CLEVELAND -- Kevin Johnson still can't believe it happened. Neither can Cleveland fans who remember seeing the old Browns lose heartbreaking games like this all too often.

	Kevin Johnson leaps to catch the winning TD pass off a deflection by a Saints defender.

But in New Orleans on Sunday, a "miracle" fell from below the Louisiana Superdome's ceiling and into Johnson's hands. A play called "258 Flood Tip" forever became a part of Browns football lore.

Finally, a city still feeling the pain of Brian Sipe's playoff interception ("Red Right 88") and Denver's two AFC Championship Game wins ("The Drive" and "The Fumble") in the 1980s, had a play it could watch over and over again.

The Play, they're already calling it.

"That will go down with all the other famous plays they've had here over the years," Chris Palmer said of the play, which also gave him his first NFL victory as head coach.

The expansion Browns got their first victory since returning to the NFL with a Tim Couch-to-Johnson touchdown pass on the final play that nearly 24 hours later still had Johnson shaking his head.

"The ball was so high and I just ran into the end zone and saw all three guys jump," the rookie wide receiver said. "It's just a miracle. The ball just fell right into my hands."

Johnson's catch gave the Browns a 21-16 victory, triggering a wild celebration on the field and 1,000 miles away in Cleveland.

As the Browns piled on top of Johnson in the end zone, Palmer raced frantically across the field, seeming to hug a different assistant with each stride.

In the opposite end zone, Dwight Clark, Cleveland's director of football operations, kissed a bald male media member on the head and hugged anyone within reach.

Saints coach Mike Ditka, whose team gave up a similar "Hail Mary" play a week earlier to the New York Giants, fell flat on his face in disbelief.

Meanwhile, back in Ohio, fans who hadn't seen their beloved Browns win in nearly four years, ran onto their front lawns and into the streets to scream with joy. Later, several hundred would be at Hopkins Airport to welcome the team home.

"And we're 1-7," wide receiver Darrin Chiaverini said. "I can't wait until we start winning and going to the playoffs. It's going to be unbelievable around here."

When Doug Brien kicked a 46-yard field goal with 21 seconds left, it appeared the Browns would once again be hard-luck losers. They had led at halftime before this season only to lose, and had lost to Cincinnati on the final play at home.

But trailing by two points, Couch entered the Browns' huddle convinced it was Cleveland's turn.

"He just said, 'We're gonna get this,' " Johnson said. "It gave a lot of guys confidence."

After an incompletion on first down, Couch hooked up with Leslie Shepherd for 19 yards to the Browns' 44.

Cleveland called a timeout, and Palmer told his young QB to run "258 Flood Tip." The play, which the Browns ran in practice on Friday, is designed with one wideout alone on the left side and three on the right. Couch is supposed to roll right to buy time for his receivers to get down field and throw the ball high and deep.

But from the moment the ball was snapped there were problems.

Saints defensive end Brady Smith blew past Browns tackle Lomas Brown and looked as if he might sack Couch.

"I thought Tim was doomed," Cleveland defensive tackle Stalin Colinet said.

But as Couch ran away from Smith, Johnson sprinted downfield and looked up at the video scoreboard at one end of the Superdome to see where the Saints defenders were located.

"Leslie (Shepherd) pointed that out to me," Johnson said. "He said at Tennessee he did that and that really helped me out. So I decided to look and I saw Tim was scrambling, and I figured I'd run a little faster to try and make a play."

As he neared the goal line, Johnson said he veered a little right when he saw Shepherd go into the air with three Saints defensive backs.

"My job was to go down and tip the ball to Leslie or Chiaverini," he said. "Obviously, the play didn't work out as we planned, but it worked. It was an excellent throw and an excellent play by us, and fortunately it's a miracle that it got done."