In Enemy Territory: 5 Questions about the Bills
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Recently, Paul Miller from FanSided’s BuffaLowDown and I exchanged five questions regarding each other’s team in preparation for Sunday’s game. Below are the questions I sent to Paul, along with his answers.
1. What is the one thing the Bills NEED to do to win the game?
The one thing the Bills need to do in order to win this game is to put points up on the board. So far this season, the Bills offense has been nonexistent, scoring only 10 points against the Miami Dolphins in week 1 and 7 points against the Green Bay Packers in week two. When playing a team like the Patriots, with all their offensive weapons, it is impossible to imagine a team like the Bills having a conservative game plan when they come to Foxboro, perhaps this is the game whereCoach Gailey opens up the playbook. In the last 13 games against thePatriots, the Bills have averaged only 8.7 pointer per game, this will definitely need to change if they want to come away with a W.
2. Which player or players are key to a Bills’ victory?
A big victory for the Bills, even if it doesn’t show on the scoreboard, would be if their entire offense line plays better. This has been a major problem for the Bills throughout the years. And what’s not helping the offense line, is that it seems like every game there is a different player on the line, or the same players in different positions. It’s tough for a unit to gel if there isn’t any type of continuity amongst them. The Bills rushing game has been struggling mostly due to the line not being able to open holes, and Trent Edwards has had minimal time to throw the ball in the first two games, being sacked 7 times. With Ryan Fitzpatrick now starting against the Pats, it will be interesting to see how much of Edward’s problems were due to his own game, and how much was do to the O-Line.
3. What is one advantage or favorable match-up that you feel the Pats have over the Bills and the Bills have over the Patriots?
A favorable match-up that the Patriots have over the Bills is easy; Tom Brady vs. the Bills defense. As a Bills fan, I refuse to go on and on over Tom Brady achievements, but for some reason, even though these two teams play twice every year, the Bills have yet to come up with an answer for Brady. Check out Brady’s stats during their 13 game win streak against the Bills (**Brady has played in 11): 233 completions in 350 attempts (66.6% completion percentage), 2,798 yards (7.99 yards per attempt), 27 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 109.4.
What could be in the Bills favor this Sunday is if Coach Gailey comesup with the right game plan to take advantage of the Bills strength a tthe running back position. So far, it’s seems as if Gailey has picked one running back to be the starter, and has the other two RB just fill in when needed. Rookie C.J Spiller went from starting in week one, to only receiving one rushing attempt in week 2, while Marshawn Lynch carried the ball 17 times. It’s a tough job to juggle the carries between Fred Jackson, Spiller and Lynch, but if he can come up with the right plan, the Bills have the chance to always have a talented RB on the field with fresh legs, to go up against the 17th ranked run defense in the Pats.
4. Who is one player that Patriots fans probably don’t know about, but will learn about fast on Sunday and why?
One player that Patriots fans probably have heard of before, but haven’t seen a lot of is wide receiver Roscoe Parrish. NFL fans know Parrish for his quick elusive moves on special teams, but many people haven’t seen his talent’s used in the wide receiver position. Parrish will be taking over the #2 wide receiver role from Steve Johnson, and should see plenty of balls thrown his way in week 3. Coach Gailey loves the way Parrish plays, and has been rewarded him with more playing time. Parrish comes into week 3 as the only WR on the Bills roster so far this year with a touchdown to his name.
5. What is your prediction (winner and score) for Sunday’s game?
Final Score: Patriots 31, Bills 20