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The most important stat of the game. The Bills, yet again, looked unbelievably better in the second half, and Trent Edwards looked like a general out there in the second half. If the line gives him any time, he can really rip a defense apart. The stats weren't great for the offense today, but they did enough in the second half. This team is beginning to look like the 92 Bills in more ways than just their record.

Good points. Lee better get a new contract. He is a flat out player for us and helped put this game away with that perfect throw and catch in the fourth quarter. You were right on about the O-Line. Peters was average and Walker was getting eaten alive by Little. Absolutely got mauled at critical points in the first half. Yet, in the second half, the O-Line did look much better and much more cohesive. These slow starts are going to kill us eventually if they continue, but hopefully that will stop with time. The bye week should be a time for us to work on that. The only thing I disagree with, but only slightly, was the pressure of the D-Line. There has been pressure from the outside. Kelsay was a huge part of the reason that Trent Green threw that pick in the fourth quarter. His pressure from the left side of the D-Line forced Green to make a bad throw. Schobel was in on a number of hurries that resulted in bad throws, and part of the reason that Williams, Johnson and Stroud are able to get pressure up the middle is that Schobel gets doubled on a lot of plays. The tight end that would otherwise be out in a pattern often has to stay home and pick up Schobel. He doesn't have a lot of stats, but he has been disruptive. Not as good as I would hope, but solid enough.

Gee, who would you have put on the guy instead? Considering that we had 17 players who had started for us out on IR. There weren't a whole lot of options. PTR was right in the initial post. At the end of the day, all people look at, foolishly, is the record. None of the reasons why we got there are even discussed. Jauron has not had a wealth of talent in Buffalo until this season, and last year, when we had better talent, there was a situation at the QB position concerning injuries, and our defense was down four starters and their backups by the end of the season. Perhaps that has something to do with it. As for clock management and adjustment, perhaps I have been watching a different team this year, but the adjustments and time management looked pretty good in those come from behind wins the last two weeks. How much better can our time management get than calling a TO with 3 seconds left and running out the clock for the win with a last second field goal? Sorry, but that doesn't seem like bad coaching to me. As for the bad challenges, the one we had last game should have gone in our favor. The rules clearly state the when an offensive and defensive player make a simultaneous catch, and the offensive player is subsequently down, the offense should have the ball, even if the defensive player subsequently obtains possession. Jauron was right to challenge that call and the refs did a poor job on replay.

Can't see why they would say that. Fact is, at least Oakland has a defense that can stop people. They have, at least on paper, one of the best secondaries in the league. The Rams are flat out bad in all aspects of the game. If the final score of this game doesn't resemble the Seattle score from week one I would be astonished. Buffalo should cover the 7.5. Those guys on CBS don't know what they're talking about. At least the Raiders have won a game.

MNF does not flex. Those are set for the entire season. The SNF games do flex, and I believe they start doing so in either week 9 or 10. If the Bills are on top of their division that late in the season, either the Jets, Broncos or Patriots games could be flexed. My guess is that our game at Denver is most likely, particularly if we are still at the top of the AFCE or fighting for a playoff spot. That could be a critical playoff/tiebreaker game that is likely to be moved. The next option would likely be the NE game, but only if it is for the division title.

I think the point there was that because he was stupid and stubborn and missed the preseason, he is going to need about three or four games to get back into it. Most players do that in the preseason. Peters is having to do that now. No that is not acceptable and personally, I think whiny holdouts should ride the pine for the number of regular season games that they missed in the preseason until they get in shape. That being said. Peters had a slow start last year and he finished okay. We have a bye in Week 6 and I fully expect that by that point, Peters will have regained his usual form. If not, we just reshuffle the line to that Week 1 configuration that was so successful against the Seahawks and let Peters sit on the bench. The holdout hurt the time in the short term, but at least we are winning the games. Peters' hopes for a monster extension after this season, however, are looking bleaker with every horrid performance. If he wants that money, he'll have to play better. Something tells me both of those things are going to happen.

Though I sense the sarcasm, technically, the team Pats* didn't get caught until week 7, and they didn't turn over the tapes until much later in the season. So, it is very possible that they were still cheating even over the course of last season. Fact is, that team was built around Brady, and without the "Golden Boy" the team is going to suffer. Cassell can't make the reads or make the throws the way Brady did, and that is going to cost them some games. I still don't think we will beat them on the road, but I think that December matchup in Buffalo is going to be a huge win for us this season, and might be the game that seals a division championship.

