Tag: Buffalo Bills vs. Cleveland Browns

Bills’ Jordan Phillips calls Matt Milano Defensive Player of Year post-Browns win

#Bills’ Jordan Phillips calls Matt Milano Defensive Player of Year post-#Browns win

The Bills relocated from Orchard Park to Detroit on Saturday to face the Cleveland Browns at Ford Field on Sunday, due to heavy snow in the Buffalo area.

The team has been shorthanded on the defensive side of the ball, dating back to this time last season when CB1 Tredavious White sustained a season-ending injury that has sidelined him since. Earlier this year, S Micah Hyde also was lost for the season as well, and more recently short-term injuries have left Leslie Frazier’s unit without the likes of CB Kaiir Elam and DEs Greg Rousseau and AJ Epenesa, who was hurt against the Browns.

Another big absence on Sunday was captain and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds who was out with a groin injury.

Needless to say with one of the NFL’s top rushing teams lining up across from them, the absence of stoppers like Rousseau and Edmunds left a void that needed to be filled.

And linebacker Matt Milano stepped up to answer the call.

Milano logged his first sack and first fumble recovery of the season to go with three tackles for loss and 12 tackles total which matched a career-high en route to a 31-23 Bills victory.

His three tackles for loss are part of seven total in his past four games. 

During a postgame locker room interview with reporters, the Q&A was briefly interrupted by defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, who chimed in with his mid-season assessment.

“Defensive Player of the Year. Matt Milano. Make sure you all start saying that,” Phillips said.

“He makes the big play. He doesn’t miss tackles. Interceptions. Touchdowns. You name it,” the DT elaborated with WGR-550 radio. “You can’t tell me anybody that’s playing better defensive football than Matt Milano. He’s consistent. He’s a leader. You can count on him every week. Tell me who plays better?”

Milano was part of the defensive effort that held Browns RB Nick Chubb to 14 rushes for a career-low 19 yards on nine or more carries and his worst average since two three-yard plays in his rookie season. Aside from one 12-yard run, Chubb only averaged 1.4 yards per rush. Chubb had one 12-yard carry, but only seven total rushing yards on his other 13 attempts.

He also helped lead a drive-ending defensive stop effort that gave Buffalo back possession by way of a turnover on downs.

When Cleveland had its first offensive drive of the second half QB Jacoby Brissett ran a quarterback sneak play at the Buffalo 27-yard line on 3rd-and-1 and again on 4th-and-1.

Both times he was stuffed by the Bills defense, and their offense would score again on their ensuing drive.

The team traveled back to Buffalo until Wednesday when they’ll return to the Motor City to prepare for a Thanksgiving Day matchup with the Lions.

As the defense figures to see the return of several of those stars and starters from injury, Milano will have even more support around him as he continues his 2022 campaign.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbw1j59gmjw5gdj player_id=none image=https://billswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[lawrence-related id=109120,109131,109112]

Josh Allen on Bills run game: ‘If we can run it like that we’re gonna continue to’

Josh Allen on #Bills run game: ‘If we can run it like that we’re gonna continue to’

The Buffalo Bills bested the Cleveland Browns in Detroit on Sunday, and while the snow on the ground in Orchard Park displaced the contest, it was the ground attack in the dome at Ford Field that helped the Bills get the 31-23 win.

Bills running backs Devin Singletary and James Cook both contributed 86-yards apiece en route to 172 total yards rushing.

The ground support took the pressure off of quarterback Josh Allen, who is playing while recovering from an elbow sprain.

“If we can run it like that we’re gonna continue to run it. That’s no secret,” Allen said to the media after the game. “Very impressed by the way we ran the football.”

Singletary averaged 4.8 yards per run on 18 carries as well as a TD, the RBs third rushing touchdown in his last two games.

Cook had a career day, logging 86 yards on only 11 carries which included a 29-yard run while averaging 7.8 yards per rush.

“We’ve just got to keep building each and every week,” Cook said via The Buffalo News. “The more balance we have, the better we can be – the more dangerous we can be. We showed that we can do it, now we’ve just got to keep doing it.”

