Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
WATCH: #Bills’ Devin Singletary mic’d up vs. #Browns:
The Bills had a banner day rushing the ball against the Browns in Week 11.
During the 31-23 win, running backs Devin Singletary and James Cook both had 86 rushing yards. Not only that, Singletary scored and was mic’d up for the action.
Check out the sights and sounds of the game through Singletary in the attached YouTube player above.
[lawrence-related id=109214,109224,109212]
#Bills at #Lions: 5 things to watch for during Week 12’s game:
The Buffalo Bills continue their regular season journey on the road against the Detroit Lions in Week 12.
Once the battle arrives, there will be a few particular things to keep in mind.
Here are five things to watch for during Thanksgiving’s Bills-Lions matchup:
#Bills vs. #Lions: 7 storylines to watch for in Week 12:
Here are seven Buffalo Bills storylines to watch for during the lead up to the team’s Week 12 matchup with the Detroit Lions:
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]
Stock up, stock down following the #Bills’ win over the #Browns:
Following the Buffalo Bills’ 31-23 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 11, here is Bills Wire’s latest stock report:
Report card: #Bills top #Browns, 31-23 (via @jdiloro):
Check out Bills Wire’s Week 11 report card for the Buffalo Bills (7-3) following the team’s 31-23 win over the Cleveland Browns (3-7):
Instant analysis: #Bills conquer #Browns in ‘Battle of Lake Erie’ after slow start (via @jdiloro):
The Buffalo Bills overcame a slow start in their home-away-from-home and defeated the Cleveland Browns 31-23 in Week 11 action.
Buffalo (7-3) overcame a chaotic week and a sluggish start to dominate the Browns (3-7). The Browns moved down the field will little resistance on the opening drive of the game, culminating a nine-play drive with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper.
The Bills, for their part, only mustered a field goal and two punts over their first three drives.
However, a self-enforced error by the Browns seemed to be a turning point in the game. Cleveland QB Jacoby Brissett fumbled a snap. Linebacker Matt Milano recovered the ball, flipping field position for the Bills.
The fortuitous bounce gave the Bills life, as Buffalo would outscore the Browns 28-6.
Buffalo’s offense settled in, and the Bills would go on to score on their final eight possessions of the game.
The Bills found a greater sense of balance on offense, taking advantage of a struggling Cleveland run defense. Buffalo would rush for 172 yards on the game.
Devin Singletary rushed 18 times for 86 yards, while James Cook stepped up with 11 rushes for 86 yards. Singletary also scored on the ground.
Quarterback Josh Allen settled in and was much more accurate with his passes than in previous weeks. Allen did not force balls as he had done in previous weeks. Allen found Dawson Knox in space all game, as the tight end led the way with seven receptions for 70 receiving yards. Gabe Davis added five receptions for 68 yards.
Another nice feature of this game was that Allen did not have to put the entire game on his shoulders. Allen’s efficient day ended 18-of-27 for 197 passing yards and one touchdown reception. Most importantly, no interceptions.
Buffalo’s defense limited the stellar Cleveland ground game. It helped that the Bills lead forced the Browns to throw the ball more so. When Cleveland did run the ball, they did not have great success.
Nick Chubb ran 14 times for 19 yards. Kareem Hunt found a little space on his five carries, totaling 32 yards.
The banged-up Buffalo secondary struggled a bit, as Cooper was a menace with eight catches for 113 passing yards. Cleveland’s secondary receivers also won battles, as Donovan Peoples-Jones and Harrison Bryant had solid afternoons.
Buffalo’s defense had several players step up in the face of the multiple injuries. Tyrel Dodson led the way with 13 tackles in place of Tremaine Edmunds. Matt Milano was everywhere on the field, registering 12 tackles, three tackles for loss, and one sack. Ed Oliver was a problem in the interior of the line, registering five tackles, three of which were tackles for loss.
Buffalo’s special teams unit was perfect on the day. Tyler Bass hit all six of his field goal attempts. Nyheim Hines was solid in the return game, averaging 25.3 yards per kick return while averaging 18.5 yards on punt returns. Sam Martin punted twice in the first half, averaging 49.5 yards per punt.
Overall, it was a solid afternoon for Buffalo. The Bills seemed to make a concentrated effort to eradicate errors, both mental and physical, in this game.
The short week of preparation showed early in the game, but Buffalo returned to their early-season dominance and left this game with little doubt as the fourth quarter concluded.
