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While watching the first half of the game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, this thought crossed my mind – the Bengals are one of those teams that is really aggravating. They have loads of talent on their roster but not much character. They don’t play well together as a team because they have a bunch of individuals who are in it for themselves and don’t play for each other, but are good enough to put out a strong effort against a team with one win in order to avoid embarrassment. And, of course, they have to pound their chests and celebrate every play they make whether it’s a big one or a 2 yard gain or on defense, a tackle 20 yards downfield. The Bills, on the other hand, don’t have a lot of overwhelming talent, but even in this losing season getting a good effort out of them was never a problem. Even through all the adversity this year they’ve played for each other, hung together as a team and never lost faith. They didn’t do much right in the first half in this game, turning the ball over, not stopping the run again and generally not stopping anything on defense. They fell behind 28-7, and after a gift of time from Referee Ed Hochuli’s crew right at the end of the half gave the Bengals a chance to kick a field goal, looked hopelessly out of it, being behind 31-14.

However, as they’ve done all year, the Bills hung together, and exploded in the second half to shut out Cinci on defense while outscoring them 35-0 to pull out an unlikely win that might be that elusive “signature” win that propels them to more success as this season winds down. Ryan Fitzpatrick has had highs and lows in pretty much every game since he took over the starting quarterback job, but never have they been as well-defined as they were in the 2 halves of this game. He threw a pair of miserable interceptions in the first half but looked like Peyton Manning in the second, directing 4 scoring drives, 3 of which ended with TD passes to Stevie Johnson, the team’s emerging young star. Fred Jackson was steady throughout the game, rushing for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns, and the defense, porous throughout the first half, held the Bengals scoreless in the second. Even when the Bills allowed the Bengals to keep drives alive in the fourth quarter by allowing 2 fourth down conversions, it wasn’t a terrible thing, as they forced Cinci to use a lot of time while earning every yard. Coach Chan Gailey has made a lot of mistakes and errors in judgment this year, but he’s done a good job of keeping the players focused and believing in his plan, and it’s great to see him rewarded with a couple of wins in a row.  The Bills face a tough task in hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers next week, and will have to somehow figure out how to avoid the turnovers they’ve experienced all year if they are to have any chance to win. One other thing Gailey has certainly accomplished so far this year – has the Bills’ offense been this entertaining at any point in the last decade? They are a long way off from having the players on their roster they’ll need to compete at a championship level, especially on defense. But they’re building a strong foundation for future success, and it’s nice to know that when that success comes, there is ample leadership in the locker room to keep the team grounded and maintain a high level of accountability among the players. In other words, they won’t be paper tigers like the Bengals.