Browns winners, losers from tough Week 16 loss to Bills

‘Tis the season for what? Watching games that don’t count for anything any longer? Geez….is this 2025 season still going?

For Cleveland Browns fans, we are waiting on Santa to bring us a playoff-caliber roster that we can love and hold and laugh when it wets itself and show off to our friends.

RELATED:BROWNS VS. BILLS FINAL SCORE: FALLING SHORT

When your team loses double-digit games, it is difficult to watch. But when that happens again and again, you have to question everything.

Do we really need this aggravation? Wouldn’t it just be simpler to say, I am a Mike Vrabel fan, so my team this year is the New England Patriots?

We all want to be planning on how many playoff tickets to buy, and where the best seats are. Instead, we end up with the figgy pudding and a box of fruitcake. Make that a crate of the sticky, icky treat that nobody wants anyway.

And so, we bought season tickets and are stuck with them. Tried to sell them game by game, but few takers. And every message that does float through is such a low-ball offer that it is cheaper to just go to the game and hiss and boo.

At the final gun, the playoff-bound Buffalo Bills won 23-20 as Cleveland left points on the field.

So who played well for the Browns? Who didn’t?

BROWNIES

Browns’ opening drive – Every play, every block, every catch and run, and every decision on this drive to start the game worked to perfection. RB Quinshon Judkins for three good runs followed by 11 yards to TE Harold Fannin. Then QB Shedeur Sanders hit WR Malachi Corley, who lateraled to Isaiah Bond for 21 yards. Seven-yard completion to WR Jerry Jeudy, then Judkins for three yards. Then Sanders found Fannin all alone in the right flats, who did the rest of the work to find the end zone and a 7-0 lead. Eight plays, 69 yards, 4:18 of clock, and one third-down conversion. Thing of beauty.

RB Raheim Sanders – On the Browns’ official depth chart, Sanders is listed as the fourth-string back. But after Quinshon Judkins went down with a leg injury, it was Sanders who was propelled into the starting role. And did he perform? In the third quarter, it was the “Raheim Sanders Show” as the back was the main engine to get the Browns down inside the five-yard line that eventually would give Cleveland its second touchdown. On a third-and-two with 8:23 left in the third, he broke three tackles to get into Buffalo territory. On a third-and-one, he gutted out three yards up the middle, and then busted out for nine yards behind blocks by TEs Blake Whiteheart and Brendan Bates to the four-yard line. Very next play, another three yards to set up the Harold Fannin score. Then all of a sudden, the offense quit using him. Finished with 11 carries for 42 yards with one reception for four yards.

Third down efficiency – The Browns actually had a positive in converting third down plays as they went 8-14 for the game. No, not a misprint. Going into this game, Cleveland was ranked #30 in the conversion of third downs at 31.6%.

LB Carson Schwesinger – Isn’t the rookie in almost every play? Seems like it. Had 13 total tackles plus a valuable sack that forced a punt. Two QB hits. With 9:50 left in the third quarter, hit TE Dalton Kincaid to force an incomplete pass on a third-and-eight. Even had a tackle on a kickoff.

LB Devin Bush – Had a bad missed tackle early in the second quarter, but was a force in pass coverage. Saved a touchdown after WR Khalil Shakir had gained 18 yards in the second quarter. Nailed RB James Cook for just a two-yard gain early in the third quarter. Ended with nine tackles.

FROWNIES

Bills opening drive – Buffalo began on their own 20 and then reeled off runs of seven, eight, and 15 yards before a six-yard pass completion. Then Cook went up the gut as Browns LB Mohamoud Diabate missed the tackle near the line of scrimmage, and Cook was gone for a 44-yard score that took just 2:55 of game clock.

RT KT Leveston – One holding call brought back a very good Judkins run, one false start, and then allowed LDE Greg Rousseau to have a banner day with 2.5 sacks. Horrible attempt at blocking on passing downs. Had a decent game on running plays, but cannot set up against the faster defensive end. When Sanders went down on the one-yard line, it was Leveston who missed Rousseau completely. With 9:26 left in the third quarter, Leveston missed the block on the blitzing safety, former Brown Jordan Poyer, who sacked Sanders easily. Rousseau finished with three tackles, 2.5 sacks, and seven QB hits.

