The Buffalo Bills hit a low point in their season with a 27-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers that all but officially eliminated them from playoff contention. Now the Bills will look to pick themselves back up and get back in the win column with a chance to climb back to .500 when they host the winless Cleveland Browns on Sunday. This figures to be an easy one for the Bills as the Browns have the league’s second-worst run defense, giving up 146.2 yards per game, and the Bills running game leads the league at 154.6 yards per game. As long as they’re able to run the football, this should be a game that they control and eventually win.
Moneyline: Buffalo -500
Handicap/Spread Odds: Bills -9.5
Total O/U: 43
Last 5 Meetings: (Road/Home – Spread/Total)
| 11/30/14 | CLE 10 – BUF 26 | BUF -3 | U 42 |
| 10/03/13 | BUF 24 – CLE 37 | CLE -3.5 | O 40.5 |
| 09/23/12 | BUF 24 – CLE 14 | BUF -2.5 | U 45 |
| 12/12/10 | CLE 6 – BUF 13 | BUF -1 | U 39.5 |
| 10/11/09 | CLE 6 – BUF 3 | W 3 | O 42 |
On The Browns Side of the Ball (0-13 Record, 2-11 ATS)
The Browns dropped to 0-13 in Sunday’s 23-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals as Robert Griffin III’s return didn’t go as hoped for at all. RGIII completed just 12-of-28 attempts for 104 yards and an interception and was sacked three times while Terrelle Pryor Sr. didn’t hesitate to get in his face and voice his displeasure in the middle of the game before finishing with one catch for three yards. RGIII did have a rushing touchdown while Isaiah Crowell rushed for 113 yards but there wasn’t much in terms of a silver lining given the way Cleveland was beaten up. The Browns defense did manage to register four sacks on Andy Dalton and it will be interesting to see if they can really get up for this game in an effort to snap their imperfect season on Sunday.
Last 5 Results:
| 12/11/16 | CIN | L 10-23 | L 4.5 | U 42 |
| 11/27/16 | NYG | L 13-27 | L 6.5 | U 46.5 |
| 11/20/16 | PIT | L 9-24 | L 8 | U 45.5 |
| 11/10/16 | @BAL | L 7-28 | L 7.5 | U 44 |
| 11/06/16 | DAL | L 10-35 | L 7 | U 49 |
On The Bills Side of the Ball (6-7 Record, 5-8 ATS)
The reports of Rex Ryan’s inevitable dismissal were coming from all angles after Sunday’s loss so anything less than a dominant win over Cleveland may spell the end of his tenure in Buffalo. There are some positives to take from the Bills season but ultimately the negatives outweigh them including last week’s disaster versus Pittsburgh. Buffalo allowed Le’Veon Bell to rush for 236 yards and three touchdowns, which marked a new franchise record for the Steelers. The Bills held Ben Roethlisberger to 220 yards and three interceptions but Pittsburgh’s dominance on the ground negated any positives they could take from the game. Meanwhile, Tyrod Taylor once again struggled with consistency as he was held to 15-of-25 for 228 yards and two touchdowns with one interception and five sacks. Buffalo’s lack of a consistent passing attack has been a major issue all season and that was the case again versus the Steelers. Meanwhile, LeSean McCoy finished with 108 total yards and a touchdown but it was once again a case where he simply isn’t getting enough help from the rest of the offense.
Last 5 Results:
| 12/11/16 | PIT | L 20-27 | L 1 | O 45.5 |
| 12/04/16 | @OAK | L 24-38 | L 3 | O 48.5 |
| 11/27/16 | JAC | W 28-21 | L -8.5 | O 43.5 |
| 11/20/16 | @CIN | W 16-12 | W 2.5 | U 48 |
| 11/07/16 | @SEA | L 25-31 | L 5.5 | O 43.5 |
Quick Analysis
The Browns are 0-7 straight up and against the spread over their last seven games and they are now 2-11 ATS overall this season. Meanwhile, Buffalo is just 2-5 straight up and 1-6 ATS over its last seven games so this will be their opportunity to break out of their funk and pick up a lopsided win at home.
Prediction
A lopsided win over the lowly Browns won’t make people forget about the Bills’ struggles this season, but it will at least give this franchise something positive to look at if they can get back to .500 on the season. Cleveland has been an absolute mess all year so there will be no excuse for Buffalo not to win and cover at home. Look for LeSean McCoy and Mike Gillislee to run wild and the lead the way to a Bills victory.
Pick: Buffalo -9.5
Note: Lines subject to change leading up to kick-off, so please be aware of the possibility of line movements.
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