The winning effort by the Bills offense on the ground marked the first time two of the teams’ running backs netted 85-plus yards rushing in the same contest since Dec. 24, 2016, versus Miami when LeSean McCoy (128 yards) and Mike Gillislee (91 yards) piled it on against the Dolphins.

Allen, who is currently the Bills’ leading rusher this season with 71 carries for 483 yards and four TDs, talked about the impact the ground support had in Buffalo’s offensive performance.

“It’s huge,” Allen added. “Understanding the game plan and what we were trying to do, they found holes, and our offensive line blocked their tails off. So again, that’s going to help us out going forward, and we can continue to utilize our run game and it’ll be successful for us.”

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbw1j59gmjw5gdj player_id=none image=https://billswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[lawrence-related id=109131,109112,109039]

5 big plays from the Browns’ Week 10 win vs. Buffalo

Not everything was positive but there were some great highlights too

What moments stood out from the Browns’ big 19-16 win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 10?

Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt usage

Both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt were used on over 50% of the Cleveland Browns offensive snaps in Week 10 against the Bills. In this play, not only are both runners on the field, but Kareem Hunt delivers a block to help establish Nick Chubb’s cut back lane for a great run.

Jarvis Landry great catch for a touchdown

Landry has been the best and most reliable wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns in 2019. On this play, Landry makes a great hands catch extending his arms away from his body. After the play, Landry was called for a taunting penalty and Austin Seibert ultimately missed the field goal. This was a great play and also a reminder to not let yourself get caught up in the heat of the moment.

Rashard Higgins game-winning touchdown

Browns fans have been rooting for Higgins to get more playing time and he did. Higgins finished Week 10 with 47% of the offensive snaps. While this was a great catch and I enjoyed seeing Higgins on the field, I also wonder if he would have been on the field if Antonio Callaway wouldn’t have been benched (click here for the full story). I will be watching closely to see if Higgins’ usage continues to trend up or if Callaway returns to the field and supplants Higgins.

Baker Mayfield safety

One of my biggest concerns with Baker Mayfield is his ability to get the ball out on time and this play perfectly outlines why. While the play design is horrible and there should have been a runner in the backfield with pass protection duties, it is also on the quarterback to deliver the ball when his back foot hits on the three-step drop. Mayfield double clutches and tries to scan the field for another option. If the ball was thrown on time, it could have been thrown away. Instead, Mayfield tries to make “the big play” and takes a safety.

Incredible Jarvis Landry catch to set up the game-winning score

As mentioned earlier, Landry has been the best wide receiver for the Browns in 2019. This play shows not only great concentration, but also his ability to adjust to the ball in the air. While we shouldn’t dwell on Odell Beckham uncovering himself in the deep middle or Kareem Hunt being wide open on the right side of the field, the catch was great and set up the game-winning touchdown to Rashard Higgins.

3 things the Browns must clean up to keep on winning

Freddie Kitchens and the Browns still have issues to clean up despite beating the Buffalo Bills. Here are 3 prominent ones.

Beating the Buffalo Bills was great. The Cleveland Browns desperately needed a win, and they got one in Week 10. And while the team did several things well, including a focus on doing the little things better, there is still ample room for improvement from coach Freddie Kitchens and his Browns team.

If the Browns wish to keep the winning spirit when the Pittsburgh Steelers visit FirstEnergy Stadium on Thursday night, they need to do three things better than they did against the Bills.

Bad coaching decisions

Buffalo got a safety with Baker Mayfield getting sacked in the end zone on a terribly designed play for the situation. The Browns went empty backfield and had no immediate quick outlet for Mayfield if he faced pressure. High-risk plays and formations were not what the game script called for in that situation, and it cost the Browns two points.

Kitchens got snookered into a timeout at the end of the third quarter by some smart gamesmanship from the Buffalo offense. Josh Allen never had any intention of snapping the ball before the quarter was going to expire, but Kitchens bought into the sell job and burned a valuable timeout.

