The Buffalo Bills turned to veteran quarterback Kyle Orton two weeks ago. Two weeks later, the move has received mixed reviews. Entering week three, it’s time Orton proved the Bills right for making the difficult call. Doing so won’t be easy, as Orton has looked like a replacement level passer at best the past two weeks. The good news, however, is he draws a pretty shaky Minnesota Vikings defense at home this week and should be favored to pull this one out.
The solid matchup and win likelihood has Buffalo Bills tickets at a premium on the secondary market this week. Teh average price for Bills vs Vikings tickets is currently $153.48, with a get-in price of $68. That average is 17% above the remaining season average for Bills tickets at home this year. If Buffalo can actually control the game like they’re expected to, fans could still be getting a heck of a steal.
On paper, that’s exactly what they should do, as long as they don’t put the ball in Orton’s hands too much and expect the world of him. Minnesota actually has defended the pass decently for the most part this year, so asking Orton to tear them up through the air might be a little unfair.
The Vikings’ run defense isn’t a problem, though, which should have Orton at ease and allow the run-first Bills to take to the ground early and often. With C.J. Spiller’s role seemingly eroding, that means a lot of veteran running back Fred Jackson. Jackson has simply been the more versatile and reliable option and with this matchup, could put the team on his back and drive them to a big win.
Of course, as solid as the matchup looks for Buffalo, we can’t quite rule out rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater shocking us all. He did just that in a big win over the Atlanta Falcons just three weeks ago and could do the same with Buffalo’s pass defense not striking much fear into their opponents in 2014.
Minnesota made the mistake of switching from Matt Asiata to Jerick McKinnon last week, which led to shaky pass protection. If they switch back to Asiata, Bridgewater may have more time to throw and could be more confident against the Bills.
The moral to the story? Buffalo can’t take the Vikings lightly. On paper, this should be a blowout win, as Buffalo simply matches up better. As long as they don’t walk in thinking they have it in the bag and actually take Minnesota seriously, they might in fact run away with this one and get to 4-3 on the year.
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