It is about time to dissect this matchup of epic proportions. Who would have ever thought that in week 15 the Bills would be traveling to the "mistake on the lake" for the biggest game of the weekend. Two teams with winning records with their sights set on January will take the field Sunday...winner in the drivers seat, loser, at least as far as Buffalo is concerned, is essentially out of it.
The Browns are feeling pretty confident right now. Listening to the Browns post game show on Sunday night, the idiots were already discussing a rematch with the Steelers in the wild card. Even more ridiculous, they actually compared Jamal Lewis to Jim Brown. Jamal Lewis and Jim Brown in the same sentence? Cleveland really has been deprived of talent in the past 20 years.
This will be a matchup of probably the two most cursed franchises in the NFL. The Bills have "wide right", "music city miracle", and the list goes on forever it seems. The Browns have "the drive" and the Byner fumble at the 1 yard line. Neither team has ever won a Super Bowl. Since the 2000-2001 season, these teams have a combined one playoff appearence and it just so happenes the Browns blew a 24-7 lead in that game in Pittsburgh to Tommy Maddux of all people. Fans in both cities have been waiting for a game this big this late in the season for so long.
So, can the Bills go on the road and win a game that is this important? They haven't done it since...well if you count winning in San Francisco or in Cincinnatti in 2004, niether of those teams were in playoff contention at the time. The last time Buffalo went on the road and beat a team late in the season with playoff implications on the line was all the way back in 1993 week 15 when we went on the road and beat Miami. The Phins finished 9-7 that year so this is a reach but at the time of the game Miami was 9-4 and Bills were 9-4 as well. The Bills had some hall of famers on that team, wow it has been a while.
The Browns come into this game off an ugly win over the Jets in which Mangini probably lost the game on purpose to get a better draft pick. Down 5 with less than 2 minutes left 4th down at the Cleveland 20 and you kick a field goal? Come on. The knock on the Bills is they haven't beaten anyone. Ok, true, but has Cleveland? Yeah..they beat the Seahawks, but that was when Seattle was banged up and slumping. Their other wins...Ravens twice, Bengals, Rams, Dolphins, Jets and Texans. They needed the luckiest field goal in the history of the league to beat Baltimore. This is also a team that lost to the Raiders and Cardinals in the same year. If you lose to Zona and Oakland in the same season, how good can you be?
The Browns have been carried by their offense this season. They are ranked 9th in the NFL in total offense but only 17th on the ground. With the weather not looking very promising for a good passing attack, the Browns could be in trouble with their old, drug dealing criminal running back Jamal Lewis. How good is their offense anyways? They were shut down by the Jets essentially for 50 plus minutes last weekend. The Bills whose offense ranks awful we all know is starting to come along with rookie Trend Edwards. The Browns defense is ranked dead last, 32nd in the NFL, and for anyone who has a clue at all they would admit that Marshawn Lynch is in a class way above Jamal Lewis.
Well, except
I'll go with Cleveland. But don't count out the Titans. They have a favorable schedule the rest of the way, and if they win out they will be in the mix. But I think Cleveland will beat Buffalo this week, which is why they get the advantage over the Bills. They're also a better team right now. They have a better quarterback in Derek Anderson and they also have more weapons on offense. In time, Trent Edwards will be in the Anderson class -- yes, he's that good -- but not yet. The Bills have had way too many injuries and that will catch up with them. Dick Jauron has done an amazing job with his team, but their dreams of a playoff run will end Sunday in Cleveland. - Pete Prisco
Cleveland because the Browns are better on offense, have the easier schedule and get the Bills this weekend in Cleveland. The Browns score in bunches, scoring 24 or more points in all but one of their past eight games, and have one of the league's most effective quarterbacks in Derek Anderson. I like Anderson over Trent Edwards. I like Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards over Lee Evans and Josh Reed. And I'll call Marshawn Lynch and Jamal Lewis a push, though Lewis is having the superior year. Dick Jauron has done a marvelous job keeping the Bills afloat, but there's too much talent in Cleveland to keep him from making it to January. Besides, after this weekend the Browns have Cincinnati and San Francisco left. The Bills have the Giants and Philadelphia. Over and out. -Clark Judge
Are these guys serious? These two comments are filled with completely ridiculous statements. First off, how are the Browns a better team right now? The Bills have won 6 out of 8 games. The Browns lost to the Cardinals 2 weeks ago and barely escaped against the Jets. Prisco is talking about Edwards eventually being in the Derek Anderson Class and saying that he is that good. Are we talking about Derek Anderson or Brett Favre circa 1996? Give me a break. Then you got Clark Judge. Derek Anderson..one of the most effective quarterbacks in the NFL? He has had a surprising season, but I wouldn't put him in the top 10 I don't think. Calling Lynch and Lewis a push is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. He has 100 less yards than Lewis, has had no passing game and has missed 3 games. That is just plain retarded. How much talent does Cleveland have? Look at their defense...32nd in the NFL. Over and out my balls Clark you retard, how are you getting paid to write shit like that?
Can the Bills just run it down the Browns throats all day in the snow? They should be able to. Edwards with the short passing game and Lynch with the power running mixed in with a sprinkle of Freddy Jackson could prove deadly with the Browns pathetic defense.
The Bills need to find a way to stop Kellen Winslow Jr. Every team the Bills have faced with a good tight end has seemed to destroy the Bills D. Witten, Watson and Cooley stand out. The Bills linebackers are undersized but you gotta have faith in Jauron to draw up some sort of scheme to stop these guys. Braylin Edwards and Winslow are their two threats and I have faith in the Bills defense neutralizing them.
Speaking of Dick Jauron, you gotta give him credit for giving this team the opportunity that they have. I have been calling for this guy to be fired almost all season but right now I have to give him credit, at least for the next 3 days. The fact that this team is above .500 right now is amazing. Colin Cowherd and Bill Parcells think Jauron is the coach of the year. He actually has the coaching advantage for the second straight week probably for the first time in his career.
Any Bills fan without tickets better get on them as soon as possbible. We need a minimum of 20,000 Bills fans there to take over the Dawg Pound...stub hub, ticket liquidator, ebay, the streets of Cleveland...I don't care just get on them. Look for us in 349.
Go Billllllls.
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