A later stupid call — the failed shovel pitch to Kareem Hunt that was overruled as an incomplete pass instead of a Bills TD — is a terrible idea. Mayfield has struggled with the timing and execution on those types of plays all year, and he’s throwing it to a player making his season debut. Bad, bad idea.

Those are the type of rookie coaching gaffes that need to stop. Kitchens is often too cute or doesn’t take the broader sense of the game flow and possible negative outcomes to mind.

The red zone offense remains brutal

The Browns would have handily run away with this game had they been more effective in the red zone in the first half. A series of slow-developing, obvious run plays were easily snuffed out by the Bills defense. What could have been three touchdowns instead resulted in one TD, one FG and one epic fail on fourth-and-goal from the Buffalo 1-yard line.

The Browns got those extra opportunities inside the Buffalo 2 because of defensive penalties. Two of those came on the exact same play, an out move to the corner by Odell Beckham Jr. where he was the only receiver on a route under consideration.

[lawrence-related id=36598]

Kitchens put the blame on the offensive line not performing its collective job well. He’s not wrong — the Bills defensive line dominated the line of scrimmage on those failed Nick Chubb tosses and handoffs — but the slow-developing handoffs and obvious pitch directions are too easy to defend, too.

Creating takeaways

Cleveland’s defense was really good at creating takeaways in 2018. The Browns forced 31 turnovers in 2018, second-most in the NFL. That has not carried over into the first half of 2019.

Only four teams have fewer takeaways than the Browns’ nine through Week 10. Those teams are all bad, too: Atlanta, Miami, Cincinnati and Denver. This week’s opponent, the Pittsburgh Steelers, has 11 takeaways in the last three weeks and 26 in nine games.

The playmakers on the defense need to do a better job of getting after the ball and creating more opportunities to take it away. Cornerback Denzel Ward had a chance to make a pick on the first Bills pass of the game in Week 10, but instead of playing the interceptable ball, he was flagged for pass interference. Those are the kind of plays the Browns defense needs to make.

PODCAST: Takeaways from Bills’ Week 10 loss to Browns

Kyle Silagyi is joined by Rich Kowalski and McKenna Middlebrook to discuss the Buffalo Bills’ Week 10 loss to the Cleveland Browns.

Well, that was disheartening.

The Buffalo Bills probably should have beaten the Cleveland Browns in their Week 10 matchup with the preseason darling. The Browns have long been looked at as one of the most dysfunctional franchises in the NFL, a team with a regressing quarterback and a poor head coach that should not have had a chance against a prospective playoff team.

Yet, a poor offensive display and two missed field goals ultimately cost Buffalo in the matchup, as it left FirstEnergy Stadium with its third loss of the 2019 campaign. On this episode of The Kyle Silagyi Variety Hour, host Kyle Silagyi is joined by BillsWire staff writers Rich Kowalski and McKenna Middlebrook to discuss the Bills’ 19-16 loss to the Browns.

Subscribe:

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Google Podcasts

RadioPublic

RSS

[protected-iframe id=”592b47daa5ec723b9b41a552e05bb2f4-105974704-98603886″ info=”https://embeds.audioboom.com/posts/7421129/embed/v4″ width=”100%” height=”300″ frameborder=”0″ style=”background-color: transparent; display: block; padding: 0; max-width: 700px;” scrolling=”no”]

[lawrence-related id=48108,48185,48039]

Freddie Kitchens blames goal-line stall vs. Bills on O-line

Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said the team’s goal-line offense stalled in Week 10 because the line didn’t block well enough.

[jwplayer rzKgNnfu-ThvAeFxT]

Eight straight times, the Browns snapped the ball inside the Buffalo 2-yard line in Week 10. The offense failed to score a touchdown, even when given bonus chances by defensive penalties.

Five of those plays were runs with Nick Chubb, one of the NFL’s best at breaking tackles. Those five carries netted minus-2 yards, including the 4th-and-goal play where Chubb was bowled under for a loss almost as soon as he got the toss from quarterback Baker Mayfield.

