER (Ticker) -- Having already squandered three fourth-quarter leads this season, the Denver Broncos avoided another devastating loss.
Jason Elam kicked a 36-yard field goal with six seconds remaining in regulation, then made a 25-yarder with 9:51 left in overtime as the Broncos improved their playoff hopes with a 23-20 victory over the Cleveland Browns.
"It's always nice to find a way to win when you don't play your A-game," Denver coach Mike Shanahan said. "We had to step up and made some big plays at the end of the game."
Denver (9-5) posted its third straight win and moved one-half game ahead of Miami in the battle for the final AFC wild card spot. The Dolphins host Philadelphia on Monday night.
"We needed it desperately," Elam said. "It certainly was a playoff atmosphere today."
Clinton Portis burned his former college coach Butch Davis by rushing for 139 yards and two touchdowns on a career-high 38 carries. However, he had to be helped off the field after suffering an apparent right leg injury on his final carry on the play before Elam's game-winning field goal.
"I am not a doctor but we hope he's OK," said Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer, who completed 22-of-36 passes for 269 yards with an interception. "He's a big part of this team and this offense."
Following a crucial 33-yard pass interference penalty against cornerback Lenny Walls, Brett Conway kicked a 48-yard field goal to give Cleveland a 20-17 lead with 1:11 left in regulation. Conway was signed by the Browns earlier this week after Phil Dawson broke his arm.
But with no timeouts, Plummer brought the Broncos right back as his 46-yard completion to Ashley Lelie set up Elam's game-tying kick.
"Ir's finally good to come out and get a big catch in a game like this," Lelie said. "It definitely felt long overdue. Fortunately, Jake got it in the right spot and I was able to make the catch."
It was Plummer's first come-from-behind win as a member of the Broncos.
"This one was sweet because it was the first one out here and we needed a win bad," Plummer said. "A lot of guys around me stepped up."
Cleveland (4-10) got the first possession in overtime but went three-and-out and Plummer's 24-yard bootleg got the Broncos going on their winning drive. They relied on the running of Portis to get deeper into Browns' territory.
"Going through these tough times, it builds some character," Davis said. "And if there's one thing this team's got, it's heart. With 50 seconds left, we had it won."
After squandering a 10-0 lead, the Broncos took a 17-10 advantage on Portis' 13-yard TD run with 10:43 left in the fourth quarter. The Browns answered just under three minutes later on Tim Couch's 37-yard TD strike to Andre' Davis, who made a leaping grab in the left corner of the end zone.
"This team could have quit at any point," said Couch, who completed just 8-of-18 passes for 181 yards with two TDS and an interception. "Just last week we had five more guys go on the IR."
