Four things to watch: Browns vs. Bills

The Cleveland Browns are headed to Buffalo in order to score their first win. Here are four things we'll be looking for as the Browns take on the Bills. 

1. The jump

A three-month hiatus from the field didn’t do Robert Griffin III any favors in his first start since the season opener. The Browns quarterback completed 12-of-28 passes for 104 yards and an interception against the Bengals and struggled to find a rhythm.

Hue Jackson said he more or less expected such a rusty display, but now there’s an expectation Griffin will make a “jump in performance” this weekend in Buffalo.

“I can understand last week, I tried to temper this whole room that it might not go well because I knew that could happen,” he said. “This week, I can’t say that. You’ve got a game under your belt, practices under your belt and now you need to go play well.”

2. ‘He could step in mud and not get dirty’

If the Browns want to leave Buffalo with a win, they’ll have to figure out a way to slow down Bills running back LeSean “Shady” McCoy. That nickname, given to him by his mother, would appear to be a fitting one for the elusive running back.

“If I could use a quote from coach Hue,” defensive coordinator Ray Horton said, “‘he could step in mud and not get dirty.’”

McCoy, a four-time Pro Bowler, has 186 carries and 976 yards and 10 touchdowns.

“He’s special. He’s hard to put a hand on. The guy is like lightning in a bottle. He can do things with his legs and his body that other people can’t do,” Jackson said. “He has that ability and it’s special. He’s a really good player.”

3. Establishing the run

Isaiah Crowell and the Browns run game broke loose last week for 169 yards in its best performance since Week 7. Jackson was pleased with what he saw against the Bengals, but made it clear he wants more from the unit and an offense that has yet to find an identity in part because of injuries.

“We are a little bit of everything right now and there is nothing that we have really, truly hung our hat on yet because of changes,” he said. “But at the same time, I was excited that we were able to do some things in the running game better than what we have. We just have to keep chipping away at it and continue to get better. But hopefully … we can just line up and overpower people that way and do it the way we want to. But we’re not there.”’

The Bills defense ranks 28th against the run and has allowed what’s nearly a league-high 18 touchdowns.

4. Can the pass rush build off strong outing?

Behind rookie Emmanuel Ogbah, the Browns’ pass rush had perhaps its best game last week and sacked Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton four times.

That was surely a welcomed sight for a Cleveland pass rush that ranks last with 21 sacks and has struggled to apply consistent pressure this season.

But as Ogbah — who accounted for 1.5 of those sacks Sunday — and other young players continue to grow, the Browns could continue to make strides in that area against a Buffalo team that has allowed 40 (tied for secnd-worst in the league) sacks this year.