Cleveland, Ohio (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Bills kept their winning streak alive on Sunday, securing a fourth-straight win with a hard-fought victory over the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field.
The Bills offense was clicking on all cylinders in the first half, as running back James Cook led the charge with two rushing touchdowns. Ty Johnson also got in on the fun with a rushing touchdown of his own in the opening half.
However, the second half turned into a defensive show between the two teams, as the Bills offense was held to just three points in the final 30 minutes of the contest.
A couple of dropped passes in the fourth quarter from Brandin Cooks and Dawson Knox (on fourth down in the end zone) gave Cleveland a couple extra cracks at taking the lead late. However, the Buffalo defense stood tall with massive plays from Greg Rousseau, who recorded 2.5 sacks on the day.
Despite the nail-biting 23-20 win against a, now, 3-12 Browns squad, the Bills' chances of winning the AFC East are still alive. However, their opportunity to clinch a playoff berth comes on Monday night, as Buffalo will be playoff bound once again if the Indianapolis Colts fall to the San Francisco 49ers.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott admits there is a lot for the Bills to work on heading into the final two games of the regular season, starting next Sunday against the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
"We need to do the basic things better," said McDermott following the win with the media in Cleveland. "I'll start with basic fundamentals, and then it'll go into executing, the plays, the scheme. But all-in-all, good to get a win. We'll take it, and we've got a lot of work to do as we move forward this week."
While the Bills will need some additional help from around the league to win the AFC East over the New England Patriots, McDermott is pleased to get the chance to return home for the final two games of the regular season at Highmark Stadium.
"The work continues. We've got to continue to improve as a football team if we want to continue to win moving forward," McDermott said. "That's the summary for you: A lot to be happy about. You celebrate a win, especially this time of year, a lot to be grateful for."
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