Rockinon

141 before contact...wow. The OLine is getting it done.

This is what could turn things around for the defense. The reinforcements on the DLine could make an all ready good front four very dominant. And that will cover up many weaknesses on the back end.

Not a single defense we've played thus far have done that. What makes you think the Falcons will.

No, no, no. You have say it 3 times, turn around 180 degrees counter clockwise then touch your nose....or it doesn't work.

I'm sure with the way NE likes to cough up the ball, there'll be a couple of stinkers in there.

You sure about that? The Jets moved the ball pretty easy against them.

Remember when everyone was very concerned about the Jets when they basically dominated the weekend before against the Steelers only to have Rogers take over the game late? Or how everyone was nervous before the Miami game. Now everyone is so sure NE is way better than those teams. Who really thinks running up the score on the Panthers is a clear indication that they've suddenly become a powerhouse? NE has a problem with coughing up the ball and Maye can't put the offense on his back and carry them the way Josh can. Their pass defense is weak and their rush defense is suspect. They haven't shown that they can successfully run the ball and their coach is a meathead. Really.... Bills by 20

I think this is slightly flawed reasoning. The Bills have been pretty decent on 1st and 2nd down but giving up big plays on 3rd down. It has been a number of small things that have contributed to that. All the Bills have to do is start getting some stops on 3rd down and getting the ball back in Josh's hands. This defense is good at forcing turnovers but it certainly isn't who they are. They've got the talent to be more than a live or die by TO defense. Get some 3rd down stops and they will be. No reason to be giving up so many 3rd and longs. It is going to be fixed.

You sure about that?

They have struggled running the ball. This could be a get right game for Buffalo. I'm certain the D knows they have been stinking up the field and are itching to get back on track. I wouldn't be surprised if they come out swinging haymakers. I think the difference is little things that need to be cleaned up. I don't think this D is weak. They've made some big time plays in the 4th qtr. That's a sign they can be better.

Agree. You play to win. It's balancing act though. Some tough decisions are made and I think McD knows enough to not put a guy in jeopardy by risking their career. Things like just managing a pain tolerance thing, and a big game coming....you play.

The last game, Tre was playing a few snaps at safety. Not sure if that's the beginning of a new trend, but he does have some good traits for the position. Could be a sneakily good move...

I am leaning toward a significant improvement. Looking back at the Ravens game, the defense came up big in the 4th qtr. Those 1st 3qtrs the Bills couldn't get a stop. It doesn't take many to see a significant difference, though. Watching the game it seemed hopeless, but just one forced punt puts the ball back in Josh's hands. One TO does too. The defense isn't as far away as people think. What I look at is whether the defense wilts late in the game. I'm not seeing that. If anything the defense gets tougher late in the game. That's a very good sign.

I'm pretty certain the Bills defense is going to get better as the season goes on, provided there aren't a bunch of injuries late in the season. This year feels different than previous years. A bunch of minor injuries early in the season as well as guys coming back from suspension is setting the team up for a late season run. This is key. With a Bills defense improving, forcing more stops, that gives Josh and the offense more opportunities to score. Nothing is guaranteed but I really like how things are playing out so far. Could be a special year.

The defense is aligned to stop the pass and prevent big plays. It requires very stringent gap discipline when facing a running play, though. Historically the Bills have been able to stop the run when they really want to but that has been with players who know and understand their role within the defense. We have a lot of new faces on defense and key cogs like Milano and Oliver out with injury isn't helping. The defense is still a little green IMHO. I think with each game, we're going to see the defense improve at stopping the run. This style of defense is not the best alignment for stopping the run because the main focus is to prevent big pass plays. Stopping the run is secondary to the core objective of preventing downfield passes but it's still important. What we've witnessed so far this season is a lot of new faces on defense getting some hard lessons on what their gap responsibility is. It's not as easy as simply knowing what gap you are responsible for either. You must also know the responsibility of the guy next to you and be able to communicate with them. Stopping the run is fixable. These guys just need to keep working at it and gel with their supporting cast. It takes the whole defense to stop the run and with so many new faces, it doesn't just happen over night. I am really not that worried because I've seen this kind of defense stop the run before. It does work. The players just have to work harder at it. They'll come around.

This style of defense demands stringent gap discipline. The Bills historically have been able to shut down the run when they really want to. I think all the new faces on defense is having a negative effect, but I believe it's fixable. The last couple of years the defense has seen some devastating injuries late in the season. This year though, it feels like so far the injuries have been minor and that reinforcements are coming back just in time to make a strong run later in the season. This plus those new faces learning their role within the defense is only going to make the defense better. Perhaps, by leaps and bounds. It's going to come as a great surprise to many here I think.

I agree. At home in prime time, the Bills will be up for this game. Have a hunch some of the guys held out with injuries were just a matter of being cautious and they'll be ready to do battle against NE. Ed and Matt back would be huge. Spencer too. Going to be a good game. I'm sure NE is going to be bringing their A game. Is that going to be enough though? Not sure it is for a full 60 minutes. The pressure is on them. The Bills though, all they have to do is handle their business. Pretty much a business as usual game. They have some things to clean up and I think that is what's going to happen. The Bills are all ready scoring on their opening drive at a high clip. Now, they just need to extend that into the second and 3rd qtrs. Defense to me seems like they are trying to figure some things out and I believe they will get better as the season progresses. They've all ready shown that they can make plays at opportune times in the game. Plenty of things to build on. Just part of the business. NE may be improving. Problem is, so is Buffalo.

Sure thing, but I'm not sure anyone will listen...

The injury report this week should be interesting. Guys getting healthy will only add to what this game all ready is... an inevitable Bills win.

Colts fighting to stay undefeated. NE hanging a 40 burger on the Panthers tells me next week is going to be rough if we don't get some defenders back on the field I don't know what to think about the Steelers. At times they look dominant and other times seem weak. The AFC looks like there will be some unexpected playoff contenders this year.

Let's steam roll them....No Mercy.

The other awesome thing about having all of those TEs is that any one of them can also slip out and catch a pass. Or in J Hawes' case knock someone down then carch a pass for a TD...lol. These guys are absolutely killing it in the blocking game.

Miami was putting 4 defensive tackles on the field at once and still couldn't stop the run. The offense simply changed blocking, sprinkled a jet sweep and some play action. Miami still refused to bring a safety down in the box though. Until a defense does that, it's going to be more of the same.

Well, I don't know about you, but I thought that 1st game against the Ravens was a pretty good test. They were actually making the offense look pretty bad for 3qtrs while dominating time of possession. It's as close to a miracle come back as you're ever going to find. And those records are at least partly because of going against dominant offenses, like say Buffalo's. It's still very early in the season. I'm pretty sure the teams we've played will start turning things around. Maybe....lol.

The Bills have been telegraphing exactly what they are going to do on offense. Run the ball often and hit the short area passes. Thing is, no one has been able to slow the Bills anyway. What I find wierd is, it seems like Josh isn't throwing much but the Bills are at about 5th in the league in passing yds on top of being the #1 rushing attack. At some point I believe a defense will find a way to limit the rushing attack. The offense is showing that anyone can make a play, and if the defense tries to stop one thing, the Bills certainly have other options. There are other little things that I've noticed too. You aren't seeing as much blitzing against this offense and I think it's because the offense is running so much and burning them. Then when Josh does pass, they're caught with their pants down again...lol. I really like how the offense and the clear game plan is putting defenses on notice. The Bills are literally telling defenses, either stop the run or we are going to wear you down and beat you into submission. Somewhere along the line, I would think a defense will rise to the challenge.