"Playoffs? Playoffs? I don’t know anything about playoffs. We play the Buffalo Bills on Sunday and we have to improve in order to be ready for Buffalo. That’s our focus. That’s been the focus all year, to try and get ready for the next game."

Indeed, as Romeo Crennel had said, we are going to have to improve to beat the Bills. The Browns have to focus on the here and now. Last Sunday's game showed that we lost focus at times. Oh, it was a fine effort, but we can see that the Browns still have room to grow. This Bills team that we are about to face is much better than their record. Yes, we hear that same comment just about every week since we ate that last turkey sandwich, but this would be true for this team more than any other.

"The Battle of Lake Erie" takes on significant meaning once again as both teams meet head to head in a war for a wild card berth. This is a huge game for the Bills, and they will come to Cleveland with a purpose. The game should have a playoff atmosphere as most assuredly the team that loses could find their playoff hopes rapidly fading. The Bills are confident that they can win this game, and even if backed into a corner, they will come out fighting.

The Bills are 7-6, and are still in the playoff hunt. They are looking for a wild card berth, and find themselves in a pack full of hopefuls, knowing that they need to keep winning to keep hope alive. The Bills faithful, and the team believes that they have a chance to dash our playoff hopes this Sunday while bolstering their own. They believe that they are a better team than the Browns. They believe they'll win despite being a five and a half point underdog. The Browns and their fans, will have to let some air out of the Bills balloon early, and keep them on the ropes for all 60 minutes of the game to dash Buffalo's playoff hopes, and to keep ours alive.

We won't be able to get off to a slow start offensively and expect to beat a solid team like this. The Bills losses have for the most part come against playoff contenders. They've posted losses against Denver (6-7), Pittsburgh (9-4), New England twice (13-0), Dallas (12-1), and Jacksonville (9-4). Talk about a murderous schedule. I don't believe that there is a team in the NFL that has had a tougher schedule than the Bills. Counting New England twice, their losses have come against teams that are a combined 62-16!


By The Numbers


The Bills' Offensive and Defensive rankings don't tell the whole story of how good this team is, as they've faced ridiculously tough competition.


Offense

28th ranked overall

28th ranked passing attack

16th ranked rushing attack



Defense

30th ranked overall

28th ranked against the pass

18th ranked against the run



On paper, this looks like an easy game but given that the Bills have had the unfortunate duty of having to play the NFL's best this season, one should assume that they are far better than their numbers suggest. The Browns should take heed not to take this team lightly. Buffalo features a nice rushing attack with Marshawn Lynch, and the Bills are coming off of a game against hapless Miami where Fred Jackson and Lynch combined for 226 yards rushing. Rookie Quarterback Trent Edwards threw for 4 TD passes in a 38-17 rout of the 'fins. The Bills' special teams are often overlooked. In fact, they are rarely talked about at all. They are ranked 5th in the league, and are on par with our own special teams unit. Their special teams are an integral part of their success thus far, and the Browns need solid coverage on the Bills to prevent them from breaking one for a big gain. The outcome of this game could possibly come down to who executes best on special teams.

The Browns, in order to win, will need to play mistake free ball, get off to a good start offensively and keep the pressure on all day long. Cleveland will need to play the run first and halt Lynch and Jackson in their tracks and force the Bills to rely on the young arm of Edwards. Edwards, can score easily if given enough time in the pocket. The Browns should disguise their coverage's and blitz package's so as to confuse and rattle the rookie QB, and our defensive backfield will have to make sure no one gets behind them. Bringing some heat on Edwards could force the rookie to make some mistakes to the Browns' advantage.

On offense, the key to winning is for the Browns to control the clock, and take care of the football. They have rarely had an advantage in time of possession this season, but a recent emphasis on the rushing attack may help to balance out the TOP deficit we often find ourselves in. Jamal Lewis' motor is in high gear this time of year, and he can punish Buffalo's defense and wear them down if given the ball enough times. Edwards may be doubled up this game so Winslow may see a lot more balls come his way. Running Lewis, and hitting Winslow in stride and on target this Sunday may be the key to having a good game offensively against the Bills. Once any of our players get into the Bills secondary, we could have some huge gains on what could be an inclement day. Weather conditions are shaping up for a classic winter contest on the Lake Erie shore with highs in the 20s and a 50% chance of snow.

I think the Browns win this contest if they play smart ball.


Cleveland 28, Buffalo 21.

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