on august 20, 2014, hoyer was tabbed the starting quarterback for the browns to begin the 2014 season. through the first six weeks the browns were 3–2, with the two heartbreaking losses coming on last-second scores, and hoyer possessing a 7–1 td:int ratio. during week 5 against the tennessee titans, hoyer threw for 292 yards, 3 touchdowns, and an interception. despite trailing 28–3, hoyer led the browns to 26 unanswered points, securing the win with a final score of 29–28. it was the largest comeback victory in franchise history, and the largest for a road team in nfl history. hoyer led the browns to a 6–3 start, the franchise's best nine-game start since the team started 7–2 in the 1994 season. however, hoyer struggled in the following four games, throwing only one touchdown while being intercepted eight times. as a result, the browns lost 3 of those 4 games to fall to 7–6 on the season, jeopardizing their playoff hopes. in a week 14 home loss to the indianapolis colts, hoyer was 14/31 for 140 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. he was repeatedly booed by fans throughout the game, and was heavily criticized for his performance following the loss. through 13 games on the season, hoyer had 11 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. hoyer's struggles in this 1–3 stretch led many fans, pundits, and analysts to call for the quarterback to be benched in favor of rookie johnny manziel. on december 9, 2014, the browns announced that johnny manziel would start in week 15 against the bengals in place of hoyer. however, manziel was injured in the 2nd quarter of the browns' matchup against the carolina panthers and was relieved by hoyer. hoyer threw a touchdown and an interception while going 7/13 with 153 passing yards. in the fourth quarter, he threw an 81-yard touchdown pass to tight end jordan cameron to put the browns up 13–10. however, the panthers regained the lead on the next drive and went on to win the game 17–13. after the season, hoyer's contract expired and he became a free agent.