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The Buffalo Bills’ matchup with New Orleans down in the Superdome on Sunday went about as expected. The Saints were 11 point favorites at home against an obviously overmatched Bills’ squad, and they won 35-17. Drew Brees threw five touchdown passes, and I usually don’t have much good to say about the coverage in Buffalo’s secondary, so it would be easy to rip the players back there, but for various reasons I came out of the game with a positive attitude about the team, with a lot of hope not only for the long term but even for the short term future of this team. Here are some reasons why:

* Let’s face it, the NFL schedule makers did the Bills no favors this year. The easiest opponent they’ve played so far has been Cleveland (the only team they’ve faced with a losing record) and even then they had to play the Browns on the road in a nationally televised contest. The last 2 weeks they’ve had to go on the road to play Miami and New Orleans with both of those teams coming off bye weeks, with an extra week to prepare. It doesn’t get any easier as the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs visit Ralph Wilson Stadium next week. Honestly, based on the effort they’ve shown so far this year in trying circumstances and the results they’ve gotten, I like their chances against the Chiefs, unbeaten or not.

* Thad Lewis obviously needs to work on his ball security issues and seems to be coming down to earth as far as his abilities as he plays more, and opponents have film to work on to prepare for him, but you have to love the tenacity this kid shows every week. He’s really just holding down the fort until EJ Manuel is healthy, but the team seems to believe in him and he’s got decent leadership ability.

* Even though they allowed Brees to throw for the 5 TDs, the Bills’ defense played a decent game. They had 4 sacks and played the run well, and had Brees looking a little nervous early on in the game with good pressure. The score was only 14-10 at halftime.

* Just like recent seasons, this team doesn’t quit. C.J. Spiller was inactive for the game but wanted to play, and Lewis, Fred Jackson and Stevie Johnson are all battling every week even though they’re hurting.

* Their record is 3-5, and they’re playing with a QB who started the season on the practice squad, but the Bills’ offense has one major quality a lot of teams in the NFL don’t have – a quality running game. Even with Spiller out they ran the ball effectively against the Saints, until they got behind and had to throw because they were playing catchup.