Jax looked pretty good today against Indy, and they weren't hurting on Defense. They have one of the best fronts in the league on that side of the ball and we played pretty well against them. The Raiders had the best rushing attack in football with Run DMC and Michael "The Other" Bush combining for almost 250 yds last week. Their D is also pretty stout, particularly against the pass where, on paper at least, they have one of the best secondaries in the league. Buffalo managed to hold both their backs and Russell to a combined 98 yds rushing, and managed to put up 279 yds passing against the secondary. People were too quick to write the Raiders off as a horrible team. They have a lot of talent, they're just young and outcoached pretty much every game. Don't be surprised is they win 7 games this year. Buffalo's wins have been pretty solid, and I didn't seen anyone crying when the Pats* put up 56 on our badly wounded defense last year. Last year, we were a solid, but not good football team and we would have lost these last two games. This year, we are a good to very good football team overall, and we managed to find a way to get a tough road win last week, and win a game we shouldn't have. That's what good teams do. Look no further than the Dallas-Buffalo Monday Night game last year. Dallas has no business even being in that game with two minutes left, yet they beat us. Blame it on whatever you want, but they are and were a good team and they managed to win a game they were supposed too. Just like we did today.

The Cowboys have essentially the same team they had last year, and they were pretty good then too. The problem is, they still don't have a coach who knows how to get it done in the playoffs. Thus, I'm not so much interested in how the Cowboys do during the regular season. Let's see if they can make it to the playoffs and not get outplayed/outcoached like they have the last couple of years.

I think they were still a bit drained from the Jax game last week. Perhaps they were due for a quasi-letdown after the spike in their expectations. That being said, there are at least two other teams in the NFL that have been worse and looked worse than the Raiders. See KC and STL. Neither one could beat the Raiders, who have a solid D and a very good running attack that our D put down today. Oakland is not as bad a team as some people would like to believe, and keep in mind, even after today their record is better than two other teams in their division, KC and SD.

I think the run blocking comment is a bit overboard. Again, the statistics from the game just don't back that up. The Bills had an over 100 yd rushing day, where Lynch had two rushing TDs. No, they were not perfect up front, but they were good when they had to be. The pass blocking today was below what most fans have come to expect, at least for the first three quarters. They showed up in the Fourth when we really needed them. As for the front four, I thought they got solid pressure most of the game. Outside of the 84 yd TD pass that caught our secondary sleeping, Russell was abysmal and that was mostly due to pressure from the front four and on occasion the blitzing LBs. The fact is, Williams/McCargo and especially Stroud were in Russell's face most of the game. Schobel has been markedly absent on the right side, but the pass rushers in the middle and on the right have been good. This is not as big a problem as some observers seem to think it is.

I think Buffalo learned a very important lesson today, and that was clear from the post game interviews. That being said, the Raiders have one of the best secondaries in the game and they have a very good front four, both of which played to the top of their game today. Oakland was not the piss ant team that many people made them out to be. Their offense can only run the ball, and Buffalo held Run DMC and the other Bush to 98 total rushing yards on the day. Looking at the overall stat line, we beat them pretty soundly, and in years past when we have been in close games like this, take Denver and Dallas last year, we would have lost. I think the last two wins show the character of this football team and excellent coaching staff we have in place here in Buffalo. That being said, the Bills have to show up with everything they have next week, because those the Rams D is bad, their O can still put up points when given the opportunity. Our #5 ranked pass D will have to be on top of their game. Keep in mind, if the Bills do manage to beat the Rams and go to 4-0, the Cardinals are playing another east coast game this week at the NYJ next Sunday. Their coach has said they will NOT be going back west, but rather will stay here to avoid the time change twice in two weeks. This bodes well for the Bills, as the Cardinals, after two weeks on the east coast will have the same travel problems that we always do going out west, negating one of the perceived advantages West Coast teams have when playing at home against East coast opponents. With that evening out, Buffalo may be favored in that game too with a chance to be 5-0 at the Bye, and with a less than stellar looking SD team coming into town.

Absolutely true. With all the crap that Walker got on this board during the offseason, no one could disagree with that statement. And up through today, Walker has clearly been our best offensive lineman. He did a very solid job on Burgess today, something that Peters can't claim. The fact is, Peters, at least talent wise, is the best lineman on the team. The problem is, he is still getting into full game condition and shaking off the rust at what is likely the most technically difficult position in football. By week six against San Diego he will be back to form, particularly if they work him over the bye which I fully expect they will do. If that game comes around, and these problems persist, he may find himself parked on the bench and nowhere close to a contract extension.

The Bills Offense is Ranked #12 Overall after the numbers on today's game were factored in, per NFL.com. See link below. The Bills D is ranked #4 overall after today, and is number five against the pass. Granted, it's only three games, but the Bills are putting up the kind of numbers necessary to win week in and week out at this level. I thought that at best the O would be at 19 or 20 at this point in the season. The #12 total offense, is pretty solid. D Link http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?tab...mp;d-447263-n=1 O Link http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?tab...mp;d-447263-n=1

As I said in a previous post, that kind of leadership has been missing at the QB position since Kelly retired. Watching Trent both on the sidelines and on the field reminded me of those old glory days. Maybe, just maybe, this team has the makings of a group who can bring that kind of winning tradition back to football in Western New York. 3-0 and alone on top of the AFCE for the first time since 1992. Here's to winning.

Agree on both counts. McCargo looked much better today and was a disruptive force in the middle in the run game. By the way, he looks A LOT bigger than he did last season. As for Williams, I think he is better as a player this year, but I think that the added attention that teams are having to give to Stroud is helping the other players on the D-Line play better as well. Also, Kelsay looked like the real deal today as well. He ran down a very elusive QB in JaMarcus Russell and forced a huge fumble at a critical time.

