The Cleveland Browns are 10.5-point underdogs ahead of today’s matchup with the Buffalo Bills. Josh Allen and company are still in pursuit of the AFC East, and they need to put up pressure on the New England Patriots.
However, even though oddsmakers believe this will be a lopsided matchup, the Bills will still need to get past the Browns’ stout defense. That’s particularly the case against the run.
With that in mind, Thomas Valentine of Pro Football Focus talked about that matchup.
In his latest column, he argued that the Browns’ ability to stop James Cook could be crucial to Kevin Stefanski’s team’s success:
“Matchup to watch: Bills’ rushing attack vs. Browns’ run defense: On a down-to-down basis, there’s no better team defending the run than the Browns. They’re first in success rate against the run, and have more stops against the run (231) than any other defense in the NFL. By contrast, the Bills’ rushing attack is one of the best in the NFL. Buffalo is incredibly strong up front, as James Cook (80.7 grade; 8th) and Allen can create big yards on the ground,” Valentine wrote.
Granted, the Browns’ once-elite defense hasn’t been as stout over the past three games. They’ve given up 88 points during that span.
That being said, Jim Schwartz’s unit is usually much stronger at home. More than that, even if the Browns don’t have anything else to play for other than draft positioning, Myles Garrett is still striving to break the single-season record for the most sacks.
The Bills are clearly more than capable of putting the ball in the air. Even though Josh Allen doesn’t have any true elite pass catchers, he’s still arguably the best quarterback in the game right now, and his ability to scramble and pick up yards with his legs will also open up things for him.
Regardless of the broader context of the season, this will be a nice game to watch.
And while the Browns can’t make the playoffs, they can certainly play spoiler.
NEXT: Bernie Kosar Sends Message To Fans Ahead Of Bills Game
