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The Buffalo Bills head down the I-90 this weekend to take on the Cleveland Browns in the latest installment of the Battle for Lake Erie. The teams have inverse records with the Bills at 6-2 and the Browns at 2-6.
The #Bills take on the #Browns in The Battle of Lake Erie this Sunday. Here's a few headlines we'll be focused on come game time. pic.twitter.com/2JhqBVPUOK
— Buffalo Rumblings (@BuffRumblings) November 8, 2019
Browns’ rushing attack vs. Bills’ run defense
The Bills have put on tape that they are weaker against the run than the pass. The stats reflect it as well as they’re 19th in yards per carry allowed, 17th in total yards allowed, and 30th in rush defense DVOA. They won’t have a cupcake to rebound against this week as the Browns have the league’s second highest yards per carry and the 13th highest rush offense DVOA.
Bills’ rushing attack vs. the Browns’ run defense
Well, well, well how the turntables. While the Bills have a disadvantage in the run game on defense they have an advantage on offense. They’re seventh in rush offense DVOA and 11th in yards per carry. The Browns’ defense is ranked 22nd in rush defense DVOA and 29th in yards per carry allowed. Devin Singletary has the NFL’s highest yards per carry among players with at least 40 rushing attempts. In Singletary’s fifth career game Brian Daboll gave him 20 carries, which is exactly how many carries he had in the first four games of his career. He’ll likely have another active day as Daboll looks to take advantage of the Browns’ weakness.
Jarvis Landry’s history
Former Miami Dolphins and current Cleveland Browns wide receiver is one of the most hated opposing players for both Bills fans and defenders. The feud goes back to 2016 when Landry laid a crack-back block on Bills safety Aaron Williams. The hit was flagged for unnecessary roughness, Landry was fined, but the biggest repercussion was that Aaron Williams never played a down in the NFL again. Two years later, Landry, now with the Browns, laid a very similar crack-back block on Taron Johnson...in a preseason game. Thankfully Johnson was able to return the game, but that did not stop the Bills from speaking out about Landry. Leaders Lorenzo Alexander and Micah Hyde spoke out with Alexander saying “It was dirty at the end of the day, and that’s how I feel about it” and Hyde saying “To me, that’s B.S. You can’t do that.” The Bills have been chippy at times this season and last. If Landry repeats his trademark move there will surely be some reciprocation from the Bills’ defense.