NFL Week 14 Matchup – Recap: Buffalo Bills 13-6 win over Cleveland Browns
Buffalo Bills came away with another victory due to a comedy of errors and inadvertent mistakes by Cleveland Browns. Ryan Fitzpatrick's touchdown pass in the 1st half helped Buffalo
Bills earn a 13-6 win over Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Fitzpatrick was 14-of-23 for 142 yards.
Fred Jackson had 29 carries for 112 yards for the Buffalo Bills (3-10) and he snapped a two game losing streak. David
Nelson made an over-the-shoulder catch halfway of the end zone to cap a 14-play, 89-yard drive early into the 2nd quarter, then Rian Lindell hit his field goals and Buffalo Bills’ defence did the rest in limiting the Browns to nine first
downs and 187 yards offense.
While both teams had prepared for snowy conditions but that never developed, a game of mistakes ensued, with the Browns fumbling 5 times, losing two, and Jake Delhomme throwing an interception late in the game.
Cleveland started the game and began the drive at its own 40. They handled to get down to Bills' one-yard line, but decided for a 19-yard field goal from Phil
Dawson on 4th down for a 3-0 lead just less than 5 minutes in.
Buffalo Bills advanced with a drive that spanned the 1st and 2nd quarters. They started at their own 11 and covered the field in 14 plays taking over 8 minutes. Fitzpatrick capped the drive on a sharp pass over the head of two defenders
and into the arms of Nelson for an 11-yard score with 9:28 to play in the half.
Browns acted in response with a long drive of their own as the team went 73 yards over 11 plays and took up five and half minutes, but again came away with 3 points. The drive stopped at the 8-yard line while a 25-yard punt from Dawson pulled the Cleveland
within 7-6 with 3:53 left.
That gave Bills plenty of time for a field goal, and then Rian Lindell hit his 30-yard field goal with 14 seconds left in the half. It was a 10-6 game at the break. The drive featured a 35-yard reception from Jonathan
Stupar that got the ball across midfield.
Both teams were not able to break midfield and the 3rd quarter passed scoreless. They exchanged the punts to begin the 4th but a turnover allowed Bills to expand their lead.
Facing a 3rd-and-3 at his own 27, Delhomme knocked out the ball of his hand when he attempted to throw it. A Bills player jumped on the ball, but it was incompletely ruled. However, Buffalo asked for a replay and the call on the field was overturned hence
Buffalo got the ball at the Cleveland 23.
However, Bills only managed 3 points with the short field as Jackson was stuffed on third down from the 2-yard line and a 19-yard field goal from Lindell made it a 13-6 game with 7:56 to play.
Browns looked nothing like the team that had won 4 of its previous 6 games, including successive victories over New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots. They were eliminated from playoff contention.
Bills totalled 323 yards, including 192 on the ground while Browns totalled just 187 yards. Buffalo also controlled the game for over 36 minutes while Browns had just nine first downs in the game.
Tags: