| Andrew Perna. 25th September, 2008 - 3:57 pm
 You don’t have to listen very closely to hear people talking about the undefeated Cowboys, Giants, or Broncos, but it takes a sharp ear to catch a conversation on the equally impressive Bills.
In case you didn’t know, Buffalo has won their first three games, with two of those victories coming against teams from last year’s playoffs (Seattle, Jacksonville).
With St. Louis on the schedule this Sunday, the Bills are likely to become the best 4-0 team that no one is talking about. But if they are good enough to play through September without a loss, how come they aren’t all over the television, newspapers, and internet?
It could be because the team’s starting quarterback Trent Edwards is far less recognizable than his backup J.P. Losman. Or that their running back Marshawn Lynch just recently ended a lengthy media boycott. They have the always underrated Lee Evans, but their receivers are better known for their return tactics than receptions thanks to the speedy, and now injured, Roscoe Parrish.
Their defense, which ranks in the top ten of most defensive categories, is just as ordinary.
You might recognize defensive end Aaron Schobel, defensive tackle Marcus Stroud, linebacker Paul Posluszny, or cornerback Terrence McGee, but you’re more likely to know Stroud (Jacksonville) and Posluszny (Penn State) from previous affiliations.
So what makes them so good?
For starters, they are among the most disciplined teams in the league thanks to the direction of Coach Dick Jauron. Buffalo has only been flagged for nine penalties this season, which puts them among the least-flagged teams in the NFL.
Fewest Penalties Through Week Three
Team: Penalties, Yards Penalized
1. Patriots: 7, 50 yards
1. Texans: 7, 53 yards (two games)
3. Bills: 9, 79 yards
4. Chiefs: 10, 64 yards
5. Broncos: 13, 102 yards
When Houston’s postponed Week Two battle with Baltimore is taken into account, only one team the cerebral Patriots have been smarter this season.
Just like the tough Buffalo teams of old, the Bills are winning without an explosive offense. They rank in the middle of the pack (13th, 333.7 yards) in yards per game but have been dominant on defense.
Team Defense Through Week Three
Team: Yards Per Game, Points Per Game
1. Ravens: 161.5 yards, 10.0 (two games)
2. Steelers: 234.0 yards, 12.7
3. Titans: 240.3 yards, 9.7
4. Eagles: 242.0 yards, 16.7
5. Bills: 247.3 yards, 16.3
Their stingy defense, which has forced eleven punts (fourth in the league), often gives the offense good field position in which to punch in demoralizing scores.
Punt Return Yards
Team: Returns, Yards, Average
1. Saints: 5, 95 yards, 19.0
2. Ravens: 5, 77 yards, 15.4 (two games)
3. Bills: 11, 167 yards, 15.2
4. Packers: 7, 94 yards, 13.4
5. Jets: 5, 64 yards, 12.8
In addition to their superb return average, Buffalo is one of only three teams to return a punt for a touchdown this season. Their kick return unit isn’t bad, either. They average 23.2 yards per return, good enough for 13th in the league, and have the six-longest return of the season (56 yards).
Rookie cornerback Leodis McKelvin has excelled when handling kickoffs; his 25.7 return average is better than all but six teams, but the loss of Parrish will almost certainly hurt their punt return production.
Parrish, who had thumb surgery on Tuesday and is expected to miss four-to-six weeks of action, is responsible for all of Buffalo’s punt return statistics in 2008. McKelvin and fellow cornerback Terrence McGee are expected to take over in the absence of Parrish.
Edwards may not be exciting at quarterback, but he has been remarkably steady this season, similar to what David Garrard was for the Jaguars last year. Trent has the sixth-highest completion percentage in the league (67.0%), ahead of Donovan McNabb, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, and Garrard.
He’s tenth in pass yards (733) and twelfth in QB rating (96.6), but Jauron isn’t going to ask Edwards to win many games single-handedly. He has also benefited from the fact that Buffalo took early leads in two of their three wins.
As unheralded as he is, Trent was almost solely responsible for the team’s comeback win over the Raiders in Week Three.
Buffalo won on a last second field goal by Rian Lindell, thanks to seventeen fourth quarter points. Edwards, who led the team on three-straight scoring drives in the final ten minutes, went 14-for-19 with 182 yards and a touchdown in the fourth. He’s started only twelve games in his career, but on four occasions, he has led the Bills back in the final fifteen minutes.
Lynch, who had 1,115 yards in thirteen games during his rookie campaign, is on pace to break the 1,100-yard mark again and score an astounding 21 touchdowns.
They will need the yards, but 12-15 trips to the end zone by Lynch will probably be enough for the Bills to reach the playoffs for the first time since 1999, when Doug Flutie and Wade Phillips were in town.
“We can be as good as we play on Sundays, and right now we’re playing good,” Lynch said when ending his silence this week. “We just have to continue to keep it up.”
Because of their play on Sundays, you’re going to start hearing more about these Bills on Mondays.
Andrew Perna is a Senior Writer for RealGM. Please feel free to contact him via e-mail with comments or questions on this piece: Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com. |
