The Skinny:
The offense struggled mightily as the Dolphins knocked off the Bills on opening day 15-10 at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Miami built a 13-3 lead before Trent Edwards hit Roscoe Parrish for a 31 yard touchdown pass on a fourth and 10 play to pull the Bills close. They got stuffed inside the one late in the game and took a safety. They got the ball back with seconds remaining but it couldn't do enough to pull out the win. Edwards finished 18 of 34 for 139 yards and the score in the loss. The Bills three headed monster at halfback combined for 14 rushes for just 38 yards. The defense came up big most of the game to keep the Bills in it. They had three sacks including what could have been a big one late in the game by Bryan Scott who played a lot of linebacker in this loss.
The Turning Point:
Late in the fourth quarter the Bills held the momentum but ended up lining up for a punt on fourth down from their own one yard line after three straight incompletions. They let the ball go through the end zone for a safety in a desperate attempt to stay in the game. They would get the ball back in the final seconds but it was too little too late.
The Big Drive:
Miami went on an 11 play, 70 yard drive in the second quarter to their only touchdown to give them a 10-0 lead that proved to be insurmountable. Chan Henne used the short passing game on the drive to methodically move down the field to Ronnie Brown's one yard touchdown plunge. It was setup by a 21 yard pass from Henne to TE Anthony Fasano.
Stat of the Game:
3 of 14 on third downs: This gave them a 21% efficiency on third downs, simply pathetic in a pathetic offensive effort.
What You Don't See On The Stat Sheet:
The awful play of the offensive line. They only gave up two sacks but it seemed on every big play that Edwards dropped back to pass in, there was pressure on him and he couldn't find his receivers.
Quick Slants:
- The safety is controversial but the game was lost before then.
- The offense was at it's best when Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson was on the field.
- The offense was at its worst when C.J. Spiller was on the field.
- The multi-back offense seems to have potential but Miami was ready for it.
My Take:
I was confident the Bills would win this game or at the very least they would be entertaining. What we got was the same old Bills from last year. A boring offensive effort thwarted what was a solid effort on defense. Edwards looked like the same old Edwards and not much has changed with the Buffalo Bills.
What's Ahead:
The Bills face a huge uphill battle when they go to the not so frozen tundra of Lambeau Field next week and take on the offensive powerhouse known as the Green Bay Packers. 0-2 seems to be certainly in the Bills future.