Written by Brian McPeek

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What's there to say about tonight's Browns-Bills clash other than it's on the schedule and the league is pretty much set on the fact it has to be played? But that doesn't mean it doesn't get the attention it deseves here at The Cleveland Fan. Peeker's live blogging the Monday nighter.

7pm- Looks like cold and snow in Buffalo for the kickoff tonight. Who'd have imagined that? When I got home from work there was a collection of leaves and crap sitting in a corner of the driveway up against the garage. The wind always blows all the debris to that very spot. Buffalo is 'that very spot' on a much larger scale.

730pm- Good news for Trent Edwards tonight: Travis Daniels gets the start ahead of Brandon McDonald. Actually, at this point, it's probably 6 of one, half dozen of another. McDonald was a guy who spent a lot of time watching receivers run past him last Thursday. And Daniels is the guy who wasn't good enough to be out there ahead of that guy.

The Browns will have Eric Steinbach, Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams in the starting lineup but will be without Lawrence Vickers tonight due to a bad ankle. All in all, good news regarding both sides of the running game.

750pm- Needed a break from Chris Berman. The guy's like knuckles on a cheese grater. So I turn on the military channel and get a look at some impressive and powerful fighter aircraft. Then it hits me that if the NFL was the US Air Force then the Browns would likely be an un-manned drone. There's no one in the cockpit and they're just circling and circling and circling...... Enough. It's a new day. To paraphrase Navin Johnson from 'The Jerk', "Good things are going to start happening to us right now!!"

And if the good things don't start happening and they take another loss, well, who gives a rat's arse? When you go in 3-6 there's nothing left to lose.It's a free roll Browns fans!

815pm- I've figured it out. After a lot of consideration and the help of Suzy Kolber's in-depth analysis I've determined the Browns have to run effectively, stop the Buffalo running game and keep the down and distances manageable for Brady Quinn.

Seriously, it'd also be nice to see the drops eliminated and the linebackers having more tackles than the DBs. Do not let Lee Evans get behind you gentlemen. And while we're at it, how about a little more Jerome Harrison. I've been told #35 'struggles with the complexity of the game' at times. But if he's on the field let's get the kid the ball and let him work. If it's at the expense of a few Jamal Lewis body shots into the line then that's a sacrifice I'm willing to see made.

If the Browns can get an early lead and maybe an early turnover they win this ballgame. If they instead get behind early I fear we'll see some guys playing out the clock and looking to 'stay healthy'.

835pm- The man who develops the technology to mute selected voices on a telecast will be a rich man indeed. He'll also single-handedly end the broadcasting careers of Mike Tirico and Tony Kornheiser.

836pm- Video of Quinn on draft day a little over a year ago with a blonde on his arm. How many blondes has Quinn burned through between then and 1 1/2 hours ago?

840pm- Time to play. Bills get the ball first. 

841pm- The Bills got it first but the Browns have it now. Edwards is picked by Kam Wimbley on a tipped ball. There's the early turnover.

845pm- The Browns offense sprays freezing cold water on the party with a quick three and out. Tape of which should never be shown again.

850pm- The 'D' is doing their part. A nice play from Willie McElderly is followed by Andra Davis intercepting another Edwards toss. 'Andra' comes up on spell check since his name has not been typed since I got this laptop 18 months ago. You're in the dictionary now 'Dra. Browns have it again with field position in their favor.

852pm- Quinn picks up 10 on a naked bootleg.  Which has nothing to do with the question I asked about blondes up above. That's followed up by a nice throw to Charles Ali for another 10 yard gain. Ten per snapwill satisfy me.

854pm- Note the time. Braylon has his first drop of the night on a perfectly catchable ball inside the Bills ten yard line. Jesus. Well, he hadn't droppd one in 11 days. Guess he was due.

902pm- Shaun Rogers hasn't quit. He just swallowed Marshawn Lynch on a 1st and 10 run for the Bills.

904pm- Browns 'D' again gets off the field after forcing a punt. They look focused and they're running hard to the football thus far tonight.  I'm hoping Rogers swallows Braylon during this TV timeout.

909pm- Quinn is getting blitzed like a college kid on South Padre Island. 3 and out as Dave Zastudil hits a line drive that skips past Roscoe Parrish to the Bills 1 yard line.

912pm- Trent Edwards is to quaterbacking what Braylon Edwards is to receiving and humility. Pick #3 thrown to Brandon McDonald at the Bills 12 yard line.

915pm- 3 turnovers for the Bills leads to 6 points for the Browns and Dawson hits another FG. 10 more INTs and the Browns will be in business.

6-0 Browns

919pm- Braylon Edwards, wearing a Steve Johnson Bills jersey, drops a Trent Edwards pass on 3rd and three.  The Buffalo punt is downed at the Browns 3 yard line. Browns get it back.

