Cleveland Browns at Buffalo Bills Spread

Written by Steve Janus

This Sunday the Cleveland Browns will go on the road to take on the Buffalo Bills, in a game between two teams that have played much better than their records indicate. The Browns went on the road and beat the Dolphins 13-10 last week, and have now won four of their last six games. The Bills went on the road and had no answer for Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings, falling 38-14, their first loss by more than three points since week five. If you are thinking about betting on the game this weekend, our current NFL odds have the Bills favored by 1-point over the Browns at home.

Cleveland (5-7): The Browns aren’t completely out of the playoff picture, but will likely have to win their final four games of the season to even have a chance. In my opinion the Browns are one of the most underrated teams in the NFL right now. Cleveland’s only lost by more than 10 points was a 28-10 beating at Pittsburgh back in week six. Since then the Browns have beat the likes of the Saints and Patriots, and nearly beat both the Jets and Jaguars.

Jake Delhomme started his second straight game in place of Colt McCoy, and after a rough game against the Panthers, Delhomme bounced back with a nice performance against the Dolphins. Keep an eye out to see if McCoy is able to play this week, as the Browns are much better off offensively with McCoy in the lineup.

Running back Peyton Hillis has really looked good this season both running and catching the football. Hillis leads the Browns with 962 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground, and is second on the team with 436 yards receiving. Buffalo appears to be a perfect matchup for Hillis this weekend. The Bills are dead last against the run, giving up over 170 yards a game.

The Browns are also playing very well on the defensive side of the ball. Cleveland has forced 18 turnovers in the last six games, and if they can force the Bills into some mistakes this week, they should have a very good chance of pulling out the win.

Buffalo (2-10): It will be interesting to see how the Bills respond after a bad loss to the Vikings last week. Buffalo had looked so good in their last six games, but you have to wonder if they can still bring that same intensity down the stretch, as the games continue to mean less and less.

Look for the Bills to try and get Fred Jackson going against the Browns. Jackson had just 48 yards of total offense last week at Minnesota. Jackson had been unbelievable the previous three games, totaling 462 yards and five touchdowns. While Cleveland has struggled against the run at times this season, they are pretty solid on the defensive side of the ball, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to take Jackson out of the game and make Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Bills passing game beat them.

While the Bills were torched on the ground by Peterson and the Vikings last week, they did finish the game with four interceptions, including one that was returned 40 yards for a touchdown by Drayton Florence. With Cleveland’s offense figuring to have a lot of success moving the ball against the Bills defense, I think it will be important for the Bills to find a way to create some turnovers at home.

Looking at the Odds: I really like the Browns to straight up win this game on the road. Buffalo’s defense will have no answer for Peyton Hillis and the Browns running game, which will allow Cleveland to control the clock and put points on the board. The Bills may be able to keep it close, but I think you have to take your chances on the Browns bringing home the win. My final score prediction is Cleveland 27, Buffalo 20.

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