Ryan Fitzpatrick connected with David Nelson for the lone touchdown of the game, and the Buffalo Bills took a 10-6 halftime lead over the Cleveland Browns in Week 14 last season. On a cold day featuring sleet at Ralph Wilson Stadium, both offenses packed it in during a slow second half that saw just one more score. Fortunately, Buffalo got that score, and went on to win going away to Miami.
Week 14, second half: Bills kick a FG, beat Browns 13-6 - NOTES
- Eric Wood creates a seam up the middle for C.J. Spiller, who finishes the run like a conventional running back. This is the type of simple four-yard gain that Spiller did not consistently produce as a runner last year.
- Wood trips and falls backwards, leaving an A gap blitzer free. Fitzpatrick takes the hit and finds Steve Johnson for a short gain and a first down.
Week 14, second half: Bills kick a FG, beat Browns 13-6 - NOTES (cont.)
- Fitzpatrick seems to audible out of a run, seeing Johnson singled up. Johnson runs a slant and is immediately open. A pulling Andy Levitre runs into Fitzpatrick, and the pass is tipped. A Browns linebacker nearly picks the pass off, but Johnson gets back in on the play and wrestles it away for possession and a very minimal gain.
- Browns get another blitzer free, and Fitzpatrick has nowhere to go. Tries to fit it in to Donald Jones, but he's well-covered. Bills punt. Brian Moorman hits it off the side of the field, then has a few choice words for himself leaving the field.
- Peyton Hillis is assigned Arthur Moats in a protection scheme, and Moats runs right by him. Jake Delhomme steps up past the pressure and completes a pass for a short gain.
- Chris Kelsay blows by Joe Thomas - yes, Chris Kelsay and Joe Thomas - but Delhomme again steps up and avoids pressure, this time throwing incomplete.
- On a play-action rollout, Fitzpatrick hits a wide-open David Martin for 13 yards and a first down. Bills tight ends are actually serving a non-blocking purpose in this game.
- Fitzpatrick has nowhere to go, and Mansfield Wrotto can't sustain his block. A short pass is nearly picked as Fitzpatrick is hit.
- Moorman comes on to punt again, this time hitting it extremely well, pinning the Browns at their nine-yard line.
- George Wilson gets free on a blitz and creams Delhomme, who throws incomplete. However, Drayton Florence is flagged for illegal contact, and the Browns get an automatic first down.
- Donte Whitner whacks Hillis in the hole, and Hillis fumbles. Browns recover.
- On a poorly-executed end-around, Kelsay hits Josh Cribbs and forces another fumble. Cribbs somehow comes up with it. Bills have now recovered only one of four Browns fumbles.
- Spiller, who has good blocking, makes running 33 yards on a kick return look like a very fast endeavor, indeed.
- Three Browns come through the line unblocked as Jones runs an end-around. Jones does fabulous work to keep the play to a loss of just two yards.
- Wrotto is again beaten off the edge. Fitzpatrick steps up and shotputs a ball to Fred Jackson on a designed middle screen that didn't develop correctly. Cordaro Howard is flagged for being ineligible downfield, and the Bills punt.
- Moats cruises past Thomas and strips the ball out of Delhomme's hand. The moron refs blow the whistle too quickly, negating a Bryan Scott recovery and touchdown. Nonetheless, it's Bills ball.
- Corey McIntyre hauls in a short pass on a rollout and cruises for 14 yards, setting up a 1st & Goal off the turnover.
- Johnson gets a little lackadaisical blocking the edge of a formation, and Jackson can't get outside. Johnson nearly holds on the play.
- Chan Gailey dials up a designed quarterback draw, with Wood and Levitre out in front. Fitzpatrick lowers his head to try to power into the end zone, and is crushed.
- Gailey and the Bills are booed as they kick a field goal on 4th & 1 just inches from a touchdown. Score is now 13-6.
- Scott makes a terrific open-field tackle on the ensuing kickoff.
- Reggie Corner called for a pretty terrible block in the back on a Spiller punt return. Very ticky-tack call.
- Jackson drops a quick out on 3rd & 3 - might've had first down yardage, might not have. As it is, the Bills are punting again.
- Jon Corto, running as a gunner on the punt team, is called for a false start.
- Moorman mishits another punt. The ball is a line drive, and Josh Cribbs - one of the best return men in the league - gets the ball. Jones expertly trips him up for a very short return. This Jones kid is fantastic on special teams.
- Delhomme leaves Chansi Stuckey hung to dry over the middle, and Leodis McKelvin absolutely buries him. The ball is popped loose. Refs rule it an incompletion, but looking at the replay, this is a play the Bills should've challenged. Very close to being a fumble.
- Mohamed Massaquoi gets by McKelvin on a fly pattern. This works in McKelvin's favor, as a blitzing Scott hits Delhomme, the ball pops into the air, and McKelvin is all alone to catch the duck. Here comes Buffalo's four-minute offense.
- Levitre and McIntyre get huge, crushing second-level blocks as Jackson picks up 19 right up the middle. Had T.J. Ward not tripped him up, Fred might've gotten 30, or even scored.
- Wood gets a big second-level block while Jackson makes one guy miss and gets nine more yards.
- Levitre pulls and hammers a linebacker, Jackson dekes another defender, and he runs for seven yards on 3rd & 8.
- Gailey calls a timeout with ten seconds remaining in the game, then dials up another run on 4th & 1. A pulling Levitre opens up a lane for Jackson, who gets four yards, a first down, and the final whistle. Ballgame.