Browns vs. Bills: Breaking Down Cleveland's Game Plan

There are storylines galore as the 7-4 Cleveland Browns continue their playoff push this week in Buffalo against the 6-5 Bills. First of all, the Browns nearly drafted wide receiver Sammy Watkins but instead traded out of the spot and sent him to the Bills. This also marks the return of head coach Mike Pettine to the team he left to accept the job in Cleveland.

“I know heading back into Ralph Wilson (Stadium) I don’t think I am going to get the warmest reception,” Pettine quipped to the media on Wednesday.

The game plan on Sunday off the field is to prove the Browns were correct in both instances. On the field it is much more complex. The Bills present one of, if not the best, front fours in NFL. They are monsters against the run, allowing just 98 yards per game, and dominate the league with 46 sacks. It all starts up front, and the Browns will need to find a good balance between the pass and the run.

When a team is as dominant as the Bills are up front, the offensive coordinator has to keep them on their heels. Kyle Shanahan’s play-calling will be imperative to the Browns having a good day offensively. They currently are averaging 22 points per game, and that number could be very tough to reach on Sunday. The weather is never accommodating in Buffalo this time of year, and the Bills allow just 18.8 points per game. That is fourth-best in the league.

On defense, the Browns' game plan has to be to limit the running game and force quarterback Kyle Orton to beat them. The Bills are anemic offensively. Before a 38-point outburst against the lowly New York Jets last week, the Bills were averaging just 19 points per game.

Orton is a game manager and prone to turning the ball over if he is forced to make things happen with his arm. This season, however, he has taken very good care of the football. He has thrown the ball to the wrong team just three times because they have had some success on the ground.

This will be a dogfight on Sunday, and the Browns will have to outlast the Bills in a knockdown, drag-out, bare-knuckle brawl if they want to leave Buffalo with a victory.

Let’s take a look at the position groups that will take swings on Sunday and see who has the edge in each category.

The Competitive Edge

Quarterback

Many people like to compare Brian Hoyer to Alex Smith in Kansas City. That is an inaccurate comparison because Smith was an elite talent coming out of college. I think the most accurate comparison for Hoyer is Kyle Orton. When Hoyer was playing better a few weeks ago, the Browns would have had the edge, but after a few weeks of struggles, I can’t give the edge to either side. Whichever quarterback takes care of the ball on Sunday should end up victorious.

Edge: Push

Running Back

The Bills have struggled to find a consistent rusher, and now Anthony Dixon is leading the team with 332 yards and one touchdown. In fact, they have just four touchdowns on the ground all season long. The Browns finally have a running back’s room where everyone knows their role. If they can have success against the Bills this week, people will really start to take notice.

Edge: Cleveland

Wide Receiver

Rookie Sammy Watkins has 48 catches for 684 yards and five touchdowns and is quickly becoming one of the best receivers in the league. Josh Gordon is just settling in for the Browns and is coming off of an eight-catch game in which he racked up 120 yards. The supporting casts are of similar stature. Robert Woods for Buffalo and Andrew Hawkins for Cleveland are each enjoying very good years.

Edge: Push

Tight End

Despite the Bills having a poor passing offense, tight end Scott Chandler is still having a pretty good year. As one of the better route runners at his position, Chandler has amassed 335 yards and two touchdowns this season. The Browns are still waiting to see if Jordan Cameron can return from his concussion. He is in danger of missing his fifth straight game with the head injury.

Edge: Buffalo

Offensive Line

This Browns line is rounding into form at the right time this season. They rushed for 162 yards last week and have kept Hoyer clean the last few weeks. The Bills have allowed 27 sacks this season and have struggled to run the football as well. Some of those struggles have more to do with the backs and lack of passing offense, but they have still not been good this year.

Edge: Cleveland

Defensive Line

The starting four defensive linemen for the Bills have 35.5 sacks this season. If that isn’t making an impact on the game then I have no idea what is. They have the eighth-best rushing defense in the league and are a dominant force on every snap. This will be a huge test for the Browns' patchwork offensive line.

Edge: Buffalo

Linebackers

The Browns are beaten up at the linebacker position, and it would be tough to give them the edge. The Bills have a very productive group, and they are a huge part of the success against the run. Preston Brown and Nigel Bradham are not household names, but they are two of the more productive linebackers in the league. The Browns are sill waiting to see if they will get Karlos Dansby back. He did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday.

