The Buffalo Bills was an unstoppable bundle of force last Monday when they crushed the New York Jets in Detroit to improve on their chances of making it to the playoffs. On Sunday, they’ll be back to their usual stomping grounds at Orchard Park, where they’ll host the Cleveland Browns. The Browns are coming off a gritty win over the Atlanta Falcons and are looking to keep in step with their division rivals in the uber-tight AFC North.
You can also check out our complete preview of Bears vs. Lions here.
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Cleveland Browns vs. Buffalo Bills Betting Preview and Prediction
Who knew that Josh Gordon would finish his 10-game suspension and join a Cleveland Browns team that’s smack-dab in the middle of a division title race? Well, that was exactly the case when Gordon returned to the field with aplomb, helping the Browns eke out a 26-24 come-from-behind win Sunday over the Atlanta Falcons. The Browns are now 4-1 in their last five games overall.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Up next for the Browns is a road game at Buffalo, where they’ll test their “new-look” offense against a tough defensive team in the form of the Bills.
Gordon torched Atlanta’s secondary, recording 120 receiving yards on eight catches for an average of 15.0 yards per reception. Back when Gordon was out, quarterback Brian Hoyer’s primary target was Andrew Hawkins, whom the Browns discovered to be more than just a peripheral weapon down the field. Hawkins currently tops the team with 694 receiving yards.
Aside from the return of Gordon, another recent key development for the Browns was the release of running back Ben Tate. With the way rookies Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell have been playing this season, the Browns saw it fit to let go of Tate, who didn’t live up to the team’s expectations when he was signed in the offseason. West is the team’s leader in rushing yards with 470 to go along with three touchdowns.
Crowell, on the other hand, has 446 rushing yards and paces the team with seven touchdowns. The duo wasted no time in proving that the Browns’ backfield is in good hands despite Tate’s departure when they combined for 150 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons. They’re going to be heavily tested, though, by Buffalo’s rushing defense that gives up just 98.4 yards per game.
The Bills didn’t mind playing in another stadium as they churned out what could be their best game of the season, handing the New York Jets a 38-3 defeat Monday night. The victory snapped the Bills’ two-game losing skid and injected life to their playoff hopes.
The Bills achieved a perfect balance offensively against New York. The ground game was lively as Anthony Dixon and Fred Jackson repeatedly found cracks in the Jets’ defense that entered the game third in the league in rushing yards allowed (83.2 per game). Dixon and Jackson combined for 86 of the team’s 116 rushing yards.
Buffalo’s performance on the ground against New York should serve as a sign for more things to come from the backfield next Sunday. Cleveland isn’t a great defensive team against the rush, in fact the Browns rank among the worst in that department, giving up 134.9 rushing yards per game. Back in Week 11, the Browns were wrecked by the Houston Texans, who burned rubber for 213 rushing yards.
The importance of the Bills’ rushing game in Week 13 becomes even more obvious when considering Cleveland’s tenacious secondary (second in the league with 15 interceptions) that could limit Kyle Orton and his targets. The Browns are ninth in the NFL in passing yards allowed with opposing teams averaging only 232.2 yards against them.
However, the Bills’ passing defense is arguably much better than that of Cleveland’s. Buffalo’s pass rush simply is pure terror on the field for opposing quarterbacks. Against the Jets, Buffalo sacked Geno Smith and Michael Vick seven times to improve their league-leading sack total to 46.
The under is 6-1 in the Bills’ last seven games as the home team.
