Bills dominate Browns in second preseason game

Cleveland, Ohio (WGR) - The Buffalo Bills get their second win of the preseason on Saturday, dominating the Cleveland Browns in a 31-7 victory at Huntington Bank Field.

Josh Allen and most of the Bills' starters on both sides of the ball did not play in this contest after taking part in a joint practice with the Browns earlier in the week.

Kyle Allen made the start at quarterback for the Bills, and just 1:49 into the contest, Buffalo's opening offensive drive was halted for nearly an hour due to a lightning delay in Cleveland.

When both teams returned to game action, the Bills offense left off where they were and pushed down the field into scoring position. After a pass interference in the end zone, the Bills got the ball at the 1-yard-line, where running back Ray Davis eventually punched it in to give the Bills a 7-0 lead.

With the Browns in the middle of a quarterback competition, it was Shedeur Sanders getting the start in the first half, followed by Deshaun Watson getting control of the offense to start the second half.

Sanders and the Cleveland offense matched the Bills' opening drive, as the second-year quarterback completed all four of his pass attempts and capped the drive with a touchdown pass to wide receiver Luke Floriea to even the score.

After trading punts, the Browns were able to move the ball and were threatening to score again and take their first lead of the afternoon. However, the Bills were able to take the ball away in the red zone, as safety Damar Hamlin was able to grab a tipped pass by linebacker Joe Andreessen intended for Browns tight end Jermaine Terry.

Despite the following drive including a 20-yard catch by wide receiver Trent Sherfield, the Buffalo offense capitalize and eventually punted back to Cleveland.

With a minute left to play in the half, the Bills got one last chance with the football to put some points on the board and take a lead into halftime. The drive started with a stellar 37-yard pass from Allen to wide receiver Ja'Mori Maclin to the Browns' 19-yard line.

Two plays later, Allen hit Mecole Hardman for a 9-yard touchdown, giving the Bills a 14-7 right before the end of the half.

With the kickoff for the second half, it was Watson's turn to run the Cleveland offense, but did nothing with his first drive, going three-and-out as the Buffalo defense forced a punt.

For the Bills, it was Shane Buechele's turn under center, where he helped Buffalo move the ball back into scoring position. After the drive stalled out at the Browns' 34-yard line, kicker Tyler Bass was called upon to boot a 52-yard field goal through the uprights, giving the Bills a 17-7 lead in the earlier portions of the third quarter.

After an exchanging of punts, the Browns went to work again, hoping to get back into the game. However, a pass from Watson intended for wide receiver Gage Larvadain ended up being too high and was picked off by Bills cornerback Te'Cory Couch.

Two plays later, Buechele was able to find Maclin, who then broke a tackle and took off for a 71-yard touchdown, giving the Bills a 24-7 lead late in the third quarter.

After a turnover on downs forced by the Buffalo defense, the Bills offense continued to pick apart the Browns defense, and put the finishing touches on the game with an 11-play drive taking up six minutes on the clock. The drive culminated with a 5-yard touchdown run from Buechele to make it 31-7, Bills.

The Browns made another change at quarterback in the fourth quarter, as Dillion Gabriel took over for Watson, but it did not bear any fruit. Cleveland went three-and-out, and then punted the ball back to Buffalo, who ten ran out the remaining 5:11 of game clock to cap the victory.

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SCORING RECAP

First Quarter:

- 7-0 BUFFALO: Bills Touchdown (9:32) - Ray Davis punches in a 1-yard touchdown run. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 9 plays, 56 yards, 5:24

- 7-7 TIE: Browns Touchdown (2:56) - Shedeur Sanders finds Luke Floriea for an 8-yard touchdown pass. (Andre Szmyt's extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 11 plays, 65 yards, 6:36

Second Quarter:

- 14-7 BUFFALO: Bills Touchdown (0:15) - Kyle Allen connects with Mecole Hardman for a 9-yard touchdown pass. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 4 plays, 62 yards, 0:47

Third Quarter:

- 17-7 BUFFALO: Bills Field Goal: (8:37) - Tyler Bass' 52-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 10 plays, 34 yards 5:11

- 24-7 BUFFALO: Bills Touchdown: (2:07) - Shane Buchele finds Ja'Mori Maclin for a 71-yard touchdown pass. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 2 plays, 73 yards, 0:53

Fourth Quarter:

- 31-7 BUFFALO: Bills Touchdown (6:49) - Shane Buchele runs right for a 5-yard touchdown run. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 11 plays, 63 yards 6:04

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STATS OF THE GAME:

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What's next:

The Bills will wrap up their preseasons schedule on Thursday when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.