I don't think there can be any question beyond today that Trent Edwards is our Quarterback. The fact is, in other seasons, we would have gotten those horrid calls and the game would have been over. Yet, today we persevered. One moment that said more than anything else, was immediately after we scored the third touchdown and were down 23-21. They showed a shot of the bench and TE was sitting down for a second. Then, he got up and went to each of the defensive guys and started to rally the troops before the kick off. He acted like the leader we have been missing since Kelly left. The D went out and mauled the Raiders O that had been relatively successful running the ball to that point. Then TE did what he had to do and the TEAM pulled together, made the plays when they had to and won the game. This is the most excited I've been about this team in a long time.

On this point however, you are absolutely right. The team is playing is very smart in the draft by looking not only at the needs we have now, but planning for the future. That is how teams like Dallas and the Patriots of recent times have been able to get to the top and stay there. They draft not only for their current needs but for the future. Buffalo had a bad habit of not doing that under TD, though since Marv and Brandon have been in charge that mindset has seemed to disappear. Now, however, Buffalo's draft strategy has paid off. The pass D has been much more solid this season, albeit in two games, and the FA additions have been huge in bottling up the run game. We're ranked as the #5 D going into this weekend, and somehow, I get the feeling that D-Mac isn't going to have the same type of game against us that he had last week.

When Philip Rivers was drafted, it was at #4 by the NY Giants. He was not on the board when the Bills picked, as we were not the second or third pick that year. So either way, you were wrong.

The tackling was bad at times yesterday, but the fact remains their O looked pretty bad. They only had one quarter where they had any kind of real success against us, and thanks to good coaching and solid play, the Bills pulled it together in the Fourth Quarter. As for the play calling being conservative, you must have been watching a completely different game than the rest of us were. The Bills looked aggressive and were still attacking even after they took the lead. Perhaps you missed the designed bootleg on 3rd down at the end of the Fourth Quarter. We probably would have won by ten if we had a drive in the third quarter. One bad special teams play probably hurt our offensive stats by sixty or more yards. Complaining about play calling is about the last thing people should be griping about. The fact is, there hasn't been a need to run five deep balls a game this year. Buffalo is above the average this year in both 20 and 30 + yard plays. Just because there is no seventy yard bomb for a TD every game doesn't mean the team isn't calling an aggressive game. Find another tune to cry too.

His lame duck pass would have been picked off last week too if they had been playing anyone but the Dolphins. The fact is, this is the first time in years that the Patsies have looked truly vulnerable and the game today showed the weaknesses of both these teams. Buffalo, if they can continue to play at this level, looks good enough to make a run at a playoff spot and potentially a division crown. We need to win the home game against NE this year, though, if we really want to have a chance. Both of us could be 10-6 or 11-5 when the time comes, and we can't afford to have two of our losses to NE.

Right on, but I think that is why we are seeing more pass now. Keeping Lynch healthy and with less contact saves him for later in the season when we're going to need that hard-nosed running style to win games in Buffalo's winter. I also think that showing teams we can beat them through the air will allow us to open things up more in the running game. Keep in mind that we had a total of 3 Offensive plays in the third quarter, and none of them were runs. Had we gotten a sustained drive in the third, I suspect that ML gets up into the 80yd day on say 23 carries. The run game is there, we just haven't needed it yet.

The added nickel packages are calling for much less 3LB sets on D. Fact is, Ellison is a rushing commodity. In the passing game I want him out and Youboty in. That only makes sense. That fact must have been overlooked by the original poster?

Again, I'm not ready to take up the call and say that the division is ours. I certainly think our chances are better, and the Jests proved they are still the Jests, and that their win over the JV Squad Dolphins wasn't nearly what the media made it out to be. The fact is, if they had been playing any team with a top 20 defense, that lame duck pass gets picked off. Too bad the Dolphins have a defense only a DIII College Coach could love.

Knowing a bit about throwing motions, they said the same thing about Philip Rivers when he came out of college. They talked about changing his throwing motion. They decided not to. That guy can air it out. Marino did the same thing, and Elway was a bit funky too. The fact is, throwing has some mechanics, but, the most important thing is allowing a QB to be comfortable. Change the mechanics too much and you break the machine, or arm in this case. Edwards has the ability to make the deep throws. He showed that once or twice last year. The fact remains, the 50+ yd throw is a weapon you don't use very often. The only mistake he made today was not throwing to a wide open Josh Reed who would have scored a TD on a third down play that ended up going off Hardy's hands and incomplete. Otherwise, the kid is playing very well. And further, anyone who knows about mechanics knows that you can't "shot-putt" a football without it spinning end over end or only going ten yards. His throwing motion is just fine. I would also note, there was no "lameness" to the 37 yarder he threw to LE today, nor was that a problem on the passes he threw last week. Please give me an actual example of a long throw he has made that one could actually consider "a lame duck."