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Predictions

Buffalo Bills at Cleveland Browns

By Bush StaffUpdated 7h ago·2 min read
Buffalo BillsBUF(1-0 PRE)
Cleveland BrownsCLE(0-1 PRE)
31—7
FINAL
Show fees
FINAL
Spread
ML
Total
Bills(1-0 PRE)
WLWWL
31
Browns(0-1 PRE)
LWWLL
7
Best BetBills +117
Postgame

This one wasn't close. Buffalo's backups outplayed Cleveland's at every position, and the final was 31-7. The pregame case for Buffalo held up point for point: efficient reserve quarterbacking beat a rotating three-man competition that produced one touchdown and two picks.

Pregame

Buffalo's backups have more continuity in this building than Cleveland's do — Kyle Allen and Shane Buechele know Joe Brady's system, while the Browns are still rotating two quarterbacks who haven't locked down a pecking order. Cleveland is also trying to bounce back from a genuinely ugly loss, and preseason teams that get run over once tend to look shaky again the very next week.

Josh Allen stayed on the sideline for this one, so the story became Cleveland's ongoing quarterback math. Todd Monken split reps three ways, sending Shedeur Sanders out for the first half, Deshaun Watson in for the third quarter, and Dillon Gabriel closing it out, a rotation built to squeeze evaluation time out of a game that otherwise means nothing in the standings.

Buffalo, meanwhile, leaned on Kyle Allen and Shane Buechele, and both were sharp. Several Bills skill guys who've been trending healthy, DJ Moore and Dalton Kincaid among them, weren't needed to make it happen. Cleveland's own group was thinner than usual, with Quinshon Judkins, Cedric Tillman and Jerry Jeudy all held out, which left a young receiving corps to fend for itself against a Bills defense that had plenty to prove after last year's rush-defense numbers.

Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
(1-0 PRE)
Aug 15Wvs PanthersPre29-14
Jan 17L@ Broncos30-33
Jan 11W@ Jaguars27-24
Jan 4Wvs Jets35-8
Dec 28Lvs Eagles12-13
Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
(0-1 PRE)
Aug 15L@ BearsPre10-34
Jan 4W@ Bengals20-18
Dec 28Wvs Steelers13-6
Dec 21Lvs Bills20-23
Dec 14L@ Bears3-31

It showed early and it showed late. Buffalo's backfield of James Cook, Ray Davis and Ty Johnson combined for 138 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on 34 carries, the kind of ground control that turns a preseason game into a laugher. Cleveland's offense, thin up front in the pass game and searching for answers at quarterback, never found a rhythm to counter it.

Sanders actually did his job in the half he got, going 9-of-11 for 74 yards and a touchdown, connecting with Luke Floriea for the score before handing off to Watson. That's where it fell apart. Watson finished 5-of-12 for just 36 yards with an interception, and Gabriel barely got a look, going 0-for-1 in his fourth-quarter cameo. Buffalo's defense made sure none of the three ever got comfortable, picking off two passes, one from Damar Hamlin and another from Te'Cory Couch.

Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
(9)
  • QuestionableNewKhalil Shakir (WR) — Shakir (undisclosed) won't play in Saturday's preseason game against Cleveland, Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News reports.08/22
  • QuestionableNewSkyler Bell (WR) — Bell (lower body) will not participate in Saturday's preseason game against the Browns, Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News reports.08/22
  • QuestionableNewKeon Coleman (WR)
  • QuestionableTy Johnson (RB)
  • QuestionableConnor McGovern (C)
  • QuestionableMichael Hoecht (DE) — The Bills have been working Hoecht (Achilles) into full team drills since the start of training camp, Tim Graham of The Athletic reports.08/04
  • OutTyrell Shavers (WR) — The Bills placed Shavers (knee) on the active/PUP list Tuesday, Matt Parrino of The Syracuse Post-Standard reports.07/28
  • SuspensionPhidarian Mathis (DT) — reserve-sus08/19
  • Injured ReserveDemetrius Flannigan-Fowles (LB) — ir08/19
Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
(16)
  • QuestionableNewIsaiah Bond (WR) — Bond went to the locker room to be evaluated for a possible concussion during Saturday's preseason game against the Bills, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports.08/22
  • QuestionableNewAlex Wright (DE) — Wright (lower leg) is not expected to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Bills, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.08/22
  • QuestionableNewCarson Schwesinger (LB) — Schwesinger (undisclosed) is not expected to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Bills, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.08/22
  • QuestionableNewCedric Tillman (WR) — Tillman (undisclosed) is not expected to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Bills, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.08/22
  • QuestionableNewQuinshon Judkins (RB) — Judkins (undisclosed) is not expected to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Bills, Kelsey Russo of the Browns' official site reports.08/22
  • QuestionableJoe Royer (TE)
  • QuestionableCarsen Ryan (TE)
  • QuestionableParker Brailsford (C)
  • QuestionableMichael Coats Jr. (CB)
  • QuestionableNate Evans (CB)
  • Injured ReserveJack Stoll (TE) — The Browns placed Stoll (undisclosed) on injured reserve Thursday.08/20
  • Injured ReserveJamari Thrash (WR) — ir08/19
  • Injured ReserveKendrick Green (G) — ir08/19
  • Injured ReserveTyron Herring (CB) — ir08/19
  • Injured ReserveDamarri Mathis (CB) — ir08/19
  • Injured ReserveBrenden Bates (TE) — Bates (undisclosed) reverted to the Browns' injured reserve list Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.08/18

None of this changes anybody's regular-season outlook. Allen will be back under center soon enough, and Cleveland's real quarterback competition is still going to be decided on practice fields, not in a August blowout. But for a Saturday matinee with backups on both sidelines, Buffalo left no doubt about which roster is deeper right now.

Sources

NFLBuffalo BillsCleveland BrownsPolymarketKalshi