The Buffalo Bills, AKA “The Little Engine That Could”, stormed into Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday like a runaway locomotive, beating the Kansas City Chiefs soundly in all phases of the game in winning, 41-7. The Bills were a focused group, and the win was a total team victory. Ryan Fitzpatrick, trying to establish himself not only as his team’s unquestioned leader but as a legitimate starting quarterback in the NFL, threw for 208 yards and 4 touchdowns, to 3 different receivers, in an efficient performance. Fred Jackson ran hard all day and eclipsed the 100 yard mark with 112 yards rushing. The offense was balanced all day. Fitzpatrick utilized his tight end, Scott Chandler well, hitting him for 2 scores. He also threw a TD pass to each of his starting receivers, Donald Jones and acrobatic Stevie Johnson, who is a rising star. He also connected with slot receiver David Nelson for some important first down throws during the game to keep drives alive. C.J. Spiller pitched in to the running game with a late touchdown also. The Chiefs looked flat from start to finish, and looked unmotivated and out of gas by game’s end. The Bills’ special teams pitched in with a fumble recovery on the opening kickoff, setting a tone that they maintained throughout the game, good kick coverage all day and a long punt return from Roscoe Parrish that helped set up a score. Defensively, the Bills have said they are determined to improve their run defense, and although Jamaal Charles averaged over 6 yards a carry, the defense contained him for the most part, and the offense eventually made him a non-factor by building the big lead. The defense also had a fumble recovery and an interception, by Drayton Florence. Just like with the offense, there were contributions on defense from multiple players also. Rookie Marcell Dareus played well, Spencer Johnson had a sack, and Bryan Scott was an unsung hero after being forced into more nickel and dime formations due to the hamstring injury suffered by Terrence McGee. Even on a negative play, I saw positives from this Bills’ team, a sign that they plan on being aggressive. On the Chiefs only score of the day, rookie corner Aaron Williams, also pressed into extra duty by McGee’s injury, was beaten on a pass from Matt Cassell to Charles. Williams went for the interception and just missed, and with a 20-0 lead at the time, it wasn’t a bad decision to try and make the aggressive play. Chan Gailey and his coaching staff deserve credit for having the team completely prepared to play. The Bills look like a determined bunch, determined to wipe away years of losing and gain some respect around the league. They took a giant step toward accomplishing that on Sunday with their resounding victory over an AFC playoff team from a year ago.
Margaret
September 15, 2011 at 12:39 pm
The team did look good and the coaches were involved and spirited, a great improvement over previous staff. When they beat New England, then it’ll be time to celebrate.
Louise
September 13, 2011 at 4:04 pm
The Bills played sound football Sunday and looked well prepared. They should win over many fans now. They displayed their chippy, ‘we-get-no-respect’ attitude all day. Let’s hope they can sustain this throughout the season. Can’t wait for Sunday’s home opener!