It was an embarrassing series for the offense and for Freddie Kitchens. During his conference call with reporters on Monday, the rookie coach offered an explanation of what went wrong on the epic red zone failure.

“Yeah, we have to do a better job of maintaining our blocks,” Kitchens stated. “We were on the right people for the most part. We just have to win our one-on-one matchups a lot of times down there. When you get down in goal-to-go situations, you would like to be able to run the ball in. To do that, you have to win your one-on-one matchups.”

The Bills defensive front did dominate the line of scrimmage the entire series. Kitchens was not pleased with the mentality of his offensive line in the tight quarters and close-range combat.

“This is just my personal belief: You are dealing with different types of scenarios when you are at the 1-yard line as opposed to the 12. It is a lot more about being precise in landmarks, execution, timing and things like that when you are in red zone offense because the field diminishes. When you are down there at the 1, it is almost like being in a phone booth. It is more of a mentality thing.”

It’s something the Browns need to fix quickly. The Pittsburgh Steelers, winners of four games in a row, visit FirstEnergy Stadium on Thursday.

Browns starting to do the little things well more consistently

The Browns are protecting the ball, committing fewer penalties and focusing on the little things much better since the bye week

[jwplayer rzKgNnfu-ThvAeFxT]

Perhaps the most impressive figure from the Browns’ 19-16 win over the Buffalo Bills was the zero in the turnover department. Baker Mayfield and the Browns offense protected the ball and did not give it away for the second week in a row.

Sure, there were a couple of shaky moments. Mayfield once again mistimed a shovel pass that was initially ruled a fumble and Bills TD before being correctly overturned. Dontrell Hilliard muffed a punt he badly misjudged, but the Browns fell on the loose grenade before it exploded and the Bills could recover.

For weeks, Freddie Kitchens has been preaching accountability and focus on the little details. Taking care of the ball was a big point of emphasis. Putting action where his words rang out, Kitchens replaced Hilliard as the return man for the rest of the game. Tavierre Thomas took over for Hilliard and while Thomas wasn’t very impressive as a returner, he protected the ball and didn’t make mistakes.

The same is true on the penalty front. The Browns committed one bad penalty, the taunting foul that Jarvis Landry deserved after scoring the first touchdown. They were guilty of just four accepted penalties on the day:

  • Landry’s unsportsmanlike conduct
  • Denel Ward pass interference on Buffalo’s first offensive play
  • Chris Hubbard false start
  • Larry Ogunjobi roughing the passer

Ogunjobi’s foul was letter-of-the-law; more egregious infractions go uncalled in every game, but he was technically guilty.

Hubbard’s foul, which wound up forcing the Browns to kick an important field goal instead of going for it, was the only pre-snap penalty in the game. No offsides (a T.J. Carrie encroachment was negated by a Bills penalty), no illegal motions, no illegal shifts.

This was the second game in a row the opponent committed more penalties than the Browns. Buffalo was guilty of seven accepted penalties, roughly one-third of the number of times they were guilty of illegal blocks on Myles Garrett.

The little things, like wideout KhaDarel Hodge finishing his block to the whistle on a nice Nick Chubb run instead of the token effort too often seen from others (read: Antonio Callaway), make a huge difference. Kitchens’ Browns still commit some mistakes, but the attention to detail is striking in the three games since the bye week. It didn’t result in a victory until Sunday, but the Browns are definitely playing better, smarter football.

[lawrence-related id=36671]

 

Snap count notes: Browns primary defense played together a lot vs. Bills

Snap count notes: Browns primary defense played together a lot vs. Bills, and Kareem Hunt makes a splashy debut

The Cleveland Browns defense was on the field for 69 snaps against the Buffalo Bills in the team’s nice 19-16 win in Week 10. The primary 11 played together in those 69 snaps a lot more than usual.

Cornerback T.J. Carrie did not start the game. Juston Burris did instead. But Carrie qualified as one of the primary 11, playing 51 of the 69 reps to Burris’ 11. Every other defensive starter played at least 53 snaps, or at least 75 percent of the game. That includes Chad Thomas, who filled in for the injured Olivier Vernon at defensive end. Thomas played a career-high 54 reps in his first career start.

