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Last Sunday’s rousing overtime win over the Chicago Bears got the Buffalo Bills off to a surprise start in their season opener. That win, combined with the news that legendary quarterback Jim Kelly is cancer-free, and that the Ralph Wilson estate has agreed to sell the team to Buffalo Sabres’ owners Terry and Kim Pegula, created a tremendous positive atmosphere among Bills’ fans going into the home opener against division rival Miami. Adding to the anticipation was the plan by the Bills to honor their late founder and owner, Wilson, in a pre-game ceremony. Being a relatively young team, there was a concern that the Bills might go into the game a little too hyped up and come out flat, but instead they put together a workmanlike 29-10 win that resembled the opener in Chicago in that it was another great “team” win, with contributions coming from all over the roster. Buffalo followed the same formula that got them the win over the Bears – they played solid defense, got numerous big plays from their special teams and played just well enough on offense to win. Quarterback EJ Manuel, once again, had pedestrian numbers but, as coach Doug Marrone stated last week, he “played winning football”. He didn’t make any mistakes, and the lone touchdown drive he engineered came right after the Dolphins scored their only TD of the game. Rookie Sammy Watkins was a key target in the game plan, and he responded with 8 catches for 117 yards and his first NFL touchdown. The special teams, without a doubt, played “winning football” also. Their contributions included a blocked punt by Anthony Dixon, a recovered muffed punt by Randell Johnson, solid punting by newcomer Colton Schmidt, a 102 yard kickoff return by C.J. Spiller and five successful field goals by Dan Carpenter. Defensively, Buffalo harassed Miami QB Ryan Tannehill all day, sacking him 4 times and batting down several of his passes. The Dolphins were also held to 80 yards rushing, although they lost their top back, Knowshon Moreno, to a dislocated elbow in the first quarter. For the second straight week, the Bills did not surrender any big plays, and even though the defense was a bright spot in the Bills’ 6-10 season a year ago, new coordinator Jim Schwartz’s unit looks to be improved.

So the Bills, who appeared lost and looking like they were going nowhere coming out of preseason, are now 2-0 and stand alone atop the AFC East standings. Next up is a home date with the San Diego Chargers, who will provide a tough test for Buffalo. The Chargers, whose offensive coordinator is former Bill Frank Reich, opened their home season on Sunday with an even more impressive display – knocking off the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

The Buffalo Bills’ opening game of the 2014 season solidified the golden rule of trying to figure out the NFL – never put any stock in what goes on in the preseason. Yes, apparently the Bills didn’t show their hand at all in the exhibition games, and came out of the gate in Chicago ready to play. In my season preview of the team I answered the question of what the Bills needed to do to end their long playoff drought  – go on the road, fight through adversity and put together a signature game that they could build on. What better time to go ahead and find that “signature” win than on opening day? That’s exactly what Buffalo did. They fell behind early 7-0 as the Bears scored quickly on a four play drive that probably had most fans thinking it was going to be a long day. To his credit, EJ Manuel engineered a great drive to counter Chicago’s score, mixing in his team’s strong running game with timely completions. He then finished off the drive with a rushing TD of his own on a nifty read-option play, accomplishing what the team couldn’t do at all in preseason – score a TD on a first string defense.

Buffalo went ahead at the half 17-7 then saw the Bears come back to tie the game. The teams traded field goals to end regulation in a 20-20 tie. In the overtime, the Bills’ defense held, then Manuel led another drive, again with timely passes and finished with a tough Fred Jackson run to set up Dan Carpenter for the winning field goal as Buffalo prevailed 23-20. It was an ultimate “team” win, with valuable contributions coming from everywhere on the roster.  For starters, kudos have to go out to general manager Doug Whaley for his off-season moves. Free agent signees Brandon Spikes at linebacker, Anthony Dixon with a couple of terrific runs and Corey Graham filling in for the injured Stephon Gilmore at cornerback, all did amazing work. Jackson ran for 61 yards and C.J. Spiller for another 53 to go along with a receiving touchdown. Manuel was mostly workmanlike – his stats weren’t overwhelming but he was efficient and made the throws when he needed to – which should be the Bills’ formula for winning games for the rest of the year until Manuel is comfortable enough to really open up. Manuel’s receivers made terrific plays all day. Sammy Watkins and Mike Williams made 5 grabs for 66 yards between them to help keep drives alive, and Robert Woods had an amazing day, leading the team with 78 receiving yards. One of his 4 receptions was a real highlight reel catch. Rookie linebacker Preston Brown had a fumble recovery, Kyle Williams an interception, Mario Williams got a sack, new punter Colton Schmidt was an unsung hero with some nice punts and also was flawless holding for field goals and extra points for the first time with the Bills. The newly reconfigured offensive line had a couple of penalties go against them, but overall they were solid. Manuel was only sacked once and the running game produced a total of 193 yards.

The most encouraging thing about the win was the determination each and every player showed in refusing to lose. That’s a trait Buffalo has been lacking in recent seasons, really for over a decade.  The players who came here from winning organizations – Spikes, Graham and Dixon – all rose to the occasion during times of adversity and made plays, as did players who’ve been here for awhile and are tired of losing, like Kyle Williams and Jackson. Despite the mediocrity of past years, this effort gives the fans, and the players themselves, a reason to believe better days are ahead this season.