Buffalo Bills-Cleveland Browns: Looking Ahead at the Week Five Matchup

This Sunday the Buffalo Bills will host the Cleveland Browns as a pair of Lake Erie neighbors will square off at Ralph Wilson Stadium. As the combined record of these two scuffling teams so far this season is a paltry 1-7, many people will look at this game and say, "Who Cares?" And they may be very well right.

But for the fans of both teams, the winner of this game gets to think that things are getting a little bit better. And for the loser, a hard season will be that much more difficult to stomach.

The Bills need a win to show that they can put the two miserable back to back games behind them, and attempt to salvage the season, and possibly the job of head coach Dick Jauron in the process.

For the Browns, they are still trying to achieve their first win of the year. And although they came close last weekend against the Bengals, it doesn't mean much in the win loss column.

Eric Mangini is trying to turn this franchise around, so he needs a win to get his team to believe in his program and what he is trying to teach them.

My analysis of the keys to victory this Sunday.

How the Bills Can Beat the Browns

1) The Browns defense allows over 400 yards a game. More specifically, that breaks down to 226 passing yards and 176 rushing yards a game. Those are numbers that should give the Bills offense some degree of confidence that they can move the ball.

The Browns defense has only intercepted one pass so far, so that stat combined with only seven sacks in four games means that Trent Edwards should have an easier pass rush to face and a less talented secondary to deal with.

If Trent can utilize his weapons, spread the ball around to TE Shawn Nelson, WR's Terrell Owens, Josh Reed, and Lee Evans, and hand the ball off to the dynamic duo of Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson, the Bills have the playmakers to make a difference.

Alex Van Pelt will have to continue to evolve as an offensive coordinator in his play calling efforts. The alarmingly high number of plays that Trent Edwards throws the ball over the sidelines to escape a sack has to stop.

Keeping the defense off balance with draws, screens, and other quick hitting plays needs to be injected in to the offensive scheme to give Trent a chance to make things happen.

2) The Bills Defense has to continue to make plays and create turnovers.

In the season opening game on Monday Night Football against New England and then in the following week win against Tampa Bay, the Bills defense found a way to score a touchdown.

While I realize that is not an easy feat, they did not create any turnovers against a very inexperienced Miami Dolphins QB in Chad Henne. The Bills will be playing at home and won't be dealing with the Miami heat.

Look for the Bills to continue putting strong pressure on Derek Anderson, as they have shown all season.

Jairus Byrd has been getting his baptism under fire due to the injuries to the starting secondary, and it would not be a surprise to see him getting more comfortable and his ball hawking skills coming out for all to see.

3) Intangibles

Dick Jauron is not personally responsible for all of the injuries that have depleted the Bills to date. But while his popularity continues to plummet after a lopsided loss like the Miami game, it is a natural reaction for fans to call for a change.

The players seem to want to keep playing for Jauron, and they understand what is at stake. I see the Bills rallying behind their leader and stepping up to have a big day.

Another factor is that the Bills are seeking revenge for the embarrassing Monday Night Football game that Cleveland beat Buffalo in their last meeting. That should still be fairly fresh on the minds of many Bills players.

Why Cleveland Has A Chance To Win Their First Game

1) Derek Anderson has already gained the confidence of the team as their new leader. Anderson has shown glimpses of being a capable QB in the past and came on last week with a strong showing that pleased head coach Eric Mangini.

If Anderson can stand up to the pressure that the Bills defense is sure to bring, he will find an inexperienced secondary that should allow him to rack up some strong yardage.

The Bills are giving up the same exact yardage in the passing game as Cleveland does—226 yards/game.

2) The Bills defense is banged up from the all the injuries and time they have spent on the field. The number of plays that the Bills have faced so far is alarming—New England (77), Tampa Bay (71), New Orleans (69), and Miami (73).

They already were without Chris Ellis and John McCargo on the defensive line last week. Then you analyze losing three of the four starting defensive backs in McKelvin, Whitner, and Scott, plus the broken arm of Posluszny, that is just a huge mountain to overcome.

The Browns have weapons of their own in Derek Anderson, Mohamed Massaquoi, Jerome Harrison, and Joshua Cribbs that could give Buffalo problems. Massaquoi exploded last weekend, catching eight passes for 148 yards.

Jerome Henderson did his impression of Freddy Jackson by picking up over 150 yards combined in rushing and pass receptions last week.

Joshua Cribbs totaled 222 yards in combined punt returns and kickoff returns, so he is a threat to break one, or at least give the Browns favorable field position throughout the game.

3) The Browns are due for a win.

The Browns need a win to avoid being the laughing stock of the league. The team has already done a number on Brady Quinn by benching him, so another loss will probably lead to more shakeups.

It will be interesting to see how Eric Mangini handles the Braylon Edwards situation. Edwards may be disciplined to sit out this game for conduct that is not acceptable to Mangini. That issue alone could be a rallying point for the team.

It should also be pointed out that Shaun Rogers has amassed 14 blocked kicks so far in his career, so if this is a close game coming down to a last second kick, Rogers will have to be accounted for.

This game probably will not draw much from a ratings standpoint. There are a number of injured Bills that may be deemed as healthy enough to play that could impact the team on either side of the ball, but we won't know their status until later this week.

Neither team right now appears to be playoff caliber, so we are talking about playing for pride and proving to their fans that the players and team cares about their performance and wants to win.