Browns lose to Bills, 23-20, to fall to 3-12

Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.

Instant takeaways from Browns 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills …

1. Moving up: The Browns lost their 12^th game and moved a notch closer in the draft order, but they didn’t go down without a fight. They drew within three points of the Buffalo Bills in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t get closer and lost, 23-20. It looked like the Browns were cooked when they turned it over on downs at their 30-yard line on a Shedeur Sanders sack with 5:02 to go. But Buffalo failed on their possession when Dawson Knox dropped a Josh Allen pass in the end zone on fourth down. The Browns’ ensuing possession went backwards, however, and they had to punt from their end zone. The Browns got back into the game by toughening their run defense after allowing 133 yards on the ground in the first half. Bills running back James Cook had 117 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries, making life easier for Allen. Allen was sacked twice, but Myles Garrett was credited only with a half-sack leaving him a half-sack short of the NFL single season record. Sanders was intercepted twice and was 20 of 29 for 157 yards and one TD in his fifth NFL start. The Browns moved up to third in the draft order because Tennessee upset the Kansas City Chiefs.

2. Back to basics: The Browns reclaimed their long-lost running game on an eight-minute scoring drive in the third quarter. They ran the ball on 11 of 14 plays. Rocket Sanders, the long-forgotten big back who was playing for injured Quinshon Judkins, lugged it eight times for 35 yards. Shedeur Sanders had a keeper for 14 yards and Harold Fannin had his first rushing TD of the year from 1 yard out. Entering the fourth quarter, the Browns trailed, 23-17, and they cut it to 23-20 on a 41-yard field goal with 8:46 remaining. That drive was set up on a fourth-down stop of the Bills at the Browns’ 34. This time it was Trayveon Williams doing the dirty work with a 26-yard gain on a screen pass and 13 yards on two rushes.

3. Oops: Sanders’ second interception – both on deflections – resulted in a Buffalo field goal and 23-10 lead in the third quarter. Sanders’ pass was deflected at the line of scrimmage by Joey Bosa and intercepted by DaQuan Jones.

4. Sanders hot: After a week-long emphasis on making more completions, Sanders had one of his better accuracy days in the first half. He completed his first eight passes before his ninth was intercepted when the ball deflected off Judkins’ shoulder pad and was stolen by ex-Browns safety Jordan Poyer. Sanders put one TD on the board and was marching the Browns inside the Bills’ 5 for another score when he suddenly sprinted off the field and was led to the locker room with his right pinkie bleeding. Dillon Gabriel came in and took a sack before Andre Szmyt connected on a 24-yard field goal. Sanders returned for the next offensive series. For the half, Sanders was 11 of 16 for 103 yards, one TD, one interception and a passer rating of 81.0. He also used his legs to avoid sacks and gain 35 yards on three keepers. The Browns trailed at halftime, 20-10.

5. Keystone Cops: The Browns’ special teams wasted a chance to put a field goal on the board at the end of the first half. Gage Larvadain fielded Buffalo’s punt from the back of its end zone at the Bills’ 45. A face-mask penalty advanced the ball to the 30. After a quick pass out of bounds, the Browns’ field-goal attempt was aborted when holder Corey Bojorquez had trouble spotting the long snap from Rex Sunahara.

6. Q is down and out: Judkins’ fine rookie season appears over as he suffered a severe leg injury getting tackled by linebacker Matt Milano after a short reception just after the 2-minute warning in the first half. Players from both teams paid their respects to Judkins as he was tended to by medics and taken off the field by cart.

7. Oh so close: It looked like Garrett was going to tie Michael Strahan’s sack record late in the first half with a play reminiscent of Strahan’s tainted record-maker, on which Brett Favre voluntarily fell down. Allen voluntarily gave himself up to avoid a safety with Garrett and Alex Wright in hot pursuit. Allen slipped and was eventually touched down by Mason Graham, who was credited with the sack. But in the fourth quarter, a scoring change was announced and Garrett and Wright each were credited with half a sack. A team source said the change was made from the NFL office in New York, where officials monitor controversial plays and have been more diligent in recent years in reviewing individual achievements.

8. Woe is the run defense: The Bills amassed 103 yards on 11 rushing attempts on their first two scoring drives Cook had 71 on five runs, including a 44-yard scoring jaunt on which he cut back four times to evade tacklers, and Ty Johnson had 16 on three attempts, including a TD from two yards. Michael Badgely banged the second PAT attempt off the right upright.

9. Now that’s different: Thanks to Buffalo’s opening deferral, the Browns got the ball first. That was different and it was a harbinger of some new wrinkles on offense, as Sanders took them 69 yards in eight plays. After two first downs, Isaiah Bond gained 21 yards on a reverse from Malachi Corley. The play was scored a Sanders forward pass to Corley and lateral to Bond. Four plays later, Sanders play-faked from under center, rolled right and found Harold Fannin for a 13-yard TD. On his second series, the Browns actually used some no-huddle to quicken the tempo.

10. Take a bow: The Browns executed a perfect touchback to the 20-yard line on their first kickoff to league-leading returner Ray Davis. Andre Szmyt line-drived the ball in the landing zone and it skidded out of the end zone, giving the Bills the ball at the 20. Under the modified kickoff rules, this is now regarded as the perfect kickoff. The Browns were victimized by two of them in Chicago last week.

11. Pre-game notes: Right guard Wyatt Teller (calf) was among the inactives, meaning the starters from center to right tackle were Luke Wypler, Teven Jenkins and KT Leveston. Also,  Myles Harden replaced Denzel Ward (calf) at left cornerback. Other Browns inactives: running back Dylan Sampson, defensive tackle Mike Hall, receiver Jamari Thrash, tight end David Njoku and defensive tackle Sam Kamara.