CLEVELAND — After more than a month since last tasting victory, the Cleveland Browns put one in the win column Sunday.
Thanks to a last-minute touchdown catch from Rashard “Hollywood” Higgins and missed 53-yard field goal attempt from kicker Steven Hauschka, the Browns fought their way to a 19-16 victory over the Buffalo Bills in front of the home fans at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland.
The Browns’ win over the Bills (6-3) was their first at FirstEnergy Stadium this year, and improved their record to 3-6 in the regular season, but there was not much time to enjoy it, not with a “Thursday Night Football” game looming against the Pittsburgh Steelers this week.
“We started (Sunday) night,” Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said in a conference call with the Cleveland media Monday.
“Just trying to get a plan together for Pittsburgh, who of course, is a huge division opponent. Passion and energy will not be a problem. We have to prepare to control our emotions, stay in the moment and play the game and play the play.”
Although there was not much time to enjoy the victory, Kitchens found several positives in which to build off of heading into the short week against the Steelers.
The Browns committed just four penalties for 70 lost yards, half of which came on a pass interference call against second-year cornerback Denzel Ward early in the first quarter of the win over the Bills and for the second straight week, the offense did not commit a turnover.
“It was good to get a win over a tough, good, smart football team at home,” Kitchens said. “It is always good to win at home. We had not done that this year, so that was good. We gave ourselves an opportunity to be successful because we eliminated some of the pre-snap penalties.
“That is two weeks in a row, and that trend needs to continue to continue to give us a good chance to win and our best chance to win. Did not have any turnovers, which is a good thing. That is always a positive. We need to strive to create more turnovers on defense. All three units, for the most part, did their job. We still have execution that can get better. We will continue to work this week to improve that. It was good to get the win.”
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Keeping control of the football allowed the Browns to hold a three-minute advantage in time of possession against the Bills, and sustaining drives will be key against an opportunistic Steelers defense that has a penchant for forcing turnovers.
“They are one of the best defenses in the National Football League,” Kitchens said. “They have always been good on defense. They continue to hold that torch kind of, of playing good defense. They are sound. They know what they are doing. They are smart. They are tough. They are physical. There are not many weaknesses over there.”