ATLANTA — Cleveland Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer rated his play as horrible. But he’ll take it.

Hoyer shook off two ugly interceptions in the final five minutes to lead a last-minute game-winning drive in the Browns’ thrilling 26-24 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday at the Georgia Dome.

Cleveland kicker Billy Cundiff’s 37-yard field goal as time expired was the difference and capped a frantic finish to a game that was mostly dominated by the Browns, but came down to the wire, mainly due to Hoyer’s miscues.

Leading by two with five minutes to play, Cleveland was at the Atlanta 6-yard line, looking to put the game away. But on first-and-goal, Hoyer rolled to his right and threw a pass to the back of the end zone that was intercepted by Falcons cornerback Desmond Trufant.

Cleveland coach Mike Pettine said Hoyer was trying to throw the ball away. Luckily for the Browns, the Falcons were unable to capitalize.

But the Browns’ quarterback gave the ball right back to Atlanta on the next possession, with safety Dezmen Southward picking off Hoyer near midfield.

This time the Falcons took advantage, driving to the Browns’ 36 to set up a Matt Bryant 53-yard field goal that put Atlanta ahead 24-23 with 44 seconds to play. The Falcons had a chance to take more time off the clock, but couldn’t convert on a third-and-2.

Cleveland took over on its own 20-yard line. Hoyer completed four of five passes, the last two to wide receiver Miles Austin, to move down to the Falcons’ 19-yard line with 10 seconds to play. Hoyer rushed the team to the line and spiked the ball to stop the clock to set up Cundiff’s game-winner.

“We worked a lot of situational football through this spring and training camp,” Pettine said. “That was just our mayday spike.”

Hoyer finished 23-for-40 for 322 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions, while Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was 27 of 43 for 273 yards, two touchdowns and one pick.

The game marked the return of Cleveland’s top offensive weapon in wide receiver Josh Gordon. After leading the NFL in receiving last season, Gordon missed the first 10 games serving a suspension for another failed drug test. Gordon caught eight passes for 120 yards.

Cleveland running back Isaiah Crowell rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns, including a 24-yard run that put the Browns up 23-14 late in the third quarter.

The Falcons answered with 14-play, 80-yard drive and cut the Browns’ lead to 23-21 on a short touchdown run by running back Steven Jackson with 9:31 to play.

What the Browns said:

“Defense did a great job, but I’ve got to play a lot better. If we want really do something with this thing, I can’t play like that. I mean, I can’t believe we still won.” – Quarterback Brian Hoyer.

What the Falcons said:

“It’s very frustrating when you don’t play consistent football. You train all week; these guys work extremely hard. The players, the coaches, we train and we have an opportunity to play once a week. When you don’t play consistently, you’re not going to get the outcome that you want.” – Coach Mike Smith.

What we learned about the Browns:

1. The release of running back Ben Tate looks like a smart move. The tandem of Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West combined to rush for 150 yards, with Crowell scoring two touchdowns. Tate, the team’s biggest offseason acquisition, had struggled and was eventually cut, giving way to Crowell and West, who took advantage of the move Sunday.

2. The return of wide receiver Josh Gordon is huge. Gordon, who led the NFL in receiving last season, looked like he was in midseason form. He caught eight passes for 120 yards and could have had more, if quarterback Brian Hoyer had been more accurate with his throws.

–WR Josh Gordon returned from a 10-game suspension due to a failed drug test and immediately sparked the Browns’ offense. Gordon eight passes for a 120 yards. He was targeted a team-high 16 times and even made a heady play on what could have been a disaster. After bobbling a handoff on an attempted reverse, Gordon scooped up the ball, collected himself and was able to launch a pass out of bounds to avoid what would have been a big loss.

–QB Brian Hoyer must have been looking over his shoulder after throwing his second and third interceptions in the final five minutes. But rookie backup Johnny Manziel never saw the field and cheered on Hoyer as he led the game-winning drive. Still, Hoyer’s struggles are a concern for the Browns as they head into the final six weeks of the season. He completed 23 of 40 passes for 322 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions. He missed several open receivers that could have resulted in big plays.

–RB Isaiah Crowell rushed for 88 yards on 12 carries and scored two touchdowns. Crowell, along with Terrance West, will get the bulk of the workload going forward, after the Browns released running back Ben Tate last week. Tate, the team’s top offseason acquisition, struggled the past month, before being released.

What we learned about the Falcons:

1. The defense continues to be a major issue. The Browns racked up 475 yards and easily marched 61 yards in 40 seconds to set up Billy Cundiff’s game-winning field goal as time expired. Atlanta entered the game allowing the most yards in the league.

2. The Falcons’ running game was non-existent against Cleveland. Running backs Steven Jackson, Jaquizz Rodgers and Devonta Freeman combined for 57 yards. As a team, the Falcons averaged 2.7 yards per carry against a Cleveland defense that entered the game ranked 30th in the league against the run.

–WR/KR Devin Hester caught four passes for 50 yards and very nearly changed the complexion of the game right before halftime. After Cleveland kicker Billy Cundiff’s 59-yard field goal attempt came up short, Hester fielded the ball and took off down the right side. He broke into the clear and appeared to be headed for what would have been a momentum-shifting touchdown, only to be tripped up by the last Browns defenders.

–WR Julio Jones had five catches for 68 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown, but continues to struggle with drops. Blanketed by Cleveland’s top corner, Joe Haden, Jones was unable to bring in several passes that were within his grasp.

–QB Matt Ryan completed 27 of 43 passes for 273 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw an interception, lost a fumble and was sacked three times.