Mike Pettine didn't consider benching Brian Hoyer

Cleveland Browns coach Mike Pettine has insisted that he never considered the possibility of placing quarterback Brian Hoyer on the bench.

Hoyer described Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons as the "worst game of [his] career", but the Browns were able to re-group and win.

"The way he handled it was outstanding," Pettine told reporters.

Hoyer has completed just 53% of his passes with a touchdown-interception ratio of 3:6 over the last four games, but Pettine is confident in his first-choice signal-caller which in turn resulted in Johnny Manziel remaining on the bench.

Cleveland are 7-4 for the season and they are currently fourth in the AFC North but they have an identical record with both the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers while the Cincinnati Bengals sit top.