Edge: Buffalo

Defensive Backs

Don’t look now, but rookie Justin Gilbert is making an impact when he is on the field. He rarely finds himself on the field, however, and that is a testament to just how good undrafted rookie K’Waun Williams has been this year. Obviously Joe Haden will get a lot of love, but Williams has been the most pleasant surprise of the 2014 team.

Edge: Cleveland

Special Teams

This may be the first time this season that I have given the edge to the Browns in this category. They have surprisingly been playing solid football on special teams, and their coverage units remain among the best in the league. Kicker Billy Cundiff also had a game-winning field goal last week as time expired, so he gets kudos for that.

Edge: Cleveland

Browns Offense vs. Bills Defense

This is going to be one of the toughest matchups for the Browns this season. The Bills are extremely physical up front, and that has given the Browns problems this season. Houston came out and punched them in the mouth and they never recovered. The fear is that Buffalo will do the same.

Shanahan needs to use their aggressive nature against them. Counter runs, screens and draws are all good ways to make a defense think twice before going full steam ahead.

If the rookie running backs want to be taken seriously in this league, they will need to grind out a solid day on the ground. Isaiah Crowell seems the most equipped for this and will need to fight for every yard he gains on Sunday. West could actually end up with some success, however, because his style of running is so different from Crowell.

If Crowell can wear down the front then West may be able to break a decent gainer or two in the second half.

For Brian Hoyer, this game is all about bouncing back. The again, last game was about bouncing back and he responded with one of the worst games of his career. Hoyer thrives under pressure late in games but seems to be buckling under the big picture pressure of his future with the Browns or anywhere else.

If Hoyer can regroup and play like he was a month ago, he and the Browns will be fine. If he continues to struggle like he has the past month then not only is his future in Cleveland in jeopardy but also the Browns' playoff hopes.

Browns Defense vs. Bills Offense

Realistically, the Browns should have no trouble stopping the Bills offense. They have a very hard time moving the ball on the ground and through the air. Ignore last week’s 38 points against the Jets because they are an absolute Dumpster fire.

Kyle Orton has a very good passer rating of 96.2 but had thrown for just 1,810 yards. He takes good care of the football because the Bills do not ask him to do too much with it. That is what the Browns have to change.

If they can stuff the run then Orton will be forced to make plays with his arm. The Browns need to make that happen. Orton has a weak arm and has always been prone to turnovers throughout his career.

Safety Donte Whitner has an axe to grind with Buffalo apparently. This summer he went to war with the city and organization. Words were exchanged, feelings were hurt and Sunday could be very interesting.

On Wednesday the flames were stoked again. Buffalo running back Fred Jackson went hard at Whitner.

"

Fred Jackson said Donte Whitner was trying to be as dumb as possible to ruffle some feathers. Added that he can't respect that.

— Matthew Fairburn (@MatthewFairburn) November 26, 2014"

"

“@drsalem72: Sounds like @DonteWhitner is inside the Bills' heads and has been for months. This will be fun.” {you think?}

— DonteHitner (@DonteWhitner) November 26, 2014"

Sunday should be fun, to say the least.

What They’re Saying

“In the back of my mind, it was three or four teams. I met with the GM probably a week before the combine, so yeah, in my head I thought I was going to get drafted there.”

—Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins on if he thought the Browns were going to draft him

“They’re here, but they’re essentially outside looking in. I could see where he could maybe interpret that in some ways. Apparently (former Browns WR) Greg Little felt the same way about his head coach.”

—Browns head coach Mike Pettine on Josh Gordon saying he thought people kept him at arms length during his suspension.

Browns’ Wednesday Injury Report

Did Not Practice: Safety Tashaun Gipson (knee) linebacker Karlos Dansby (knee) and linebacker Jabaal Sheard (foot)

Limited: Tight end Jordan Cameron (head) and defensive lineman Ahtyba Rubin (back)

Full: Linebacker Barkevious Mingo (shoulder) and offensive lineman Joe Thomas (rest)

This Week’s Game Stats and Facts

The Browns are 7-4 on the season, their best record through 11 games since 2007, when the club also started 7-4.

Head Coach Mike Pettine’s 7-4 record is the fourth-best start by a Browns coach in his first 11 NFL games.

Cleveland is the only team with two players with four-or-more interceptions as Tashaun Gipson is leading the NFL with six, while Buster Skrine is tied for third with four.

Hoyer is leading the NFL with an average of 14.04 yards per completion this season.

All quotes and observations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Game stats and facts are courtesy of the Browns’ communications department.