Bills vs. Browns: Previewing Cleveland's Preseason Week 2 Matchup

Mike Pettine and Rex Ryan will have plenty of snaps to evaluate the bottom halves of their rosters Thursday night in Cleveland.

The two former colleagues’ teams met outside Rochester, New York, earlier in the week for joint practice sessions. Both the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills limped into the week with a growing number of bike riders watching from the sidelines.

Thursday night’s Week 2 preseason matchup will offer much of the same, unfortunately.

Cleveland unofficially listed 17 players on its injury report Wednesday, including a ravished defensive secondary that will be without three of its five starters.

From what we saw earlier in the week, Buffalo should be able to pass the ball—which was somewhat of a struggle for the team in 2014—against that depleted group. And the Browns’ rush defense might just get a reprieve on its end as what will likely amount to the Bills’ active complement of regular-season rushers are on the shelf for this one.

Location: FirstEnergy Stadium; Cleveland

Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

News and Notes

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Cleveland Browns starters to play 15-20 snaps

Coach Mike Pettine said he expects the team’s starters will get between 15 and 20 snaps Thursday night against Buffalo, according to Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com.

Considering the Browns averaged about 63 plays per game last season, per TeamRankings.com, that’s about one quarter-plus of work for the starters depending on their success. We can expect to see two drives from both units at least.

Don’t expect any injured Browns starters to suit up

Pettine also said to temper expectations for the team’s ailing starters. According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer, Pettine doesn’t expect to see them until next weekend against Tampa Bay.

It has been a rough start to 2015 for a Browns team that was banged up and missing several key contributors a season ago.

The big test awaits next weekend, though. That's the third preseason game, commonly referred to as the "dress rehearsal," when most teams tinker and tailor their starting lineups and actual in-season game plans the most. Starters usually see the field for much of the first half but could potentially play into the third quarter given the amount of missed snaps accrued to this point.

Latest Injury News

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You’re not going to find too many consolidated injury reports during preseason, and if you do, the players' game status outlooks won’t accompany them. Unless a coach reveals specific players will play or won’t, it can be somewhat of a game-time decision for a lot of players at this time of year. 

Player	Position	Injury
Justin Gilbert	CB	Hip flexor
Joe Haden	CB	Hamstring
Tashaun Gipson	S	Calf
K’Waun Williams	CB	Abdominal
Pierre Desir	CB	Hamstring
Robert Nelson	CB	Hamstring
Terrelle Pryor	WR	Hamstring
Dwayne Bowe	WR	Hamstring
De’Ante Saunders	DB	Hamstring
Shaun Draughn	RB	Hand
Ifo Ekpre-Olomu	DB	Knee
Duke Johnson	RB	Hamstring
Luke Lundy	RB	Concussion
Barkevious Mingo	OLB	Knee
Marlon Moore	WR	Ribs
Connor Shaw	QB	Thumb
Randall Telfer	TE	Foot
Glenn Winston	RB	Knee

The injuries are mounting for the Cleveland Browns, especially on the defensive side of the ball. In total, seven players are recovering from hamstring issues, a few knee tweaks—minor surgical procedures for Glenn Winston and Barkevious Mingo—and a couple of other assorted ailments.

On a positive note, although he's still listed on the injury report, defensive lineman Billy Winn will see some action Thursday night. Mike Pettine made that announcement Tuesday, according to Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com.

As mentioned earlier, don’t expect much from injured starters in this one.

Offensive playmakers Dwayne Bowe, Terrelle Pryor and Duke Johnson have not practiced this week, which means it’s a long shot that any of them will suit up for this one. This is a disturbing trend for those three, all of whom could be meaningful and game-changing contributors to a Browns offense that has been sorely lacking those for quite a while.

All injury information courtesy of ClevelandBrowns.com.

Key Matchups

David Richard/Associated Press

Browns offensive line vs. Bills defensive front seven

Most analysts agree that a healthy Cleveland Browns offensive line is one of the league’s best. But Buffalo touts easily the best front seven in the NFL. The Bills defensive line was imposing in 2014, according to Football Outsiders. The numbers don't lie, clearing showing Buffalo’s defensive dominance upfront and in the passing game.

In the 2014 matchup between these teams, Cleveland managed just 187 yards through three-plus quarters of Brian Hoyer behind center. Johnny Manziel provided a brief spark to make the box score less embarrassing, but Buffalo made its statement.

While starters will not play too long in this one, Cleveland's offensive line has a chance to test itself against the group that gave it the biggest problems last year. This matchup also provides a good measuring stick for the Browns' suspect rushing attack.

Browns defensive backs vs. Bills wide receivers

Second-year cornerback Justin Gilbert has taken a lot of heat for his somewhat poor performance against Washington last week. Standing in for injured starter Joe Haden and backup Pierre Desir, Gilbert moved up the depth chart and was tasked with covering Pierre Garcon.

Instead of covering him, Gilbert got caught peeking in the backfield at Robert Griffin III and let the Redskins receiver run right by him for what would have been an easy score if Garcon hadn’t blown it.

During joint practices on Monday, Gilbert was taking flak for reports of poor coverage against Buffalo's backup receivers, per Ulrich, via NFL.com. If anyone needs a solid showing in preseason Week 2, it’s the former No. 8 overall pick.

But on Tuesday, Gilbert tweaked his hip and may not see the field at all in this one. He’ll join Haden and Desir on the unlikely-to-play list, which leaves veteran Tramon Williams and a handful of players you won't recognize by name to see most of the snaps Thursday night.

X-Factor

David Richard/Associated Press

Browns X-factor of the week: Travis Benjamin

Fighting for one’s job can bring out the best in anyone. Travis Benjamin may have entered camp on the roster bubble, but he has been doing everything in his power to convince the organization he belongs.

Being fully recovered from an ACL tear suffered against Buffalo in 2013, Benjamin is hoping that his game-changing speed has returned to 100 percent.

Benjamin’s biggest utility comes on special teams return units. But against a team with a stout front seven like Buffalo, his catch-and-run skills and ability to beat a defense downfield are game-breaking attributes.

If he can get the ball in space—either on a return play, short pass or fly pattern—he’s a threat to break it off for a touchdown.

Prediction: Bills 21, Browns 17

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

A lot of fuss has been made about the Buffalo Bills’ top-tier front seven from a season ago, and rightfully so. The unit dictated things quite well even before defensive mastermind Rex Ryan arrived on the scene. But not enough credit has gone to the guys on the other side of the ball in this one.

Cleveland’s front seven looks like a unit that could come together now that it has anchor Danny Shelton in the middle to draw double-teams. It’s either that or make opposing offenses pay for trying to block him on an island. The Browns can pick their poison on that one, but either way Shelton’s impact can be significant.

But that doesn’t mean the Browns will win their first preseason matchup of 2015. Without a healthy defensive backfield for Cleveland, Buffalo’s quarterbacks should make enough plays early in the game to get in the end zone a few times, which should be more than enough to hang on against the Browns backups in the second half.

Final Prediction: Bills 21, Browns 17