The Skinny:
The Bills broke out of a slumber that saw them go scoreless for the first 36:56 before scoring two touchdowns in :10 to jump start them to a 26-10 win over the Cleveland Browns to keep their flickering playoff hopes alive. The Bills struggled all day on third downs but they converted a 4th and 3 bomb from a struggling Kyle Orton to Robert Woods to setup a three yard scoring pass to Chris Hogan. On the next offensive play Terrance West fumbled and Jerry Hughes picked up the loose ball, despite being held on the play, and returned it for a score to give them a 14-3 lead. The Browns dominated the first half but only led 3-0. Orton threw an interception in the end zone and both kickers missed first half field goals. Dan Carpenter did hit four field goals in the second half to keep the Bills in control.
The Turning Point:
4th Down Bomb To Woods: Marrone opened up the conservative gameplan by going for it on 4th and 3. Orton rolled away from pressure and could have run for the first down but saw Woods downfield and hit him at the 3. The penalty on the play was for pass interference but it didn't matter as Woods made the grab anyway. The Bills scored a touchdown on the next play to take a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
The Big Drive:
Johnny Manziel came on the field and drove the Browns right down the field for a touchdown to pull the Browns within 10. The Bills offense responded with a 64 yard drive in 10 plays that took a valuable 5:15 off the fourth quarter clock. It ended with Carpenter's third of four field goals from 34 yards out to give the Bills a 23-10 lead and more importantly take away vital time from Cleveland to march a comeback. MarQueis Gray had a 41 yard reception on a 3rd and 1 play on the drive. Fred Jackson also converted a third and 1 play on the drive.
Stat I Did Like:
Rushing Defense: They gave up just 74 yards on 26 carries with a good chunk coming in garbage time.
Stat I Didn't Like:
Third Down Offense: They were just 2 of 15 on third downs in the game and somehow won going away.
Quick Slants: - Jim Kelly led the charge onto the field wearing a Darryl Talley jersey. Talley's tragic story came to light in an interview with Tim Graham of the Buffalo News that was published on Thanksgiving. - The Bills honored nine groups of first responders in a pregame ceremony where Terry Pegula gave them each gameballs. - What a difference a week makes. Last Sunday Ralph Wilson Stadium was under 6 feet of snow, today it was 57° at kickoff and no snow at all on the site. Great job getting the stadium ready for 74,000 fans and football. - Enemy Donte Whitner was one of the Browns captains today and was on the field for the coin toss. The Bills won it and elected to defer which was the right call with the windy condition and the strength of the defense.
Key Matchup Results:
The winners of the battles highlighted in our preview article: WR Sammy Watkins vs. CB Joe Haden: Winner: Haden. Watkins was a non factor in this game. RB Fred Jackson vs. S Donte Whitner: Winner: Jackson. He ran hard in the second half as Whitner taunted the crowd with his team trailing. DE Mario Williams vs. RT Mitchell Schwartz: Winner: Schwartz. He kept Super Mario from getting a sack and held him just one tackle. CB Stephon Gilmore vs. WR Josh Gordon: Winner: Gordon. The two didn't really matchup but Gordon made plays while Gilmore gave up a few.
Keys To The Game Results:
How the keys highlighted in our preview article turned out: 1. Get Running Game Going: Success! They didn't put up big numbers but gained yards when they needed to kill clock in the 2nd half. 2. Use The Crowd: Success! The crowd forced a few false starts and took the offense out of their game. 3. Protect The Football: Failure! Orton threw two interceptions including one in the end zone.
My Take:
Let's call it like it is, this team is not making the playoffs. They are headed in the right direction and playing really good football down the stretch that is something to be happy and proud about but five conference losses and games against Green Bay, Denver, and New England on the horizon makes the playoffs a little bit more than a pipe dream. It's a feel good win as the Bills return triumphantly to Ralph Wilson Stadium and shut up Johnny Manziel and Donte Whitner while beating old friend Mike Pettine.
What's Ahead:
The Bills go on the road to take on the Broncos in a game that will be very tough if not near impossible to win but at least the Bills are part of the "in the hunt" graphics for another week.
Gameballs
Colton Schmidt - He had five punts, three of them inside the 20 and a whopping 45.8 yard average per punt.
Jerry Hughes - He had the big fumble return for a touchdown that cemented control of the game for the Bills.
Nigel Bradham - He led the way with 12 tackles and a sack.
Da'Norris Searcy - He had two interceptions and had a chance at two more.
Goats
Kyle Orton - Struggled mightily with his accuracy all game long and they won almost despite of his game. He threw for just 190 yards and two interceptions.
Stephon Gilmore - He struggled in coverage throughout the game.
Player Of The Week
Da'Norris Searcy - He was all over the field and could have had four interceptions.
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Positional Breakdown and Grades
