They don't get more exciting than that.
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| Fred Jackson dives into the endzone, sparking the Bills comeback |
Considering their opponents, I really don't find the Bills 2-0 record very surpising. What I did not expect, was the way they are doing it. After two weeks, the Bills are the top scoring offense in the NFL. Fred Jackson leads the league in rushing and Ryan Fitzpatrick is tied for the lead in touchdown throws.
The real test for this team will not come until next Sunday. But so far, there have been enough positive signs to believe the Bills won't be a cellar-dweller in 2011 after all. Here is what I took from the Oakland game:
Positives:
1) Not as bad as it looked...
To someone who missed the game and was only looking at the box score, it may have seemed like the Bills made some crazy adjustments on offense at halftime (scoring only three points on their first five drives, then putting up 35 on their last five).
But in reality, Buffalo was doing a pretty good job of moving the ball early - and really wasn't that far from putting up more points in the first two quarters.
The team's first three drives were killed by a dropped pass on third down, an untimely penalty after crossing mid-field and a poorly thrown interception. On their fourth drive, Fitzpatrick almost hit David Nelson in the back of the endzone, if not for a brilliant tip by Raiders linebacker Rolando McClain. The Bills had to settle for a field goal.
On Buffalo's final drive of the half, Fitzpatrick threw a little high to Steve Johnson at the goalline - forcing the Bills to attempt another field goal (which they missed). A better pass would have been a likely touchdown.
2) Excellent playcalling again...
Where the Bills lack in measurable skills and talent, they are making up for it with excellent playcalling and preparation. The same offensive players that were below-average for previous coaching staffs are now scoring at will.
It starts with Coach Chan Gailey, who designs complex formations and plays to maximize the strengths of the guys on the field, hide their weaknesses and keep defensive coordinators guessing. Fitzpatrick's knowledge of the game and ability to make the right pre-snap reads is proving to be the perfect fit.
As seen on the game-winning touchdown, receivers are getting wide open, even in the red zone. The running backs are finding big holes, even from the shotgun formation and multi-receiver sets.
Negatives:
1) Defensive backs are not playing well...
Since coming into town, GM Buddy Nix has shown no hesitation in getting rid of top picks that aren't performing to the team's standards: Marshawn Lynch, Donte Whitner, John McCargo, Lee Evans. If something doesn't change soon, we will probably be adding cornerback Leodis McKelvin to that list.
Although nobody really played well in the secondary, McKelvin was the worst of a bad group. He was beat deep and beat often, whether he was in position to defend the pass or not. Making his first NFL start, Raiders receiver Denarious Moore racked up five catches for 146 yards and a touchdown while matched up mostly against McKelvin.
Other Observations:
>> To make such a big comeback, you have to hope for a couple breaks - and Darren McFadden's third quarter fumble was definitely the turning point of the game. Winning 21-10 at the time, the Raiders had already racked up three first downs and were going down for another score. Without that timely turnover, Oakland's lead might have been too much to overcome.
>> The additions of Marcell Dareus and Nick Barnett has helped shore up the middle of the defense, especially in stopping the ground game. However, the team is still struggling to set the edge against outside runs or cause pressure on the corners of the pocket. Most of that responsiblity comes to the outside linebackers (Shawne Merriman, Chris Kelsay, Alex Carrington). This defense is definitely better than last year's version, but I don't think it's a finished product.
Looking to next week
A 2-0 start is nice, but it won't mean very much unless the Bills manage to defeat the Patriots next week at home. Unfortunately, they still don't match up well against the hated division rival, who they haven't beat since Week 1 of 2003 (that's 15 straight losses).
Sure, every team is beatable and New England is definitely vulnerable on defense. The Bills should score some points. But so far, the Patriots appear as unstoppable on offense as they did during their 16-0, record breaking season. Despite how good the Bills have looked, it will be hard for them to keep up in a shootout.
The Patriots biggest strength just might be the Bills biggest weak point. With the way Buffalo's linebackers and safeties have struggled to keep up with tight ends - Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez might be an impossible duo to stop.
This is where the Dareus draft pick could come into play. The secondary needs to play physical and tight in coverage with the receivers, while getting pressure on quarterback Tom Brady without completely selling out with the blitz. It's a hard task for even the league's top defenses.
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