Dawgs By Nature
We knew three of the last four weeks of the Cleveland Browns regular season would bring a huge step up in competition for QB Shedeur Sanders and the offense. Week 15 brought a lot of problems for the Browns offense, with a makeshift line unable to get any push in the run game and Sanders turning the ball over, including an INT that should be credited to WR Jerry Jeudy.
Week 16 brings the Buffalo Bills to town, fresh off a big comeback win against the New England Patriots. While the Bills could be concerned about a trap game, with the Philadelphia Eagles coming the following week, Cleveland’s concern is once again the defense Sanders and company will have to face, on top of QB Josh Allen on the other side of the ball.
For the season, Buffalo is a middle-of-the-pack pass defense, but they have improved greatly as the year has gone on. Below, ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky shows Browns fans just how many different coverages, including some that look very similar but are very different, Sanders will have to face on Sunday:
On the Patriots website, they gave credit to the Bills’ willingness to make a big adjustment in the second half after Maye’s success before halftime:
To answer the blueprint question, the Bills essentially ditched playing single-high safety coverages after Maye diced them up in the first half (4-of-5, 73 passing yards, 17-yard scramble). After playing a 42.9% single-high rate in the first half, the Bills played 86.7% of Maye second-half drop-backs in two-high safety coverages, mixing in cover-two (backside match), two-man, and some cover-six (quarter-quarter-half), which gave the Patriots some problems.
Heading into the season, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott has had a lot of success against rookie quarterbacks due to the difficulty of dissecting his varying coverages quickly. If Sanders can break that trend, Cleveland might have a chance to pull off an upset. More importantly for Sanders’ future as a starter, the Browns would have more confidence to pass on a quarterback high in the 2026 NFL draft if he excels against such a difficult Bills defense.
What stood out to you in the above video? Do you think Sanders and company can have success against the Bills? Would it change your opinion on the quarterback’s future if he performs well this week?
Share your thoughts in the comment section below
