Bills vs. Browns: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for Cleveland

Johnny Manziel flashed some of his old college magic, but the Cleveland Browns still came up short after some late-game heroics by Buffalo Bills quarterback EJ Manuel.

After the game entered the fourth quarter locked at 3-3, Manziel led his group of backups 96 yards to get into the end zone. Two plays after hitting Darius Jennings for 37 yards while on the run, Manziel found Ohio native Shane Wynn streaking in the right corner of the end zone for the go-ahead score.

The Bills didn’t roll over and made a final stand, driving down to the Browns’ 1-yard line with two minutes left to play. A false start by Buffalo, and then a fumble by EJ Manuel after a sack by linebacker Moise Fokou set up a fourth-down try. Buffalo continued to self-destruct with another false start on its first attempt.

Now all the way back at the 14-yard line, offsetting penalties negated what appeared to be clean coverage by Browns defensive back Joe Rankin. Cleveland sent an all-out blitz on Buffalo’s third fourth-down attempt, and Manuel hit Andre Davis for the score to bring the Bills within one at 10-9.

On the ensuing two-point conversion, Manuel rolled right and found an open target to put Buffalo ahead 11-10 with 1:26 left on the clock. Manziel had one more shot but wasn’t able to convert on 4th-and-5 after his pass hit off rookie Vince Mayle's hands, ending the Browns’ comeback hopes.

Before that eventful fourth quarter the two teams played to a near stalemate, amassing fewer than 150 yards of total offense apiece.

Buffalo’s offense, bereft of starting running backs and receivers, got rolling quickly with a 15-play drive that set the tone and ate up nine-and-a-half minutes of the first quarter. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor used his feet and arm to keep the chains moving, but Dan Carpenter missed a 46-yard field goal. He eventually hit on a 36-yarder in the second quarter.

While the Bills converted eight passing first downs early, the Browns had just nine passing yards with nine minutes left until the half.

Position Grades for Cleveland

David Richard/Associated Press

Position	Grade
QB	B
RB	B-
WR	B-
TE	B+
OL	C
DL	C+
LB	C+
DB	C-
Special Teams	A
Coaching	A

Generating any type of offense against Buffalo’s stout front seven was a chore for the Cleveland Browns’ first-team offense.

Josh McCown threw two interceptions, but one hit Gary Barnidge on the hands before he was drilled by Bills defensive back Aaron Williams. Williams got a penalty, but it was assessed after the pick. His second turnover was a poor decision under pressure, a jump ball to diminutive wideout Andrew Hawkins that was high-pointed by Ronald Darby.

Johnny Manziel continued his progress again this week while playing the entire second half against Buffalo’s backups. Whether scrambling or in the pocket, he made sound decisions. He was also sharp with his audibles and checks at the line of scrimmage. That makes two weeks in a row without a turnover for the second-year quarterback.

The Browns’ rushing attack finished surprisingly competent, and Isaiah Crowell did ignite the crowd with a stiff-arm that sprung him for a 14-yard first-down run. Terrance West received most of the snaps with the first-team offense and danced his way to 42 yards on 11 carries.

With exception to Vince Mayle, who dropped a catchable fourth-quarter pass for the second week in a row, the Browns receivers were effective. Rookie Shane Wynn streaked open and snagged a 21-yard touchdown toss from Manziel. Another undrafted rookie, Darius Jennings, converted a third down and hauled in a 37-yard pass on that scoring drive.

Cleveland’s offensive line was pushed around a bit throughout the night. Alex Mack played well but was embarrassed by defensive tackle Marcell Dareus on a McCown sack. That stalled the only drive that the Browns' offensive starters were able to sustain. Their play was good at times, picking up blitzes and keeping their quarterbacks relatively clean, but the bumps in the road were to be expected against one of the best front sevens in the NFL.

On defense, things were a little shaky when the first unit was on the field. Without any of their playmakers, Buffalo managed to impose its will on the ground—mostly mobile quarterback Tyrod Taylor—and in the short passing game.

That could have been due to the Browns missing three of their five starting defensive backs—K’Waun Williams, Joe Haden and Tashaun Gipson.

Standouts on defense included Paul Kruger, rookies Nate Orchard and Xavier Cooper, and Chris Kirksey. Cooper got to the quarterback twice, giving him three sacks through less than two full games of action, albeit against backups.

The defensive backfield was a rough spot early, but it held its own despite fielding a group that for the most part will not likely end up making the 53-man roster. Johnson Bademosi was targeted, and penalized, a lot throughout the game. He did have a pass breakup and a couple of other nice plays, but his performance was uneven at best.

Browns Lose Poyer to Concussion

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

Cleveland Browns safety Jordan Poyer got the start for injured safety Tashaun Gipson, but he left Thursday night's matchup after a potential concussion sent him to the locker room.

The team announced he was being evaluated during the game, and Michael McLain of The Tribune Chronicle pointed out that the safety walked up to the wrong huddle before being pulled from the game.

That's a scary sounding series of events; hopefully he can bounce back quickly. The Browns are depleted at defensive back, and his roster spot could be in jeopardy. First things first, though, he'll go through concussion protocols before getting back on the field.

Safety and health are paramount in these situations.

Tight end Gary Barnidge was also evaluated for a concussion but was cleared, according to team announcement.

Offenses Stalled in Defensive Showdown

David Richard/Associated Press

The deadlocked 3-3 score at halftime was indicative of the ineptitude of both side's offense through two quarters. That should have been expected with so many injuries and the defensive-minded nature of both teams.

At halftime, the Buffalo Bills led in yardage by a narrow 118-85 margin, but it didn't seem either team moved the ball even that well.

Of the starters, Tyrod Taylor averaged five yards per pass, while Josh McCown achieved just three yards per attempt.

Things eventually loosened up with the backups in the game throughout the fourth quarter, but both starting units were unimpressive.

Head Coach Mike Pettine Refused to Ignite QB Controversy

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

Mike Pettine isn't going to add fuel to the fire of a potential quarterback controversy brewing in his clubhouse.

"I'm not going to start up a quarterback controversy. Both McCown and Manziel did some good, some bad,"
 he said during his postgame press conference.

He then stuck to his script, saying Josh McCown was still "firmly the one" and that he would evaluate the tape tomorrow.

It's hard to deny Johnny Manziel looks miles ahead of where he was during his disastrous rookie season. As Pettine noted, his play, however impressive, has been against backups.

McCown is a known entity, he won't win a team very many games and he has lost some, but he has played in the league long enough to make Pettine's staff feel comfortable.

But as Manziel progresses, a competition for the team's top quarterback job is increasingly becoming a topic worth discussing.

Quotes obtained from Mike Pettine's postgame press conference, via 92.3 the Fan radio coverage.

Johnny Manziel Wants Coaches to Take Notice

David Richard/Associated Press

Johnny Manziel isn't actively lobbying for a chance to compete for the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback job; he again acknowledged his deference to coach Mike Pettine's judgement.

According to the Associated Press' Tom Withers, the quarterback said he'd love to be on the field with the starters, but will "leave that up to coach Pett."

As his confidence grows, he's getting the itch to get back into the conversation. He's also asking his coaches take notice of his progress.

"I want the coaches to watch the film tomorrow and say, man, this guy is doing things right," Manziel said after the game, per Kevin Jones of ClevelandBrowns.com.

While his play was against backups, it might be time to see what an improved Manziel can do against starting NFL defenders.

Mike Hoag (@MikeHoagJr) covers the Cleveland Browns for Bleacher Report and is the managing editor of Browns Beat.