Buffalo Bills at Cleveland Browns: Three Keys to the Game

It has been an interesting week to say the least for the Buffalo Bills.

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With the team catching the injury bug, there’s a good chance the Bills will enter tonight’s game against the Cleveland Browns without their top four running backs and wide receivers.

But needless to say, there’s still a game to play and Tyrod Taylor and Co. will need to find a way to get the job done tonight.

Here’s the three keys to the game for tonight’s matchup against the Browns, which kicks off at 8 p.m., from FirstEnergy Stadium:

1) Stay Healthy.

Like last week, this is the most important key. With the number of injuries starting to rack up on offense, the Bills need to leave Cleveland without any major injuries.

At this point, Buffalo can’t take any more injuries, especially considering three running backs will play tonight that didn’t start camp on the Bills’ roster.

2) Tyrod Taylor needs to take control of the quarterback competition.

I knew the minute the Bills signed Taylor back in March that he might have been the most important free agency move of the off-season, and he has a chance to prove that tonight.

Jul 31, 2015; Pittsford, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor (5) throws a pass during training camp at St. John Fisher College. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

It’ll be easy to make excuses for Taylor tonight if he performs poorly, because of the lack of weapons the quarterback will have. However, think about it this way: if Taylor succeeds with only a couple of true weapons, imagine what he could do with LeSean McCoy, Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods and Percy Harvin in the lineup?

Taylor has an opportunity to strut his stuff against a solid defense with little help offensively – let’s see him take the reins.

3) Running backs and wide receivers need to step up.

There won’t be a lot of running backs and wide receivers active for tonight’s game, and those that will be won’t have much NFL experience, for the most part.

That means players like Marquis Goodwin, Andre Davis, Deonte Thompson, Dez Lewis and Bronson Hill need to make the most out of their increased reps.

With a few key players expected back next week, this might be the best opportunity these players will have to see the field during this preseason. Like Taylor, they need to make the most of it.

Next: Buffalo Bills at Cleveland Browns Game Preview

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