Also of note on defense: rookie Sione Takitaki took over the No. 3 LB role from Adarius Taylor. The third-rounder played 11 reps, while Taylor was seen exclusively on special teams.

On offense, Kareem Hunt’s return was a prominent one. The running back played 38 of the 74 offensive snaps. Hunt joined Nick Chubb (58 reps) on 28 of those for a 2-back look. To put that into perspective, the Browns did not have more than one RB on the field for a single snap in Week 9.

Rashard Higgins played 33 of the 74 snaps and caught his only passing target for the game-winning TD. KhaDarel Hodge played seven, and the Browns ran on six of those reps.

Backup OL Justin McCray played four snaps as an extra blocker in the short-yardage package. Damion Ratley and D’Ernest Johnson each saw exactly one rep on offense.

Report card: Bills lose 19-16 to Browns

The Buffalo Bills fall to 6-3 after their loss to the Cleveland Browns. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll will be called into question.

The Buffalo Bills and the Cleveland Browns had a slug-fest on Sunday, where the Browns won 19-16 It was an ugly game where both defenses played physical, and forced mistakes.

Neither offense looked impressive, but the *outcome* did enough to give the Browns a victory.

The Bills fall to 6-3 on the year, and here’s how Bills Wire graded things out for Buffalo in Week 10:

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)

Quarterback: C-

Josh Allen had 41 passing attempts on Sunday, and completing just 53 percent of his passes. That is not very good. Allen throughout the game looked flustered, which lead to plenty of throws going over the heads of his receivers or landing at their feet.

Allen had some moments where he was elusive in the pocket making defenders miss, but he couldn’t find the right the pass in those crucial moments. Allen finished the game with a respectable 266 yards, and didn’t throw an interception but, he didn’t throw a touchdown, either. He was effective with his legs in the redzone though, scoring twice.

Ultimately, Allen had an underwhelming performance that cost Buffalo the victory in Cleveland. Bills fans will be looking for Allen to bounce back next week in Miami.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8

Studs and duds from Browns’ 19-16 victory over Bills

Studs and duds from the Browns’ 19-16 victory over the Bills

The Cleveland Browns finally won a home game and despite the low offensive output, they even beat the spread. Much of the postgame discussion will be surrounding the poor play-calling in the red zone and even more specifically the goal line, but the Browns actually beat Buffalo in a fairly solid fashion. Cleveland won the time of possession and total yards battle. With that said, a few players really stood out, with some in a more positive light than others.

Stud: Jarvis Landry

Landry is one of the most polarizing Cleveland players, with a huge portion of the fan base screaming about how below average he is, but he plays hard and not just as a receiver. He has also proved to be an extremely valuable blocker, which was evident on Demetrius Harris’ fourth-and-1 conversion as Landry’s block secured the first down. Landry also finished as the leading receiver on the day with nine receptions for 97 yards and one touchdown.

Dud: Chris Hubbard

With all of the discussion surrounding Greg Robinson on the other side, Hubbard is the worst starting offensive lineman. His best play was a false start penalty that forced Freddie Kitchens to kick the field goal instead of going for it. That’s right, Hubbard’s best play was his penalty. It is one thing to get beaten or physically dominated, but Hubbard has plays where he fails to even place a hand on a defender.

Stud: Nick Chubb

Chubb is the centerpiece of this offense and breaks tackles at a stunning rate. Everyone knew what the game plan for Cleveland was going to be and it didn’t matter as Chubb still hammered out 116 rushing yards on 20 carries. Chubb failed to reach pay dirt, but it was not for a lack of trying. The plan appears to be to utilize Hunt in more of the receiving role, which should allow him to be fresher throughout the game.

Dud: Morgan Burnett

Burnett was the team leader in tackles with seven and had a statistically pleasant day, but the aging defensive back got worked over. He tallied almost all of his tackles by chasing down receivers who had beaten him. Burnett was the target on nearly every big play allowed through the air.

[lawrence-related id=36594]