ok time for my weekly Bills thoughts--- Just read through last week's post and I think it was pretty spot on- aside from the total not going over. Bills showed much more offensively than they did on the preseason, ran the ball a ton (as I said they are a run- first team) limited mistakes offensively and the D-line was very instrumental in the win.
A couple surprises in that game for Buffalo...
Secondary- Corey Graham played lights out filling in for an injured Gilmore- honestly I think Gilmore could have went but was held out partly because of his poor preseason, JMO. When the Bears O-line started getting injured the game changed completely. The Bears switched to quick slants/reads to get the ball out as fast as possible with pretty good success. I do think it's an entirely different game if Marshall/Alshon didn't get banged up (like it sails over), but the fact remains the Bills secondary made enough plays to get them off the field. Interested to see how they handle Gilmore's return this week, but one thing is for sure the Bears were trying to pick on McKelvin. I give him credit for a couple good hits and that fumble he caused though.
Linebackers- Rivers will be out a couple weeks, so even with Bradham's return from suspension they will once again be thin at lb. Preston Brown played well, but once again I think they could struggle in obvious passing downs. Once again their most talented playing LB is Spikes and he is not a great LB in pass defense. For this reason I do think Miami may throw the ball a little more than they did vs the Pats.
DLine- got after Cutler in a big way down the stretch, and I think they will be key in deciding the game this week. If Tannehill has time to throw the ball, it could spell trouble for the Bills- I do think they are good enough to create pressure and force Tannehill to make some quick reads. Winn and Lawson were in the game for way more snaps than last season, hopefully it keeps Mario/Hughes fresh down the stretch. Kyle Williams is one of the most consistent and underrated DTs in the league.
Offensively, I was impressed with the run game- Dixon was a pleasant surprise in the first half, and provides a great change of pace from Spiller/fJax. I was surprised they didn't go back to him a little in the second half as he had great success, but it looked like he had his bell rung. EJ played a pretty solid game, and aside from the int (which was pretty bad) he really didn't make many bad reads. I am concerned the offense relied on zone reads quite a bit, and would hope they get away from that as the season progresses. Wrs played about as good a game as you can ask for- Woods is becoming a favorite target for EJ and Mike Williams has shown he can be trusted to go up and get the ball as well. Once again I will bring up Seantrell Henderson- everyone is pretty high on him but he undoubtedly has the toughest test yet in front of him having to try and block Wake. Would expect help on that side for quite a few plays, as he did look like a rookie at times vs the Bears. The biggest offensive concern for me is the Fins being able to generate a big enough pass rush with the front four that they don't have to send lbs.
Predictions- Many are seeing this as a pound the run, grind em out type game, which it very well could be. However, if I'm the Dolphins I would be looking to get Clay involved early and often, as I feel there really isn't a Bills defender that will be able to consistently cover him. Again I have my doubts about Gilmore as a #1 corner and no doubt the Fins will look to target McKelvin as the Bears had great success throwing his way, so I do still have concerns about the secondary. All in all I have a tough time seeing the Bills holding the Fins under 20 points. The Bills I think are much more potent in the run game than the Pats are, and they will stick to it to open up passing lanes for EJ. As long as they aren't getting put in 3rd and long obvious passing situations I think they will be able to move the ball.
Prediction 26-23 Bills. Definitely on the over and probably a homer ass play on my team. I'll be there to cheer them on:biggestfan: