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Thoughts on Bills Loss

November 19, 2008 By: BuffBillsFan Category: AFC East, Buffalo Bills, Lee Evans, Leodis McKelvin, NFL, Robert Royal, Roscoe Parrish, Terrence McGee, Trent Edwards No Comments →

The Buffalo Bills not only dropped a heart breaker last night against the Cleveland Browns 29-27 on Monday Night Football but they also ended their postseason chances.

 

Usually in losses like this, there is plenty of blame to go around but this game was not the case.  

 

The offensive line finally stepped up and not only did they not allow a sack but they also looked like they knew what they were doing running blocking.  Marshawn Lynch was able to break the century mark for the first time this year after a 119 yard effort. 

 

The defense wasn’t lights out but they did the job to the best of their ability.  Despite losses in the secondary like starting safety Donte Whitner and corner back Jabari Greer, Terrence McGee stepped up his game and played very well.  Minus a 76 yard run by Josh Cribbs in the 4th quarter, the Bills run defense also played very well, keeping Jamal Lewis in check.  Overall the defense led up 176 yards through the air and 161 on the ground while also holding Cleveland to 5 field goals despite them having great position through the entire game.  Forcing a team to go 3 for 13 (23%) on 3rd down isn’t too shabby either.   

 

Special teams proved why they were one of the best units in the game also (despite that final field goal).  Leodis McKelvin finally had his break out game as a returner, showing his great speed and field vision and returned 1 for a 98-yard touchdown.  He went on to average 61 yards on his 3 returns.  Fred Jackson also did very well.  He was getting the ball when the Browns were trying to kick the ball away from McKelvin on line drive or high kicks.  Jackson had 4 returns for an average of 15 yards but remember he was getting the ball on the 30-35 yard line to start his returns.  Roscoe Parrish also had a game changing return to set up a score.  He only got the ball once but when you go 34 yards the other way, that is always a good sign of not only Parrish but the blockers too.

 

The coaching was so-so.  To be honest, I really liked the defensive game plan.  They showed multiple blitzes to confuse young quarterback Brady Quinn and it worked.  He went 14 of 36 for 185 yards. 

 

The game calling towards the end was a little puzzling but I understand where it was coming from.  Instead of passing the ball, trying to get it a little closer for Lindell, they decided to run it for 3 straight plays.  I didn’t really like it but I do understand it.  It got the Browns to use all 3 timeouts and also they didn’t have too much confidence in Trent Edwards after his 3 picks in the 1st quarter.  Instead of risking a turnover, they keep it with the safe choice.  Again, I didn’t like it at all, but understood where they were coming from. 

 

The coaches did a good job to finally turn the o-line around although poor game management happened again in this one.  The Bills wasted timeouts in places they shouldn’t have but on a plus note at least they didn’t have to challenge anything.  Head Coach Dick Jauron doesn’t know where the red flag is anyways.      

 

So let’s take a look at what worked in this game.  Running game; check.  Offensive line; check.  Defense; check.  Coaching; well not 100% but still got the job done.  

 

So what are we missing?  On yes, the quarterback.

 

Trent Edwards was a complete disaster for the 4th game in a row.  He threw three interceptions in the 1st quarter and from that point on he looked scared.  He would drop back to pass, get plenty of time, and then just throw it to check down, again and again and again. 

 

That is what his one touchdown pass was in this game.  He dropped back, looked downfield, held onto the ball way too long and then finally dropped it off to Lynch who made the play.  

 

Edwards looked like a little child who just didn’t want to disappoint anyone and we had to sit there and watch him.  It really looked like he was indeed scared.  He wouldn’t throw the ball down the field at all.  His go-to-guy in Lee Evans was open on multiple occasions but he could not get him the ball.  Evans, the #1 WR on this team had 0 balls thrown his way!  Are you kidding me? 

 

The Browns didn’t even bring pressure in this game either.  They just dropped back into a zone, usually when Edwards excels by ripping apart defenses.  For some reason though he just couldn’t get the ball to his team and lost a lot of confidence.

 

From poor reads to terrible passes we have now watched a guy who was being named for MVP early in the season, to a young QB struggling to make his way into the league and get wins for his team.  

 

Now, I still think Edwards is the man at the QB position but I see why you J.P. Losman fans are now starting to come out of hiding again.  One thing I can agree with you with, at least Losman will get the ball down the field.  What team catches it though is a different story.

 

Hey it could be worse though, we could be Detroit Lions fans.

Week 11 PostGame: Bills 27 - Browns 29

November 18, 2008 By: BuffBillsFan Category: AFC East, Browns, Buffalo Bills, NFL, Rian Lindell, Robert Royal, Terrence McGee No Comments →

The Buffalo Bills drop a heartbreaker to the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football by a score of 29-27.

1st Quarter

The Bills started out shaky and that is being kind to QB Trent Edwards who started off the game with 3 interceptions.

However the defense remained strong, despite the short field they had to guard against, they held the Browns to just 6 points on 2 field goals off the foot of kicker Phil Dawson.

Browns led, 6-0.

2nd Quarter

The Browns got out to a fast 13 point lead after a 2 yard touchdown run by Josh Cribbs.  It looked like the game might be over before it even began.

Running back Marshawn Lynch was not just going to roll over and quit though and finally “Beast Mode” was turned on after a beautiful 18 yard pass reception from Edwards.  The play was all Lynch though as he made defenders miss and dragged guys into the end zone.

Rian Lindell was able to cut the lead to 3, after a 26 yard field goal to end the quarter.  

Going into the tunnel at halftime, the Bills were down 13-10.

3rd Quarter

The 3rd quarter was a back and forth affair that only had 6 points put up on the scoreboard between the two teams.  Lindell and Dawson both added another field goal, so going into the 4th. Browns still had the lead 16-13.

4th Quarter

After stopping Jamal Lewis for most of the game, the Bills running defense looked strong.  Jerome Harrison changed that in one run as he went 76 yards for a touchdown that gave the Browns a 10 point lead.

It looked like the Bills were going to need another huge comeback to get back into this one but a rookie made it a little easier.  On the kickoff after the touchdown, 1st round pick Leodis McKelvin took back the return 98 yards for a touchdown!  The game was back to a 3 point affair.

After another Browns field goal, Trent Edwards led a small drive that resulted in 6 after he dove in for a 1 yard touchdown run.  

On the following drive for the Browns, Brady Quinn led his team down the field and sent up a 53 yard field goal attempt that was good.  Browns take back the lead 29-27.

After the kickoff the Bills took over and need some yards.  Edwards threw a good pass to TE Robert Royal and after 3 running plays the Bills had a 47 yard field goal attempt for the win.

Lindell pushed it though and it sailed wide right giving the Browns a 29-27 win.

Wrap Up

Trent Edwards went 16 of 26 for 148 yards, 2 touchdowns (1 rushing, 1 passing) with 3 INTs.

Marshawn Lynch hit the century mark for the 1st time this season.  He got 119 yards on 23 carries and also caught 10 passes for 58 yards and a touchdown.  Beast mode is back!

Leodis McKelvin had a huge game returning the ball.  Not only did he have a 98 yard kick return for a TD but he also averaged 61 yards on 3 chances, having solid returns all night.  

Week 11 PreGame: Browns at Bills

November 16, 2008 By: BuffBillsFan Category: AFC East, Buffalo Bills, PreGame No Comments →

The Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns will face off on Monday Night Football in a must win game for both teams tomorrow night.

REMEMBER: The official diehardsportsfan.net Buffalo Bills pregame show airs 6-8 PM (eastern) Monday Night.  Catch it live to get you ready for the Bills vs. Browns game.  You can listen to it by going here: http://www.youcastr.com/casts/archive/buffbillsfan-bills-weekly-monday-night-preview-browns-vs-bills.

Broadcast Info:

Game: Cleveland Browns (3-6) @ Buffalo Bills (5-4).
TV: ESPN (
Tony Kornheiser, Mike Tirico, and Ron Jaworski)

Radio: 97 Rock (Buffalo), 103.3 The EDGE (Buffalo), WHAM 1180 AM (Rochester), WNSS 1260 AM (Syracuse), FAN 590 AM (Toronto). Broadcasts are all done by John Murphy, Mark Kelso and Paul Peck on the Bills radio network.
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

Game Notes:

  • Last game: Blizzard-like conditions in Cleveland prevented either team from getting into the end zone, but the Browns used a pair of field goals and a safety for an 8-0 win, knocking the Bills out of playoff contention in Week 15 last season.
  • The Bills have won three of the last four meetings with the Browns, but Cleveland leads the overall series, 9-5.
  • After waiting a season and a half on the sidelines, Brady Quinn did not disappoint in his first career start last Thursday, completing 23 of 35 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns. Quinn put his team in position to win by demonstrating an ability to move outside of the pocket and execute a game plan of short and intermediate throws — all with just three days to prepare for the Broncos. With 10 days to study the Bills, look for the Browns to open up the playbook and allow Quinn to do even more.
  • It was a tale of two halves last week for Kellen Winslow, Cleveland’s mercurial tight end. Winslow caught a career-high two touchdowns in the first half, then killed three drives in the second half with an interference penalty, a fumble, and a dropped pass on fourth down. Look for Winslow to shake off the mistakes and continue to build on the chemistry he displayed with Quinn in the first half.
  • It’s hard to put a finger on exactly what has gone wrong for the Bills, losers of four of their last five, following a promising 4-0 start. Some of the blame has to go to second-year QB Trent Edwards, who is showing some of the inconsistency that plagued him much of his rookie season. Edwards opened the season with six touchdowns and two interceptions in his first six games, but has since thrown two touchdowns and five interceptions in his last three.
  • The Browns will make their first road appearance on Monday Night Football since Nov. 13, 1995.
  • Browns LB Willie McGinest has 11 sacks against the Bills, the most vs. any opponent.
  • Bills safety Donte Whitner attended Glenville High School in Cleveland.
  • The Bills have a 1-7 record on Nov. 17 including a 17-7 loss to Cleveland back in 1986.
  • Lee Evans is 73 receiving yards from 4,500 in his career. He’s also two touchdown receptions from tying Bob Chandler for fourth all-time in franchise history.

Injury Report:

Bills- Out of Game: DE Aaron Schobel (Foot).  Doubtful: WR Josh Reed (Ankle).  Questionable: WR James Hardy (Hip), TE Robert Royal (Ankle), and S Donte Whitner (Shoulder).  Probable: G Brad Butler (Knee).

Browns- Doubtful: RB Lawrence Vickers (Ankle).  Questionable: TE Darnell Dinkins (Ribs), TE Steve Heiden (Back), DT Shaun Rogers (Neck), G Eric Steinbach (Ribs) and DE Corey Williams (shoulder).

Quote of the Week:

“Last year was very frustrating. We need to get these guys from last year. We owe them and they took our chance of going to a playoff game last year and we still have that taste in our mouth.”

-Trent Edwards on if last season’s loss to Cleveland still bothers him

Open Thread:

Please feel free to comment below or in the tag board in the sidebar to chat with Bills fans from around the world.

Bills Could Be Out Two “Weapons”

November 16, 2008 By: BuffBillsFan Category: AFC East, Buffalo Bills, Derek Fine, Derek Schouman, James Hardy, Josh Reed, Lee Evans, NFL No Comments →

Being called weapons is being kind to the two players in question.  TE Robert Royal and WR James Hardy both did not practice on Friday because of injuries.

Hardy was limited because of a hip injury and has been listed as questionable.  Royal is also listed as questionable with an ankle injury.

Seeing as neither one of them is really producing, this shouldn’t hurt the offense too much.  What really hurts is the injury to Josh Reed.  He is still trying to come back from an achilles injury and was upgraded from “out” to “doubtful” which indicates that the wide out is getting closer to a return. Reed’s return in Week 12 would bode well for Lee Evans, who has seen constant double teams while the Bills’ No. 2 receiver has been sidelined.

