Buffalo Bills Week #4 Recap
A win, but a statement?
After a month of the NFL season the Buffalo Bills are undefeated and in first place of the AFC East. However, when you’re a 1 st place/undefeated team, that wants to think of itself as one of the leagues elite, certain things are expected of you. One of these things is to really beat up on bad teams that come crawling into game-day in complete shambles and utter diseree. This is the opportunity that presented itself to the Bills Sunday afternoon in St. Louis. On one hand, the Bills won 31-14, on the other hand…
Despite recording a 17point victory over St. Louis, the Bills in my opinion, didn’t really look overly impressive. The Rams came into this game not only 0-3, but completely un-competitive for the entire season. They had yet to keep a team within 24pts, being outscored 116-29. ONE HUNDRED-AND-SIXTEEN TO TWENTY-NINE. They were basically last in offense, with just 202yds a game, and basically last in defense allowing 456yds a game. And to top it off, they just announced they would be replacing Pro Bowl QB Marc Bulger, with the Trent “Evander Holyfield” Green who hasn’t started a game since suffering what many believed to be a career ending head wound last year in Miami. This seemed to be a curious move considering the team had given up 15 sacks on the season. But all of this aside, the Rams still out gained the Bills 380yds to 277. They were out gained on the ground 167-111. The run Defense for Buffalo which has been as good as any in the league, finally gave up a 100- yard rusher for the first time this season, as Steven Jackson, who might be as talented a back as there is, put up 110yds on 24 carries and scored a touchdown. The Bills actually went into half time down 14-6, which was the FIRST St. Louis lead of the season. But that really was where the fun ended for the Ram-faithful, because this game really was one of those games that was a tale of two halves.
In the first half, Buffalo was only able to muster up 96 total yards, going 1 of 7 on 3 rd downs. To say they never found a rhythm would be a massive understatement. The Rams on the other hand, finally, for the first time all year, gave their fans something to be excited about with two dazzling TD runs, a lead, and a lot of momentum at the Dome. They were also all over Edwards, as D-coordinator Jim Hazlet confused the Bills, getting constant pressure by sending up to 6 rushers from different angles and positions virtually every play of the half. But the same Rams team that played the first 6 halves of the season came out of the tunnel to play the second half of this one. St. Louis was shut out in the second half, never able to get anything going offensively. The Bills out scored them 18-0 in the fourth quarter, ending the game on a 25-0 run. Buffalo scored on 3 of its first 4 second half possessions, opening the third quarter, by opening up their run game, only throwing two passes, while marching down the field for 76 yds over 5 minutes. as Freddy Jackson’s capped it off with a 22yd touchdown run. That made the score 14-13 St. Lu, where it stood until the first play of the 4th, when Jabari Green intercepted a Trent Green pass, and ran it back 33yds for a touchdown. 20-14 Buff. St. Louis followed this up by going a quick three-and-out, then came the hammer. The Bills took over possession, after getting beat up on offense for most of the game, (Edwards sacked four times/only 6 points other than the opening half touchdown), trying to hold a 6-point lead still very much in a dog fight. But as he has done all year in the 4 thQ, Trent Edawrds took over, leading the Bills on a 5-play, 81yd drive climaxing in a 39yd TD strike to Lee Evans, and in what seemed to be a blink of an eye, the team that had been dead all year, was dead once more. Rain Lindell would add a FG and the Game would end 31-14 in favor of the AFC East leading Buffalo Bills.
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If the Bills want to be an elite team, and if they are as good as their record and place in the standings would indicate, it’s probably not a good sign that the Bills went into half-time trailing the game, very much in a battle against a team as bad as the Rams. Good teams lay the wax to the Rams. The Bills of Kelly and Thomas would have won this one by a hundred. Good teams dominate this game for 60 minuets; the Bills only dominated this one for 30. Not a good sign, but not a huge problem either (I mean hey, at least they dominated at all) This is a tough league where any given Sunday…is a Paccino movie…and also a team like the Rams can come home and put up a good half. You would have liked to see the Bills run them off the field, but instead you saw a solid Bills win. The bottom line is the Bills got the win, are still undefeated, and in 1 st place of the AFC East. It wasn’t an OVERLY impressive win, but any time you go on the road in the NFL and win a game by 17points, you have to be happy.
By Liam Whalen
ProFootball-fans.com Buffalo Bills Correspondent