by TYLER HATHAWAY
The Buffalo Bills are west to face one of their Lake Erie counterparts, the Cleveland Browns, this weekend. Buffalo is entering the matchup the winners of three straight games, while the Browns have lost three straight games. The Bills can potentially lock up a playoff berth this week. Here’s the breakdown:
BUFFALO BILLS (10-4/AFC East)
vs.
CLEVELAND BROWNS (3-11/AFC North)
Sunday, Huntington Bank Field, 1:00 pm
Storyline #1: Buffalo starting to peak at right time
The Bills are on a three-game winning streak and are favored in each of their final three regular season games. If the Bills win out, it will keep a trend alive that has been common with the Bills in each of the past five seasons.
In four of the past five seasons, the Bills have entered the playoffs on winning streaks of four or more games. The only exception was last season, when the Bills lost to New England after resting their starters, snapping what would have been a four-game winning streak with a win.
Storyline #2: Myles Garrett’s historic season
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett is on pace to have the best season by a pass-rusher in NFL history.
Garrett has registered 21.5 sacks through 14 games, a career-high and 1.5 sacks away from breaking the all-time single-season record held by Michael Strahan and TJ Watt.
“He’s an absolutely tremendous football player,” said Bills quarterback Josh Allen to press this week. “He’s one of the greatest of all time. He is a force to be reckoned with. And we’ve got to be ready for everything that they can throw at us. But you have to be aware of where 95’s at at all times.”
Storyline #3: Bills can clinch a playoff berth this week
Despite being a little cloudy at the midway point of the season, the Bills path into the 2025 playoffs has become pretty clear.
A win against the Browns as well as either a loss by the Houston Texans or the Indianapolis Colts will secure Buffalo’s spot in the playoffs for the seventh season in a row. The Texans hosts Las Vegas, while the Colts host San Francisco. If neither team loses, and Buffalo beats the Browns, the Bills would be win-and-in next week against the Philadelphia Eagles.
In terms of the division, the Bills can win the AFC East if they finish with the same record as the Patriots and have the same divisional record. In order for this to happen, New England would have to lose to the Jets or Dolphins, and the Bills would have to beat the Jets in Week 18.
Key to the game #1: Avoid the trap game
Coming off of a giant win over their AFC East rival New England Patriots, and the week before a home game against the defending Super Bowl champions, this week’s game against the Browns is a rare break from high-stakes games for the Bills as of late.
Which makes it all the more important that the Buffalo keeps its guard up and plays well on Sunday. The Bills have been starting to build momentum as it gets closer to the playoffs, and a loss to a team fighting for draft positioning is a major hit to a team’s confidence.
To best do that, the formula is simple: Don’t turn the ball over, and get out to a big lead early. The Bills shouldn’t want this to be a one-score game heading into the fourth quarter. It should be a “When is Mitch Trubisky coming in” kind of game heading into the fourth quarter.
Key to the game #2: Generate pressure up front
The Browns offense had been playing better after Shedeur Sanders took over at starting quarterback, averaging 20.3 points per game through Sanders’ first three starts as a Brown compared to 15.6 points per game in the prior 10. However, the Chicago Bears completely stfiled Cleveland’s offense, and a big part of the reason why was their pass rush.
Chicago sacked Sanders five times and also forced him into three interceptions, and the Browns finished the game with only three points. If the Bills can generate similar results with their front, Buffalo should have a serious edge in the game.
X-Factor: Browns defensive end Myles Garrett
If there is one player who can swing the game in the Browns favor to help them pull the upset, it’s Garrett.
The future two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year (he’s basically clinched the award) has had three or more sacks in three games this season, including five against the New England Patriots. He’s also forced three fumbles in 2025.
It needs to be all hands on deck to stop Garrett and make sure that Allen is protected. But if Buffalo can do that, the Bills should be able to win with relative ease.
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