If Hardy can not go, look for Steven Johnson to get some time in the game.  Lee Evans will put up even less numbers though as he will draw a double team all game.  If Royal is a no go either one of the Dereks will fill his spot, in rookie Fine or Schouman.

Whitner, Butler Back is the Lineup

November 15, 2008 By: BuffBillsFan Category: AFC East, Aaron Schobel, Buffalo Bills, Donte Whitner, James Hardy, Josh Reed, NFL, Robert Royal No Comments →

The Buffalo Bills could be getting some key reinforcements back this week to take on the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football this week and it couldn’t come at a better time.

 

Bills Safety Donte Whitner has been medically cleared to play and participated in most of the defensive drills during Friday’s practice.  Whitner says that he has a full range of motion.  His versatility on defense has been missed as he has lined up all over the field.  From safety to cornerback, Whitner has played it all this season.  Getting him back will be a much needed boost to the passing defense.   He’s officially listed as questionable. 

 

All signs point to guard Brad Butler playing too. Butler worked with the first team offense Friday and didn’t miss a snap.  It looks like he will return to the starting lineup to try to turn this running game around.

 

Also for the offense, TE Robert Royal and WR James Hardy are listed as questionable.

 

It looks like Josh Reed will remain inactive though for this game.  The #2 wide receiver has missed the last few weeks.  He is still nursing a strained Achilles that has been keeping him out of the lineup since the game against Miami.  DE Aaron Schobel is also out, still recovering from a foot injury.

A Closer Look at Trent Edwards

November 14, 2008 By: BuffBillsFan Category: AFC East, Buffalo Bills, NFL, Trent Edwards No Comments →

From possible MVP to shaky quarterback, boy, how a couple of weeks can change a starting NFL quarterback.  It is no different for young Bills QB, Trent Edwards.

 

The 2nd year QB looked like an up and coming star through the first few weeks of the season.  He was becoming one of the young poster boys for the NFL.  He made appearances on ESPN’s NFL Countdown, Rome is Burning, PTI, ESPN the Mag and everything in between.  Some were even calling the 25 year old quarterback the next Tom Brady and a candidate for the MVP.   

 

That changed over the course of the season, and it may have to do with a concussion that Edwards faced in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals.  He was knocked out of that game and took the bye week off to rest.  He returned in the Bills next schedule game and played pretty well.

 

So what exactly happened?

 

Edwards look sluggish and his decision making has turned into that of a certain Bills QB that is currently sitting on the bench during the games.  From throwing terrible picks to reaching out the ball to try to get a first down on a QB sneak and getting it stripped from his out stretched hands, Edwards has had his share of mistakes and “brain farts” this season.  

 

Taking a look at some of the films on Edwards (from NFL.com), the Bills QB just has not been making the right decisions during the last few weeks.  Yes he has made some great plays, and passes but his play has dropped off.  It is just a matter of making the right choices though, as shown in the examples.

 

Example 1: Week 9 vs. the NY Jets, :15 left in the 1st Quarter

3rd and Goal on the Jets 15

The Bills line up in the shotgun formation.  Two wide receivers were to the left side of the field while one was lined up on the right.  The running back was on Edward’s right in the backfield.  

 

Edwards took the snap and took 3 steps.  He stepped up and delivered a strike to the left side of the field.  He was hit as soon as he released the ball.  He was trying to hit Roscoe Parrish on an out pattern.  

 

Parrish ended up falling down but even if he stayed on his feet, the pass would still have gone the other way.  Edwards throw the ball into a zone that had double coverage on Parrish and one other player from the Jets secondary was right behind them as he was following Robert Royal who was running a pattern right behind him.  

 

The throw was really going into a crowd that had the Bills outnumbered, 3-2.  The pass was picked off and instead of just taking the sack, the interception went the other way for a touchdown and the Jets took an even bigger lead.  

 

Example 2: Week 10 vs. the New England Patriots, :21 left in the 1st Quarter

1st and 10 from the Buffalo 13, Patriots up 7-0

Edwards was once again the “gun”.  He had 3 wide receivers to the right of the formation and one wide receiver, Lee Evans, to the left.  Edwards took the snap and dropped 3 steps.  He quickly released the ball to the left side, a pass intended for Evans, who was wide open.

 

The pass sailed high and behind Evans, and was intercepted.  It was a basic Cover 3 defense (3 guys back in a 3 deep zone, with the linebackers dropping back into coverage, covering the underneath patterns).  Edwards this time made the right read, but threw a terrible pass.  He had his man open but just couldn’t execute.

 

Example 3: Week 10 vs. the New England Patriots, :45 left in the 3rd Quarter

2nd and 10 from the Buffalo 45, Patriots Lead 13-3

It was another shotgun formation that the offense came out in.  Two wide outs were lined up on the left while 1 wide receivers and TE Robert Royal were on the right.  The running back was lineup up next to Edwards on his right side.  

 

Edwards takes the snap and looks for the open man.  The Patriots defense was in zone coverage with a spy on the running back coming out of the backfield (a linebacker was not rushing or dropping back into coverage, just watching and reacting to what the running back did).  The Patriots only rushed 3 guys.

 

Edwards looked and fired a pass to the right where he thought Robert Royal was wide open.  It turned out that he wasn’t in the least.  The veteran cornerback jammed the wide receiver on the side of Royal, making Edwards think that it was man to man coverage.  He then released the pass to Royal that was easily picked off when that same cornerback dropped back into his zone.  It was an easy pick due to Edward’s lack of recognition.

 

These three examples each showed a way in which Edwards was struggling in.  His lack of recognition, execution, and forced passes each contributed to some of his struggles.  Now don’t get me wrong, Trent is a great young talent that despite his struggles, is still considered to be the franchise QB.  He can get better and a lot of these problems can be fixed with more playing time and he gets more experienced at the position

 

My only question was why now?  It must be because defenses are starting to adjust to him and fool him.  That is my only guess seeing as he started off the year so hot.  In the first 4 games, Edwards went 78 of 119 (65.5%), 930 yards, 4 touchdowns, 2 interceptions and a 94.6 QB rating.      

 

Then in week 5 against Arizona, he suffered the concussion after going 3 of 3 for 18 yards. 

 

Then Edwards bounced back against San Diego, going 25 of 30 (83.3% which tied a franchise record), 261 yards, 1 TD (0 INTS) and a QB rating of 114.  It looked like he was back to his old self.  

 

But then the last 3 games hit him hard, as the Bills went 0-3 in them.  Edwards, in the 3 games combined, went 58 of 93 (62.4%), 636 yards, 2 TDs, 5 INTs, and a 65.2 QB rating.

 

Now I don’t expect the guy to play great every game, and I understand that he is young and even the best struggle (just take a look at Peyton Manning this season) but the inconsistency is what scares me.  

 

He has showed he can play towards the top of the league but has also showed that he can fall too.  The Bills will only go as far as their QB and they need him to step up and lead this team for some wins.  

 

It all starts Monday night.

Bills Back at the Bottom of AFC East

November 13, 2008 By: BuffBillsFan Category: AFC East, Buffalo Bills, Fred Jackson, Marshawn Lynch, NFL No Comments →

The Buffalo Bills are now officially (like I feared a week ago) the worst team in the AFC East.  Now they face an uphill climb that will be changeling to overcome.

 

These next few days, I am going to take a look at what the Bills need to do in order to improve this season after falling to 5-4, after a 4-0 start.  From the running game to the quarterback play to the lack of defensive pressure I will take a look at it as the Bills prepare to do battle against the Browns on Monday Night Football this week. 

 

I have been able to take a few days to process what happened in the game against the New England Patriots (if I wrote a post right after the game, I have a feeling I would’ve called for an entire new roster and fire everyone in a coaching position, so I like to take some time to gather myself and take a look at this realistically.  Bills fans, you know what I am talking about.) and will now be able to go over a few things without busting my computer screen in frustration.

 

First things first, the run game. 

 

Now I am not a NFL head coach as you have probably guessed and I will be honest, I am nowhere near qualified enough to coach even the offensive line of a pop Warner team.  I do know how ever that an offensive line runs zone blocking, or numbers defenders (1, 2, 3…).  So to better educate myself on the Bills o-line and their blocking style, I headed over to Youtube!

 

Well maybe Youtube isn’t the most sophisticated way to look at film but with a budget of zero dollars and zero cents it comes in handy.

 

What I noticed is it looks like the Bills do not run a zone blocking scheme.  I know they do on some plays because I have heard people on TV broadcasters to radio shows say so, but they do not do it very often.  From the big plays that I noticed, the Bills did not run a zone blocking scheme in any of them.

 

It looked like they number guys at the line and just fired off the line (to explain this simply, pretty much an “I got this guy” thing).  In the highlights from last season, the o-line also looked like they got down the field to make more blocks.  This year, not so much.  The line looks slow and sluggish which isn’t good for the running backs as they have both struggled this season.

 

Some of the blame should be put on Marshawn Lynch of course, but in the film room, I mean my computer (sorry as I try to make myself sound professional), I have noticed a huge difference between the o-line’s play from last season, and this one and it is showing in the statistics.  

 

Through 9 games, Lynch has 512 yards, 3.5 yards per carry and 6 touchdowns.  Lynch has also not scored a touchdown in the last two games and is averaging 48.3 yards rushing in his last 4.  

 

His backup, Fred Jackson is not faring much better.  He has 237 yards on the year, averages 4 yards a pop and has 1 touchdown.  As a team, the Bills are ranked 28th in the league with 90 yards a game.   

 

The coaches have to work this week on the running game.  They have to get the line on the same page and get this thing turned around.  The Bills have the heaviest offensive line in the league, and they should be able to dominate on the line of scrimmage.  Let’s see if they can this week against a Cleveland Browns defense that allows 145.2 yards a game (26th in the league).  

 

If you didn’t believe it already, an offensive line can make a running back, not the other way around.  So far that has been the case this season.

 

Check back tomorrow as I hit the “film room” again and explain why Trent Edwards is struggling all of a sudden after such a hot start.  For any suggestions, comments or anything else, I can be reached in the comments or by sending an email to  <a href="mailto:buffbillsfan517@yahoo.com.

” title=”mailto:buffbillsfan517@yahoo.com.

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Jauron Speaks

November 11, 2008 By: BuffBillsFan Category: AFC East, Buffalo Bills, Dick Jauron, NFL No Comments →

Buffalo Bills Head Coach Dick Jauron spoke to the media today as the Bills returned home after losing 3 straight games in a row.  He pointed the finger of blame at himself.
“We just got to correct the errors we’re making. It starts with me. I’ve got to do a better job of preparing them.”

The Bills looked flat and played like a bunch of guys who didn’t care what the outcome of the game was.  It was a joke to watch and really makes you angry as a Bills fan.  The team has to turn this around because if they don’t, they will be missing the playoffs again this season.

Week 10 PostGame: Bills 10 - Patriots 20

November 09, 2008 By: BuffBillsFan Category: AFC East, Buffalo Bills, Lee Evans, Marshawn Lynch, Matt Cassell, NFL, New England Patriots, Trent Edwards No Comments →

The Bills didn’t even looked like they showed up to play football today, falling in an embarrassing matter, 20-10 to the New England Patriots.

1st Quarter

The Bills came out flat while the Patriots went with a slow and steady offense.

New England’s patience was rewarded though after Matt Cassel scampered 13 yards for a touchdown.

The Bills could get nothing going and were unable to put points on the board.  Pats lead 7-0 going into the 2nd.

2nd Quarter

The Patriots patience worked again after a slow and steady drive.  They didn’t try to do too much and settled for a Stephen Gostkowski 32 yard field goal to go up 10-0.

The Bills countered and were finally able to get on the board with a 25 yard field goal by Rian Lindell.

Going into the tunnel at halftime, the Bills were down 10-3.

3rd Quarter

The 3rd was just like the first two quarters of play.  Both teams didn’t show much offensively but their defenses were holding up nicely.  The only scoring of the 3rd was another Gostkowski field goal to put the Pats up 13-3. 

