Browns Fight To Finish But Lose To Bills, 23-20: Game Notes
They had a chance to go win the game late and that's all you can ask for right now.
The Browns fought hard today. In a way, it’s all we really want in the middle of a disappoinitng season. We want them to show toughness and grit and that desire to win and after last week’s performance this was a welcome viewing experience. It was far from perfect, and the worst thing happened losing Quinshon Judkins for the foreseeable future, but the team played hard and they had a chance to win late.
Shedeur Sanders found himself in the position to make a big case for himself as the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback beyond the rest of this season. Instead, the questions will persist as much as ever.
With a pair of opportunities to lead game-winning drives over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Sanders took two costly sacks and committed an intentional grounding penalty at the edge of his own end zone, and the Browns lost 23-20 to drop to 3-12 on the season.
Sanders completed his first eight passes for 84 yards and a score to tight end Harold Fannin Jr. His ninth, though, was behind Judkins. It hit the rookie's shoulder pad and bounced into the air for Bills safety Jordan Poyer to intercept.
Josh Allen’s arm and legs sealed the deal for the 11-4 Bills after the Browns punted with 1:49 left, but Bills running back James Cook carried the day, averaging 11.1 yards per carry in the first half while hitting the century mark on nine carries, two of which resulted in scores.
Cook, now the league’s leading rusher, made a pair of defenders miss and weaved to dodge a few more during a 44-yard touchdown scamper in the first quarter.
Here are your Week 14 Game Notes.
I thought the Browns executed well for the most part on the day. They had what felt like a relatively efficient run game, paired it well with some bootleg passing, and threw some well-timed screen designs that caught the Bills in the blitz. We will watch the All-22 but it felt like a net positive gameplan for the day.
There were good moments and bad moments from Sanders in this game. That is a sentenced I have typed many times through his five starts. It felt like Sanders did well getting the ball on checkdowns to his back and operating the basic functions of the offense. His scramling, 49 yards in total, was also a big boost to the offense and helped them get out of some tight spots in down and distance.
However, the Browns did very little downfield and his 1.9 aDOT is among the lowest in the NFL for a single game all year.
The two interceptions were tough. The first was a ball on a “texas route” from Judkins that he left too far behind him and was thrown with too much pace. That is a brutal catch to make for a running back in traffic like that.
The second interception is a play where the backside tight end blocks and then releases and once Fannin lets Joey Bosa go, Sanders is responsible for getting the ball throw past, or around, the defender. He can’t throw into the hands here.
The run game was fine for the first time in quite a while. Judkins had a long run called back for a hold on Luke Wypler, but overall it felt like he was finding a rhythm. Raheim Sanders came in a did well throughout the second half and ran for 42 yards on 11 carries and picked up some tough yards.
The wide receiver group was dead silent in this game. Outside of the three FLY sweeps for 30 yards for Malachi Corley, the receiving group did very little. Isaiah Bond took a reverse 20 yards and then it was five catches for 31 yards for the whole group. Most of the receiving came from running backs as Trayveon Williams and Judkins accounted for 9 catches and 63 yards.
Harold Fannin Jr. did his thing again going for four catches and 34 yards but adding a receiving and rushing touchdown. He was effective in both phases and continues to be the Browns primary weapon.
The offensive line continues to be a makeshift group and now the second most variations of starting lineups across the NFL. It felt like they played a decent game in both phases with some good and bad moments — especially bad from the tackles again. Here are the baseline stats.
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