Buffalo moves to the top of the AFC East again, tied with Miami at 7-3. The Bills return to Ford Field next week to play the Detroit Lions in some classic NFL Thanksgiving action.
[lawrence-related id=108985,108986,108937]
5 takeaways from the #Bills’ 31-23 win over the #Browns:
Here are five takeaways from the Buffalo Bills’ 31-23 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 11:
#Bills vs. #Browns: 3 key matchups in Week 11:
The Buffalo Bills will faceoff against the Cleveland Browns in their Week 11 matchup which was relocated to Ford Field.
Even with it being a moved showdown, it will still be the games, within the game, that will make all the difference.
Here are three key matchups to watch during Sunday’s Bills-Browns clash:
Instant analysis: #Bills self-destruct against #Vikings in Week 10 loss (via @jdiloro):
The Minnesota Vikings (8-1) knocked off the Buffalo Bills (6-3) in an overtime thriller in Week 10 NFL action.
The Bills drop out of the top spot in AFC East, losing in improbable fashion to the Vikings.
The big story entering the game was Josh Allen and his elbow. The franchise quarterback suffered an elbow injury against the New York Jets last week.
After being limited all week in practice, Allen suited up and started Sunday afternoon.
The Bills’ game plan was efficient with Allen playing at less than 100 percent health. Buffalo offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey called several plays that were quick-timing routes.
In addition, the Bills also relied more on their running game, as Devin Singletary made several shifty runs to put pressure on the Vikings defense.
Defensively, the Bills matched reasonably well against a talented Minnesota offense. Wide receiver Justin Jefferson scored on the Vikings first drive, a 22-yard reception over Dane Jackson. Outside of that play, the Bills did a solid job at keeping the dynamic Vikings offense of Jefferson, Delvin Cook, Adam Thielen, and TJ Hockenson, at bay.
The Bills went into halftime with a comfortable 24-10 lead.
Then, all heck broke loose. Buffalo’s coaching and execution ultimately failed them in the second half.
The Bills brass had an aura of invincibility based on the way they plays in the second half.
Allen extended plays and started to force passes. Allen threw two interceptions in the second half, including a Patrick Peterson pick in the end zone.
The Peterson pick might have been the most important play of the game, as it brought together all of the elements of the collapse into one play. The Bills could have kicked a close field goal. Instead, up by 10, Sean McDermott decided to go for it on fourth down. Instead of the conservative call, the Bills gave the Vikings another opportunity to get back into the game.
Minnesota, for their part, worked methodically to get back into the game. They put pressure on the depleted Bills secondary. Kirk Cousins was accurate with throws. Cousins seemed to find Jefferson at will, as the wideout had a massive afternoon, catching 10 passes for 193 yards and one touchdown reception.
Dalvin Cook scored on an 81-scamper, while fullback CJ Ham scored ended a 13-play drive with a one-yard dive into the end zone. Kick Caleb Joseph missed a PAT, giving the Bills a four-point lead late in the fourth quarter
The chaos continued as the Vikings took possession of the ball late in the game. Part of Buffalo’s defensive mantra today was bend but not break. On a 12-play drive, Minnesota brought the ball to the half-yard line, only to have Kirk Cousins stuffed on a quarterback sneak.
Buffalo, while taking possession on their half-yard line, decided to try and quarterback sneak Josh Allen to get some space. Instead, pandemonium occurred, as the Bills fumbled the ball in the end zone. Minnesota took the lead late in the game.
Buffalo responded with a quick drive of their own to tie the game.
In overtime, the Bills defense offered little resistance as the Vikings moved the ball easily down the field. However, as what happened so often, Buffalo’s defense held tight, forcing a field goal for Minnesota.
On the ensuing drive, the Bills put the ball in Allen’s hands once again. He began the overtime drive with two rushes by the quarterback. As the Bills moved into the red zone, Allen forced two passes into the end zone. The second pass was picked off by Peterson once again, ending the Bills chances at redemption.
This was Allen’s fourth red-zone interception in the last two games.
It’s a bitter defeat for Buffalo, as they let a game in hand slip away in fantastic fashion. There’s a great deal of blame that will go around in this game, but it will start with Sean McDermott and what changes the team decided to make after halftime.
The Bills look to get things right next week against the Cleveland Browns at Highmark Stadium.
[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=108563,108511,108509]