921pm- The 1st quarter ends with the Browns looking at a 3rd and 6.  Missed opportunities may haunt them this evening.

End of 1st Quarter-   Browns 6  Bills 0

924pm- Quinn's first deep throw, intended for Winslow, draws an illegal contact flag on Buffalo that gives the Browns a 1st down. Quinn follows that up with a laser to Winslow and then a laser to Braylon that he actually held onto. Browns driving into Buffalo territory.

929pm- Quinn is getting into a rhythm looking down the field. He's moving the chains and forcing the Bills to rethink their blitzing strategy. And Braylon has a 3 ball catch streak going. 

The downfield approach shows another benefit as JLewis turns the corner and takes the rock to the 2 yd line of Buffalo. If I didn't know better I'd say this is what a proficient, efficient offense looks like. Guys throwing accurate balls, guys holding onto the passes, guys running hard and effectively. Interesting approach.

932pm- Josh Cribbs out of the 'Flash' package takes the hand off from Quinn and helicopters into the endzone. The man is a football player people. 20 more guys like that on the roster and you'll be rolling. The MAC Daddy. Now he'll cover a kick and probably make the tackle.

13-0 Browns

937pm- I could use a catheter right about now.  With timeouts after Trent Edwards INTs it could be hours before I can get up. This could get messy.

939pm- Fred Jackson replaces Lynch and proceeds to rip off about 45 yards on two carries. Bills driving.

941pm- This team can't stand prosperity or, apparently, prolonged exposure to contact. Lynch takes a dump off from Edwards and weaves through the entire Browns defense and assorted administrative personnel for a Buffalo TD. That was a very quick answer to the Browns TD drive.

13-6 Browns.

948pm- The Browns respond to the Bills drive with a 3 and out. Bills take over on their own 37 after a good punt into a brisk wind by Zastudil.

950pm- The Browns are starting to get gashed defensively. And apparently if you give T Edwards 10-15 seconds to throw even he can pick out his own guys and hit them.  They need to get more pressure on the QB but they can't get the Bills in long distances because the Bills are running at will.

955pm- Horrible. Fred jackson takes the direct snap on 3rd and 4 and runs through Andra Davis and over Mike Adams for the first down. Somebody tackle somebody. Please. 30 seconds later Lynch does the same thing through Leon Williams.

15 seconds left in the half and the Bills have 2nd & 6. Edwards tries to give the Browns the ball back but Brodney Pool can't hold on. 

959pm- Edwards misses on 3rd down and Rian Lindell makes it a 13-10 game at the half.

Halftime score is  Browns 13  Bills 10

Better tighten up the tackling and figure out how to get some pressure on T Edwards.  Yet another game there for the taking. Or, unfortunately, for the leaving. Offensively they're going in the right direction by moving Quinn around and spreading the field a bit. No time for conservatism now. The kid takes care of the football. Let him lead.

1015pm- Cribbs back deep to return the 2nd half kick. No TD. Always surprising to me.

1017pm- Two straight runs of next to nothing for JLew who is not hitting holes very quickly at all. A Quinn to Winslow pass for a 1st down is negated by a Syndric Steptoe interference call and the next pass is incomplete. Browns punt.

1022pm- Shaun Smith is helped off after an injury that stops play. And Willie McOld continues to age. This stoppage is costing him the most valuable minutes he has left in his career.

1026pm- Fred Jackson, in the process of running around, over and through the Browns run defense, has the football poked out of his grasp by Brandon McDonald. The Browns get turnover number four on the night. McDonald is hell bent on redemption tonight.  I'm hell bent on seeing more than 40 points scored. For financial reasons.

1031pm- Quinn on another naked bootleg. The women of Cleveland rejoice and get ideas for a sign they can display at Sunday's game at home against Houston.

1036pm- Quinn converts the first 3rd down of the night for the Browns on a nice 20 yard throw on 3rd and 10. Seconds later they're in the same predicament when Quinn is sacked for the first time. Quinn gets 8 of it back on 3rd down and Dawson promptly hammers a 44 yard FG into a tough wind. 16-10 Browns. Creeping toward the magical 41 point mark.

1042pm- Are the Browns counting to 5 Mississippi before rushing T Edwards?

1045pm- Lynch takes nother check down toss from Edwards and waltzes through white uniforms for a 1st down. Maybe the color on my TV is messed up but I don't see any Bills in the red 'No Contact' practice jerseys.Bills are at the Browns 36 yard line.

