The Buffalo Bills haven't met too many expectations this year.
I know, another statement from Captain Obvious. Hear me out, though. It's been more than the playoff expectations that they've failed to live up to.
The Bills win five out of six games to open the season, and people's expectations go soaring. What does the team do? Lay an ostrich-sized egg and lose seven of their last eight games.
After an iffy offensive performance in November, Buffalo exploded for 83 points against Cleveland and Kansas City. After building up fans to believe that the team could finally put points on the board, they managed two field goals in the next two games.
There has been much wailing and gnashing of teeth that this Bills team was soft and couldn't play in cold weather conditions. Last year's debacles against the Browns and Giants and this year's debacle against the 49ers seemed to prove that.
So going into Denver, Buffalo found itself out of the playoffs, against a Broncos team that needed the win to clinch the division. In the second-coldest home game in Denver history. Sounds like a recipe for another Bills loss, doesn't it?
Again, the Bills would fail to meet those expectations, pulling out an unlikely 30-23 win over the Broncos. Buffalo won their first game in a month, and only their second since before Halloween.
The fact that Buffalo even made the score respectable, let alone won the game, was a miracle in itself. Denver came out of the tunnel on fire, and as usual, the Bills followed the example of their droopy-dog coach and started flat.
Early in the first quarter, the Broncos completely dominated on both sides of the ball, and it looked like the blowout was on. Denver elected to receive, and started the game by running the ball down Buffalo's throat. Widely known as a passing team, they ran eight times for 80 yards, including runs of 20 and 30 yards each.
When the Buffalo offense took the field, it looked like fans watching at home would be in for a long day. Edwards fumbled, the running game was ineffective, and passes were going for a blistering 5 yards or less. It looked like another woeful performance, this one against the league's 28th-ranked defense. Denver ran out to a 13-0 lead, on a touchdown and a pair of field goals.
Ironically, it was a Denver coaching mistake that turned the game around for the Bills. After a long drive, the Broncos stalled out at the Buffalo 36-yard line with just over two minutes to go in the first half. A punt would pin the Bills deep in their own territory. Everyone knows Dick Jauron plays it conservative. The likelihood was that Buffalo would run the ball to try to end the half without giving up more points. Denver could get the ball back and even try to mount another drive.
Instead, they tried a 54-yard field goal, which fell short and gave Buffalo the ball near midfield. Suddenly, it was like someone put jumper cables to their listless offense. In a return to September form, quarterback Trent Edwards efficiently drove the team down the field. A 10-yard pass here and an 8-yard run there, and suddenly Buffalo was in prime scoring territory with 27 seconds to go.
Red zone conversions have made Bills fans cringe for most of the season, but it looks like the team has started to turn things around. The coaches finally listened to the requests of their players and put the ball in the hands of their best playmaker, Marshawn Lynch. The running back went into the end zone untouched on a toss play to pull the Bills within 3 points at the half.
Now in the game, Buffalo played even with the Broncos the rest of the way. The Bills came out and marched down the field, settling for a Rian Lindell field goal. After forcing a fumble and getting the ball and Denver's 36, they had a chance to put the game away, but instead settled for another field goal and a 3-point lead.
Buffalo's suddenly porous defense allowed Denver to retake the lead on the next possession. Quarterback Jay Cutler carved up the secondary, hitting for 5 passes of 10 or more yards and 3 passes of more than 20 yards. Cutler took care of business himself, running the ball in from the 6 yards out.
The defense has been some cause for concern in the previous two weeks. After allowing 31 points to the struggling Jets, they surrendered a stunning 532 yards of offense to the Broncos. Of that total, 351 came through the air and 181 yards came on the ground. Denver was moving the ball at will, and the only thing stopping them were some bad interceptions and untimely fumbles.
As it has been all season, the secondary was the chief culprit for the team. Many would point to the rookies as the reason for the breakdowns, but the veterans were the ones who seem to really be letting the team down. Terrence McGee has only been average at best for most of the year. Against a top-flight receiver like Brandon Marshall, he was exposed as average. Marshall, lined up against McGee most of the game, pulled in 10 catches for 129 yards.
Another player who hasn't been living up to his contract has been safety Donte Whitner. While he did force a crucial fumble in the second half, his play has been inconsistent. He has failed to be the impact player he was expected to be. It's not that he's getting torched up the field or pushed around, but the fact is he's not making the big hits or stops when the team needs them most. Locker-room leadership is great, but Buffalo needs the on-field leadership more right now.
Quarterback Trent Edwards, back for his first start since the 49ers game, was sharp for most of the afternoon. He made quick decisions and, for the most part, accurate throws. He looked comfortable in the pocket, even after Denver dialed up the pressure at the start of the game. Amazingly, it didn't look like the cold affected his game at all. It looked like the quarterback might have finally started to mature a little bit.
Of course, two weeks of watching J.P. Losman under center can make anyone else seem great by comparison. For the first time in a long time, Buffalo finally opened up passing routes longer than 10 yards, and it paid off. Lee Evans drew a pass interference call on a deep ball, putting Buffalo in prime scoring territory. Edwards also threw a pretty deep ball to Fred Jackson, hitting him in stride and allowing him to juke his way down to the Denver 3-yard line.
Overall, it was a gritty performance in which the offense was able to overcome the defensive shortcomings. They stayed in a tough game against a desperate team and made plays all the way to the end. It was a nice positive sign after weeks of dreary play.
But let's not get too carried away. We've seen the Bills toy with us like this in the past, only to shatter those raised expectations.
Jim Cwierley is a contributing writer for the Niagara Falls Reporter. E-mail him at jim.cwierley@gmail.com.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | December 23 2008 |