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Cleveland 24, Atlanta 16

CLEVELAND, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- The Cleveland Browns are back in the playoffs. And thanks to the Carolina Panthers, Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons are as well.

Rookie William Green rushed for a season-high 178 yards and two touchdowns Sunday, including a 64-yard jaunt in the fourth quarter, as the Browns did their part in earning a playoff bid with a 24-16 victory over the Falcons.

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The Browns (9-7) received a berth in the Super Bowl race for the first the first time since re-entering the league in 1999 when the New York Jets beat Green Bay. Cleveland will play at Pittsburgh next weekend in a wild card game.

Despite the loss, the Falcons (9-6-1) clinched an NFC wild card berth when the Carolina Panthers upset the New Orleans Saints. Atlanta travels to Green Bay, Tampa Bay or San Francisco next weekend.

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"I'm very disappointed that we did not get the job done ourselves," Falcons Coach Dan Reeves said. "The fact that we are in the playoffs is what you want. Now we have a chance. We just have to regroup for next week."

"It's good that we made the playoffs," Vick said. "But you don't want to go into the playoffs losing to a team like Cleveland, a team that we should've beaten.

"We wanted to go into the playoffs with some momentum and we are not doing that. We are in a slump right now and I don't know what it's going to take to get us over the hump."

Green's long touchdown run with 3:53 remaining gave the Browns a 24-16 lead, but Vick and the Falcons nearly rallied in the waning moments.

Atlanta had a first and goal at the Cleveland four with less than a minute remaining. Dunn ran for three yards on first down and Vick threw an incompletion before Dunn was stopped on consecutive runs, sealing the win for Cleveland.

The Browns were able to win despite quarterback Tim Couch leaving early in the second quarter with a fractured right fibula. They also committed four turnovers.

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"When I got hit the play before it didn't feel like my knee," Couch said. "It felt like my calf, a kind of charley horse like deal. I felt like I could get up and walk it off.

"Once I dropped back on the next play, I knew something was wrong. I went into the locker room and x-rays confirmed it. It's frustrating. This is what I worked hard for all my life and to get hurt is frustrating. But there is nothing I could do about it.

"I'm going to be the biggest cheerleader this team has."

Backup Kelly Holcomb has some starting experience heading into the playoffs. He started the first two games of the season while Couch was out with a shoulder injury.

Atlanta also had its share of miscues with three turnovers, the biggest of which was by backup fullback George Layne with the Falcons holding a 16-10 lead in the fourth quarter.

On second and nine from his own five, Vick swung a pass to the right for Layne, who had the ball jarred loose by Corey Fuller. Gerald Brown recovered at the 11 with 8:18 remaining.

Layne was playing in his second game this season. He replaced Bob Christian, who is out two to four weeks with a concussion.

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It looked as if the Falcons would hold the Browns out of the end zone after Holcomb was sacked by Matt Stewart for an eight-yard loss.

But on third and 14 from the 15, Holcomb found Kevin Johnson wide open for a touchdown, giving the Browns a 17-16 lead with 6:58 remaining.

For the most part, Holcomb was ineffective after replacing Couch. He completed seven of 14 passes for 86 yards and was intercepted twice.

"In spite of the turnovers we had with those three interceptions, he (Holcomb) got back in, regained his composure and made the throw down to Kevin Johnson for the touchdown we needed," Browns Coach Butch Davis said. "It was a great play by Kelly and K.J."

After allowing one first down, the Browns got the ball back with 4:48 remaining on their own 29.

Green ran for seven yards on first down, then took a handoff and ran over right tackle and raced down the sideline for a 64-yard touchdown, giving the Browns a 24-16 lead with 3:53 remaining.

"It was a good finish," Green said. "The offensive line did a good job of opening up the hole, so I just took the ball and ran. I think one guy touched me, but it was mostly the offensive line."

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After starting slowly in his rookie campaign, Green was a force down the stretch, averaging 103.7 yards on the ground over his final seven games.

"I think our football team and entire coaching staff believed in William, but we knew he was going to be drafted for days like today," Davis said. "He had the big play, the big run for the touchdown."

Vick, who was contained all afteroon, tried to rally the Falcons, completing passes of 22 yards to Quentin McCord and finding tight end Alge Crumpler for 18 yards to the Cleveland 16. He then hit Trevor Gaylor for 12 yards to the four.

On first down, Dunn ran up the middle for three yards and was stopped just short of the goal line. After Vick's incompletion, Dunn was stuffed on consecutive plays by linebacker Dwayne Rudd.

It was redemption for Rudd, who made one of the biggest blunders in the season's opening week against the Kansas City Chiefs. In that 40-39 loss, Rudd removed his helmet on the field in the waning seconds and was whistled for an unsportsmanlike penalty, leading to the winning field goal for Kansas City.

Rudd also had a hand in shadowing Vick for much of the day. Vick was held to 37 yards rushing on six attempts. He also struggled through the air, completing 17 of 40 passes for 240 yards, one touchdown and an interception.

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