4th Quarter

The Patriots felt like they had the game, and showed it after chewing up almost 10 minutes of clock time in the 4th.  At the end of the 19 play drive, BenJarvus Green-Ellis cashed in with a 1 yard run, putting the Pats up 20-3.

Towards the end of a game already decided, Buffalo put one in the endzone on a 14 yard pass from QB Trent Edwards to WR James Hardy.

Buffalo drops the third game in a row, 20-10.

Wrap Up

Trent Edwards went 13 for 23, 120 yards and 1 TD to go along with 2 INTs.

Marshawn Lynch had another terrible game, gaining 46 yards on 14 carries.

Roscoe Parrish led the team in catches.  He had 4 for 31 yards.  Lee Evans was held to only 2 receptions.  

Rian Lindell went 1/1 on field goal attempts.  

Ryan Denney led the team with 8 tackles.  

Week 10 PreGame: Bills at Patriots

November 08, 2008 By: BuffBillsFan Category: AFC East, Buffalo Bills, NFL, New England Patriots No Comments →

The Buffalo Bills will face their division rival, the New England Patriots for AFC East supremacy at Gillette Stadium Sunday afternoon.

Broadcast Info:

Game: Buffalo Bills (5-3) @ New England Patriots (5-3).
TV: CBS (Dick Enberg, Randy Cross)
Radio: 97 Rock (Buffalo), 103.3 The EDGE (Buffalo), WHAM 1180 AM (Rochester), WNSS 1260 AM (Syracuse), FAN 590 AM (Toronto). All done by John Murphy, Mark Kelso and Paul Peck on the Bills radio network.
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET

Game Notes:

  • Last meeting: In Week 11 last season, Tom Brady threw five touchdown passes, four to Randy Moss, as the Patriots scored on seven of their eight possessions to defeat the Bills, 56-10.
  • New England has had Buffalo’s number since 2000, winning 14 of the last 15 meetings to take a 54-40-1 overall series lead.
  • Patriots rookie Jerod Mayo is quietly leading a veteran defense with 59 tackles. Last month’s defensive rookie of the month has started all eight games at inside linebacker for the Patriots and led the team with 11 tackles vs. the Colts.
  • BenJarvus Green-Ellis is another Patriots rookie making an impact. With Sammy Morris and LaMont Jordan sidelined, the running back has scored a touchdown in each of the last three weeks, proving to be an adequate runner between the tackles.
  • Flu-like symptoms may have been the reason for Marshawn Lynch’s career-low 16 rushing yards last week. Lynch will look to rebound Sunday, but he’ll have to do it against a Patriots defense that has held teams to an average of 83.6 rushing yards over the last five games.
  • Buffalo is 12-3 under coach Dick Jauron when holding opponents to fewer than 300 yards.
  • Bills rookie Leodis McKelvin ranks third in the AFC with 750 kick-return yards.
  • Patriots wideout Wes Welker can become the first player in NFL history with at least six catches in each of his team’s first nine games.
  • Not counting field goals, the Bills offense has been held to one touchdown scored or less in five of their last eight meetings with the Patriots defense. In Gillette Stadium New England’s defense gives up an average of 15.51 points per game.

Injury Report:

Bills- Out of Game: G Brad Butler (knee), WR Josh Reed (ankle), DE Aaron Schobel (foot), S Donte Whitner (shoulder) and CB Ashton Youboty (foot).  Questionable: LB Kawika Mitchell (ankle) and G Jason Whittle (back).    

Patriots- Out of Game:  CB Terrence Wheatley (wrist).  Doubtful: RB Sammy Morris (knee) and CB Lewis Sanders (hamstring).  Questionable:  RB LaMont Jordan (calf), LB Eric Alexander (hamstring), CB Ellis Hobbs (shoulder), WR Matt Slater (ankle) and DT Vince Wilfork (toe).    

Quote of the Week:

“They’re definitely similar guys Welker and Roscoe. I go against Roscoe every day in practice, so I’m definitely prepared for the role I’ve got to play this Sunday.”

-Reggie Corner on facing Wes Welker this week

Open Thread:

Please feel free to comment below or in the tag board in the sidebar to chat with Bills fans from around the world.