Well, I’m starting this piece at 5:45 and I’m a bit buzzed, but my adrenaline level for what we just say saw is keeping me up from passing out on my couch. Look, I wish could tell you some sort of prevailing thought on what this win means for the rest of the season. Its one game and last I checked, a season opening win doesn’t get you in the playoffs or eliminate you from them.
There was some good the Bills did and then there was some garbage handed to them by the Bears. However, on a day like this where most had the Bills losing (Me), I can care less about having some hot take about them making the playoffs or going 6-10. The Bills played their hearts out and while at times during the 4th quarter I had my “We are going to blow this!” mindset, the Bills kept coming and they wouldn’t let past angst get in their way. For today, I’m going to enjoy it. I’m going to be levelheaded and not try and tell everyone they were turds for doubting the Bills. Hell, that would mean I’d be calling myself a turd. Albeit, I would rather be a turd if that meant the Bills went 10-6. But today is a prime example why the NFL is fricken awesome. How many times did you have the Bills winning and losing this game? I was probably at 20. That’s the main sell of it. The quality and commercials aren’t the greatest, but the unpredictability is what makes it cool.
Anyways, here’s how the game went down and my eyes are barely open at 5:56pm.
—What have I been preaching since May? Great defense + good running game + average QB play can equal playoffs. This is exactly the type of game you’d want from here on it. The defense had their moments -good and bad- but for the most part, you couldn’t ask for a better game against the 2nd leading scoring team from last year. Forcing three turnovers was really the big difference in this game The running game performed well; Gaining 193 yards while averaging 5.8 yards a carry. I’m not exactly sure I’m down with the 3-headed monster off Boobie/Fred/CJ (Would rather have the two latter do the rushing), but 193 yards isn’t anything to sneeze at. I’ll admit, they had 2 massive gains ( 38 +47=85 yards from Fred and Boobie), so, that may temper some enthusiasm about how great the running game was. Still, I’ll take it. Also, I like more running out of the spread/shotgun than the bunch formation. Out of shotgun, the Bills ran CJ/Boobie/Fred 22 times for 158 yards.
—I thought EJ played exactly how you would want him to play in terms of a young QB who was really not counted on to do much of anything. Would I like him to throw for 300 yards? Yes. However, when he had to make some plays, he made them. Aside from his INT, he played mistake free. I’m pretty sure you would take 16 of 22 for 173 yards with 2TDs (1 rushing and 1 passing) after the preseason (Note: Preseason is a fucking scam). For the most part, I think the coaches decided to take the conservative approach with throwing the football, which is smart since the Bears have such a high octane offense. When the 4th quarter came and the Bills needed EJ to make throws when the game was tied at 17, he made them to put them ahead by 20-17 (3 for 3 for 39 yards). Also, you can’t fault EJ for checking down, because he really didn’t. He averaged 7.9 yards per completion which was the 2nd highest he’s had in a game as a pro. At some point, EJ will have to become a good QB instead of a game manager, but this is still a team game and if his teammates can help out, we can be patient with him.
—Fred Mother F’N Jackson. I know he had really just one decent run, but MY GOD that run was awesome. His stiff arm was a Clubber Lang special. If you are a defender and you get him in the open field, you better have your chinstrap on tight or he’ll knock your head off.
—When you look at Robert Woods numbers (4 for 78 yards), they look decent but nothing you’d send him to the hall of fame for, however, the catches he had were soooooo good. His final catch was an all-pro grab that really shows how he could become a #1 target for EJ. The dude has a lot of hops and I’m looking forward to see how he performs this year.
—Sammy Watch: 3 catches for 31 yards on 4 targets. That missed target could have went for a big gain, but EJ missed him by a few yards. Patience. Sammy is legit.
—Overall, I thought the WRs made some awesome catches in traffic or when EJ may have been a little off on his throws. These aren’t the days of David Nelson and Donald Jones. These WRs can play and you can’t fault the Bills for not providing enough firepower for EJ. Watkins/Woods/Williams were targeted only 13 times, but they caught 9 throws directed towards them. Just let those guys jump up for it.
—Penalties need to stop! 9 for 108 yards shouldn’t happen. I know the refs had some questionable calls, but the NFL is calling a shitload of PIs now. Frankly, I think every team should throw it down the field more because these refs are just looking for an excuse to throw the flag on CBs. Hey, don’t blame them…blame the league since they want more passing yards.
—I hate Scott Chandler. He’s now tied with Chris Kelsay for my least favorite white player in Bills history. Seriously, a drop, a fall, and a personal foul penalty in just the 1st half? That’s a hat trick for stupidity. For the love of God, please find him a replacement next off season. Hell, just have the run & shoot at this point.
—Bills need to work on their first and 2nd down offense. Too may 3rd and longs for the Bills. The Bills had eight 3rd and long situations of at least 7 yards today.
—Our screen game is just God awful right now. I think the play design is there, but the OL just aren’t good enough to block down field. Spiller/Jackson/Summers had 7 catches for 28 yards. Yuk. I don’t wanna hear about Paul Hackett not dialing up the right plays. The design was there with the miss-direction, but fat OL need to get their asses into gear downfield to block.
—Leodis McKelvin had 13 tackles!! And yes, he did get burned quite a bit. Unofficially, I have him giving up almost 150 yards on throws thrown his way.
—I thought Corey Graham was the best defensive player for the Bills. He lead all CBs with 3 pass defended and had a pick. He was just all over the field and unofficially, I have him giving up just 11 yards on 5 pass attempts thrown his way. Pretty good for a guy who wasn’t suppose to start.
—Can we call our new punter Colt 45 Schmidts? BEER! Seriously, I liked our punter’s game.
Final word: Yes, its great to finally win a road game against a team that doesn’t suck. However, when you look at the box score, you have to say the Bears really played a sloppy game. As I mentioned, the Bills had 109 yards in penalties and the Bears had almost a 2 to 1 margin in 1st downs (29 to 15) and had twice as many passing yards (167 to 341). Yet, Jay Cutler made some awful throws and he was totally feast or famine today.
Aside from the Bears out-gaining them, I think the Bills need to play more consistent. I thought they played well in the 1st half, but fell asleep big time for the 3rd quarter and most of the 4th quarter. Just need to get that consistency down. Anyways, the Bills made it out with a win…which is shocking. They have a nice schedule for the next month. They could be 3-1 by the time October hits with Miami and Houston coming up. I’ll take that. Its 7:27PM. Time for bed. Go Bills!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
