If one preseason start and two preseason games overall was supposed to provide more clarity into who the Cleveland Browns starting quarterback will be, then the mission failed. After a nice joint practice between the two teams earlier this week, the Buffalo Bills defeated the Browns 31-7. Let’s get to the full game recap.
1st Quarter – Browns vs. Bills
The rain was pouring buckets to start the game, as Buffalo received the opening kickoff. QB Kyle Allen made the start for Buffalo still, and Cleveland’s defense was already filled with reserves as well. After just four plays, though — the last of which was an 18-yard completion by Allen, the game was suspended due to lightning in the area.
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After more than an hour delay, play resumed. A pass interference penalty on CB Tre Avery in the end zone on 3rd-and-3 gave the Bills a 1st-and-goal at the 1 yard line. The defense came up with two straight stuffs on rushing attempts, but on 3rd-and-goal at the 1, RB Ray Davis punched it in to give Buffalo a 7-0 lead.
Then, it was QB Shedeur Sanders‘ turn to lead the offense. Cleveland faced a 4th-and-2 from the Bills’ 41 yard line and went for it. After taking his time, Sanders found TE Blake Whiteheart for 16 yards and a first down. Several plays later, on a 3rd-and-7 at the 8 yard line, Sanders waited and then fired a strike to WR Luke Floriea in the back of the end zone for at touchdown to tie the game at 7-7.
On the Bills’ next drive, DL Mike Hall saw some more work from the edge with the team’s mounting injuries, and he came up with a sack that helped stall the drive. The Bills punted back to Cleveland before the end of the first quarter.
2nd Quarter – Browns vs. Bills
Sanders’ second drive gained one first down before punting back to Buffalo. The Bills went three-and-out and punted right back to the Browns. Sanders was in the midst of putting together another successful-looking drive, including finding Floriea again on this 3rd-and-15 for 23 yards.
After getting into the red zone, Sanders faced a 2nd-and-9 from the Buffalo 19 yard line. His pass for TE Jermaine Terry was a little behind him on the quick slant, and Terry popped it up in the air for S Damar Hamlin to intercept.
The Bills went three-and-out again, punting the ball back to Cleveland in time for an attempt at a two-minute drill. However, the drive was immediately set back when the opening screen pass for RB Davon Booth was hit for a loss of 6 yards. The Browns punted back to Buffalo, and Allen found WR Ja’Mori Maclin for 37 yards to the Browns’ 19 yard line. Two plays later, Allen hit WR Mecole Hardman for a 9-yard touchdown to give Buffalo a 14-7 lead heading into the half.
3rd Quarter – Browns vs. Bills
QB Deshaun Watson came in for the third quarter, and his time did no go well. His first drive saw him throw two incompletions for a three-and-out. The Bills put together a decent drive that ended with a 52-yard field goal by K Tyler Bass to extend Buffalo’s lead to 17-7. Watson’s second drive was also a three-and-out, including a throw in the dirt.
Buffalo also went three-and-out, so Watson took over again. After a 20-yard completion to WR Malachi Corley, Watson scrambled for a 10-yard run a few plays later. After getting into Buffalo territory, though, on 3rd-and-5, Watson threw a pass too high for WR Gage Larvadain, and it was intercepted by DB Te’Cory Couch.
Two plays later, QB Shane Buechele hit Maclin for a 71-yard touchdown as two Browns defenders collided into each other down the field. That put Buffalo up 24-7.
4th Quarter – Browns vs. Bills
Watson stayed in the game at the beginning of the fourth quarter to continue the drive he had from the end of the previous quarter. It ended with a turnover on downs, as his fourth down pass to Floriea was tipped at the line of scrimmage.
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Buechele used his legs after another drive to run it in from 5 yards out to give the Bills a 31-7 lead with under seven minutes to go.
QB Dillon Gabriel came in, and before he could even take a snap, Cleveland had two false starts to put him in a 1st-and-20 situation. Gabriel’s first pass was tipped, and then after a run by Booth went for no gain, he faced a 3rd-and-20. Another false start — the second by KT Leveston on the drive — made it 3rd-and-25. Gabriel just turned around and handed it to Booth for 12 yards, leading to a punt.
The Bills ran out the clock from there.
Quick Hitters
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QB Shedeur Sanders: 9-of-11 for 74 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. 1 carry, 2 yards.
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QB Deshaun Watson: 5-of-12 for 35 yards, 1 INT. 2 carries, 13 yards.
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WR Luke Floriea: 2 catches, 31 yards, 1 TD.
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If Deshaun Watson was leading the quarterback race ahead of this game and favored to be named the starter by a slim margin, then this game was not ideal for optics for head coach Todd Monken. Shedeur Sanders, working with the second-teamers as the starting quarterback, led a couple drive — one for a touchdown, and one that led to an unfortunate interception. Watson, on the other hand, looked disastrous in the third quarter. He looked like the guy who would lead an entire half of 0 points in the regular season in past years, uninspired. Now, granted, he also was playing with reserves, so you can’t necessarily take this game and make definitive decisions with this alone.
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There wasn’t much to evaluate in this game in any facet, aside from quarterback. Like last week, it started OK for Cleveland, but then turned into a blowout.
Next up, the Browns will finish off the preseason this Wednesday evening at 8:00 pm ET at Huntington Bank Field. The game will be televised on Amazon Prime.
