The cities of Buffalo, New York and Cleveland, Ohio share many geographical and historical similarities.

The two cities were leaders in shipping and manufacturing during the Industrial Age. Cleveland and Buffalo also claim the shores of Lake Erie as a major foundation for their birthright. The lake is integral to the history, landscape, and lifestyle of each city from the days of the Native Americans to modern times. The two cities are also linked by land. Buffalo and Cleveland are separated by a 190-mile stretch of Interstate 90 that runs from east to west. The Buffalo Bills will be traveling that route tonight as the team faces off against the Cleveland Browns tonight on Thursday Night Football. The two cities also share a painful history with their sports teams. Clevelanders will never forget the consecutive playoff losses in 1986 and 1987 at the hands of John Elway and the Denver Broncos. The two games took on a life of their own and will be forever known as The Drive and The Fumble. Buffalonians have their own heartbreak as they lost four consecutive Super Bowls in the early 1990s. Like The Drive and The Fumble, Scott Norwoods missed 47-yard field goal at the end of Super Bowl XXV is immortalized by the words Wide Right. The play of the current Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills wont help to erase the heartbreak of former playoff losses. However, fans of both teams are again sharing similarities in that they both have reasons to be excited this year. Buffalo and Cleveland are both 2-2 after four games and both teams are challenging for their respective division leads. The Bills and Browns both feature different looks this year, most notably with their respective head coach and quarterback. The Bills are now led by rookie quarterback E.J. Manuel under the guidance of first-year coach Doug Marrone. The changes have worked wonders for the Bills as Manuel has been able to minimize mistakes and keep the team competitive in every game so far. Browns coach Rob Chudzinski recently turned the page on former first round pick Brandon Weeden and started newcomer Brian Hoyer at QB the last two games. Both teams are also coming off big wins last week as home underdogs. Buffalo knocked off the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens by intercepting Ravens QB Joe Flacco five times in a 23-20 win. The Browns defense smothered Cincinnati and held them to a mere two field goals in a 17-6 win. The two teams open up a new chapter together in tonights tilt on the NFL Network. Everybody thought that the Browns were giving up on the season after trading running back Trent Richardson to the Indianapolis Colts just a few weeks ago. The thought was that Cleveland would use the first-round pick that they received in the trade to select the quarterback of the future in next years draft. After all, the quarterback that the Browns selected with the 22nd pick in the 2012, Brandon Weeden, was just not getting the job done. When Weeden was sidelined with a thumb injury on his throwing hand three weeks ago, Cleveland introduced the relatively unknown Brian Hoyer as their quarterback. It has turned out to be the smartest move that the usually mistake prone franchise has made in many years. Hoyer has lead the Brownies to two consecutive victories, including a game winning drive in a 31-27 win against Minnesota. Hoyers play has seemingly elevated the play of everybody around him. Tight end Jordan Cameron has become Hoyers number one target. Cameron snagged 10 balls last week for 91 yards and a touchdown. Expect Hoyer and Cameron to be busy again tonight in the absence of a Browns running game which mustered only 89 yards against the Bengals last week.

Another huge story surrounding Cleveland is the vastly improved play of their defense that held Cincinnati to 63 yards on the ground. The Browns have a dynamic front seven and it wont be long before the unit gains greater recognition in NFL circles. Cornerback Joe Haden has become a team leader and largely held Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green in check last week. The Browns currently boast the leagues third best defense allowing an average of 291.5 yards per game through four games. Cleveland very well may vie for the division this year in a mediocre AFC North. Bills quarterback E.J. Manuel will have his hands full against that dynamic Browns defense tonight. The Browns have not allowed an offensive touchdown in five quarters and have only allowed a league-low two passing touchdowns. The Bills may be better served working the ground game with the thunder and lightning threat of running backs Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller. However, both running backs are currently banged up following last weeks victory against the Ravens. Spiller has a possible sprained ankle and Fred Jackson has a sprained MCL going into tonights game. The Bills currently claim the second best running attack in the league with an average of 152 yards per game. However, the Browns defense is allowing a league-low 2.87 yards per carry. Both offenses should be a little off tonight due to the short week of preparation. Look for a low scoring game between the two teams with the Browns having the edge with their highly ranked defensive unit and the home crowd. The Bills also struggle as an underdog and away from home. Buffalo 20 Cleveland (-3.5) 24