Buffalo Rumblings
The Buffalo Bills (10-4) once again worked their second-half magic to steal away a huge 35-31 win over the New England Patriots, denying them a “hat and t-shirt game” at Buffalo’s expense. There may be no more dangerous a team than one led by quarterback Josh Allen and trailing at halftime. Though many have been surprised by their first-half struggles.
As with their Week 15 matchup in Foxborough, MA, the Bills enter Week 16 as a road favorite over their AFC opponent. Where last week’s odds represented a lot of uncertainty out of bettors, this week’s numbers tell of a different story expected to unfold on the southern Ohioan shore of Lake Erie when Buffalo takes on the Cleveland Browns (3-11).
Entering Week 16, FanDuel Sportsbook lists the Bills as 10.5-point (-10.5) road favorites over the Browns, with an over/under set at O/U 42.5. But that was during the late evening on Sunday, December 14.
The moneyline continues to change, where after opening at -670 for the Bills and +490 for the Browns — as of publishing, the current moneyline was at Bills -620 | Browns +460.
Expect the money line to continue shifting in the days leading up to Sunday’s kickoff, given the reactionary nature of bettors when they receive the latest NFL news. That could come perhaps as soon as this evening with news that Bills kicker Matt Prater will miss Week 16 due to a quadriceps injury.
Buffalo and Cleveland haven’t faced each other in the regular season since a 2023 game late in November — a game the Bills won 31-23. It was a home game for the Bills, but due to a massive snowstorm that dumped several feet of snow on that corner of Western New York, the game was moved to Ford Field, where the Detroit Lions call home in Michigan. Interestingly, it was the first of two consecutive games for Buffalo at Ford Field, with their second coming as the road team against the Lions on Thanksgiving Day of 2022.
The Bills and Browns have played 23 games all-time (includes one postseason game), dating back to November 1972 and the original iteration of the AFC’s Cleveland Browns. Cleveland holds a 13-10-0 edge over Buffalo, and the teams have split their series 1-1 since head coach Sean McDermott and quarterback Josh Allen landed at One Bills Drive.
The Bills and Browns face off at 1 p.m. EST on Sunday, December 21 in Huntington Bank Stadium.