1049pm- This is ridiculous. If Shaun Rogers doesn't make the tackle at the line of scrimmage the Buffalo backs are getting deep into the Browns secondary. The 'D' does stiffen on 3rd and 2 and forces a Lindell FG from 31 yards. 16-13 Browns. It's gonna take 23 or more to win this one. The offense needs a drive that ends in an endzone celebration.

1055pm- Quinn moves the pocket, rolls right and hits BE for about ten yards as the 4th quarter ends. BE has regroupd after dropping the big ball in the fist quarter. 7 catches for 92 yards on the night.

End of the 3rd Quarter  Browns 16  Bills 13

1059pm- Shhhh...... Don't tell Romeo but Jerome Harrison just busted one for 72 yards and TD. One of our keys to the game was get him in space. Harrison got himself in space with a burst through the line and we have our end zone celebration. If history is any precursor of what's to come, Harrison will spend the rest of the night lost on the sideline next to RAC and covering kicks.  23-13 Browns.

1102pm- Shhhh.... Don't tell anyone but I just hit my over bet as the Bills just took the kick back for a TD. Leodis McKelvin just went 98 yards after he threatened to break a couple earlier. 

This Browns team just can't stand prosperity. Ever.

1108pm- Jerome Harrison isn't banished to the bench after all. Well, at least not his own. After a 9 yard burst he's shoved out of bounds late and smashes into the Bills bench. 15 yards on top of the 9 yard run.

1111pm- Harrison takes a great throw from Quinn and picks up a huge 3rd and 7. The Browns are inside the Buffalo 10 yard line.

1113pm- The Browns can't cash it in and Dawson adds 3 more points as fantasy football geeks everywhere scramble to pick up Jerome Harrison. 26-20 Browns. Might be wise to cover a kick with some enthusiasm and aptitude 'bout now. Not sure T Edwards has it in him to get the Bills in the endzone himself.

1117pm- The Bills backs might be able to get it done though. Lynch goes off again for 13 yards. Right before he takes a throw from Edwards and goes for 14 more. RAC was closer to Edwards on that throw than any of his defensive players.

1122pm- On 3rd and 19 Willie McClosetodeath hammers Lynch for a loss on a screen pass that all of America recognized immediately (mostly because Browns linemen got pressure). The Bills have to punt. 7:30 remains.

1126pm- Quinn makes a horrible mistake and a horrible throw under pressure and the only thing he couldn't afford to do, well, he did. The Bills intercept the throw at the Browns 20. Romeo's going to challenge as replays show the ball hit the ground. Romeo's challenge record is, ummm...not real good. But he looks like he's going to win this one if my eyes are any indication.

1129pm- Romeo wins one!! He celebrates by looking stoic on the sideline. Run and punt to follow.

1130pm- Well spank my arse and call me Sally, Quinn throws for the 1st down. Glad the staff showed some confidence there.

1132pm- Braylon drops a 3rd and 7 throw from Quinn and Roscoe Parrish returns the punt to midfield. This team is a test.  An unlikeable test.

1134pm- Bills are driving. 4 minutes remain and they're inside the Browns 30. Lynch takes a handoff and again runs through the Browns defense to the 1 foot line. Again, every guy on the defense had a shot at Lynch. 2:35 left. Going to take an epic goal line stand by a team that can't tackle to keep the Bills out of the endzone.

1136pm- No dice. T Edwards gets in on 1st down and the Browns are in danger of becoming the first team in NFL history to blow leads of 13 points in 3 consecutive losses.  Bills 27   Brrowns 26.

1141pm- Browns start at their own 33 yd line and Quinn hits Edwards for 10 yards and Winslow for 16 under intense pressure. Two minute warning and the Browns are close to FG range. No sign of nerves.

1146pm- Drive fizzles as Quinn takes heat. 56 yard attempt for Dawson.

1147pm- Dawson my be visiting Paul Byrd's dentist. He just hammered the 56 yarder with room to spare. Wow. 29-27 Browns is the good news. The defense is up next. That's the bad news.

1149pm- Worse news is the Browns tried to squib the kick and the Bills will start from their own 45 yard line.

1149pm- One play later they're inside the Browns 35. A run by Lynch for a yard takes us under a minute and Romeo calls a timeout. And I don't know how I feel about that.

1151pm- Gain of 2 on 2nd and 8 and the Browns use another timeout. Bills have the ball 3rd and 6 from the Browns 30.Never easy.

45 yard FG attempt coming from Lindell with 43 seconds left.

1153pm-  NOOOOO GOOOOOD!!!! Lindell's attempt leaks right (the Bills have a history of these things apparently?). Browns ball and a victory formation.

1156pm- Quinn kneels down and the Browns get a hard-earned win. That's the first for Quinn and he perservered and never panicked. And I made a few dollars in the process. That's a good night.

And so is this. Good night all.

Final Score  Browns 29  Bills 27