Lack of run defense – Bills RB James Cook just had his way with the Browns. Had 100 yards on nine carries in the first half alone, and scored a pair of touchdowns. His biggest gains were right up the gut. Total 133 yards rushing in the first half. The defense made adjustments at the half, and Buffalo only gained 29 yards in the final two quarters.

Missed tackles – Bush, Rex Sunahara, James Harden (2), Schwesinger, Diabate, Tyson Campbell, Alex Wright.

Lack of receiver play – Was the game plan to just not throw to the receivers at all? Why aren’t they part of the offense any longer? Of the top three receivers in the game, none are wideouts. Jeudy had four targets, three catches for 12 yards. Yes, 12 yards. Cedric Tillman? One grab for eight yards. Malachi Corley had two receptions for 11 yards. In all, Browns receivers had nine targets, six receptions for 31 yards, and zero touchdowns. Yikes.

Red Zone – Cleveland left a lot of points on the field. After Sanders went out of the game with a hurt pinkie, QB Dillon Gabriel came in with a third-and-goal but went down on a scramble and kicked a field goal instead. Williams was nailed with Cleveland having a third-and-three at Buffalo’s 16 that ended that drive with another three points. Punter Corey Bojorquez mishandled the snap on the last play before the half that could have been another three. Cleveland was 2-4 in Red Zone appearances.

Long passes – Is the scouting report on Sanders that he has a weak arm? The Browns never, ever throw deep. All this speed with Jeudy and Corley, and yet no serious threat. Sad.

LT Cam Robinson – Had a decent first half, but as the game wore on, he just collapsed in pass protection. He is readily fooled by inside moves. He completely whiffed on Poyer, who had blitzed on a first-and-10 as Cleveland was moving with 2:36 left in the game. His man Matt Milano had nine tackles and two QB hits.

Milk Bones – Which list? Naughty? Nice? Or “I can explain”?

RB Quinshon Judkins – Had several big gains in the first half and was used quite a bit in the passing department before he became injured. Eight runs for 22 yards, with two converting into a first down. With 10:58 remaining before the half, caught a short pass and converted it into nine yards on the second-and-eight play. Then gained 16 yards on another pass completion that got the ball down to the Buffalo 20-yard line. Had five catches for 29 yards.

First half Myles Garrett – Everyone knew that Garrett needed one more sack to tie the record for the most sacks in a season. But Buffalo didn’t want this record tied or set against them. They used a tight end on almost every play to chip him, then had the left guard helping LT Dion Dawkins so that Garrett would be a non-factor. Which he was. Garrett had zero tackles in the first half and zero sacks, zero QB hits, and a single pressure. The closest he came was when QB Josh Allen fell in the end zone, and DT Mason Graham touched him first, but later it was announced that Garrett had been credited with half a sack. Buffalo’s strategy was to work the offense to the opposite side, which worked really well. He finished the game with one tackle, one QB hit, one pressure, and half a sack.

RB Trayveon Williams – With the success of Sanders running the ball in the third quarter, beginning the fourth stanza, Williams was inserted and responded well. He had a 26-yard pass completion that set the Browns up followed by an 11-yard scamper into Buffalo territory. Three carries for 17 yards, but led all receivers with four catches for 38 yards for basically one quarter of work.

QB Shedeur Sanders – Had two interceptions that altered the game. He threw behind Judkins on a bullet that bounced up for an easy pick. The second interception, he threw right into DE Joey Bosa, who was already in the air for an easy swat. Sanders can run and gain valuable real estate, and scrambled quite a bit for good gains as he led all Browns runners with 49 yards. The first possession pass to Fannin was a strike. But he checks down way too much to the running back coming out of the backfield for minimal gains, and has a problem finding receivers that are beyond the sticks on longer downs, which then becomes a punt. Excellent scramble in the second quarter, where he ducked under Rousseau, and then Sanders gained 13 yards.

Nice touch on the screen pass to Williams for 26 yards in the fourth quarter as DT Deone Walker was about to level him. Would love to see what he could do without a “B” team offensive line in front of him. Finished going 20-29 for 157 yards, a 5.4 yards per average completion ratio, one TD, two picks, sacked twice, and a 64.9 QB rating.

Who are your Browns winners, losers for Week 16 versus the Bills?

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