AFC East, here we come

So here we are finally playing a division game. The first place Buffalo Bills are starting a stretch that could either make this a really interesting season, or it could lead to us running away with the division. Three division games in three weeks, here is hoping for a sweep.

 

First we face the Miami Dolphins, who have been a really hard team to get a grip on. They went out and dominate the Pats and they beat the Chargers, but they have looked helpless in losing to the Texans and Ravens in the past two weeks. This is obviously not a push over team, but it is still the Dolphins and all fans should be getting up for this one.

 

So here are the breakdowns as I see them….

 

The Bills are facing a familiar face in a new uniform as they see Chad Pennington as a Dolphin for the first time. Chad is a smart quarterback who probably wont lose the game for his team, but his limited mobility and questionable arm strength mean he probably won’t win the game for them either. Trent Edwards has already shown that he can win games for his team with his arm, and in the last game showed that if he needs to make a big run he can.

EDGE: Bills

 

Ronnie Brown and Rickey Williams are back patrolling the RB position for the Dolphins, and that gives them a good mixture of size and speed. Their wildcat formation makes the most use out of Ronnie Brown, but Williams has shown that he is actually in the NFL to play football this time. Marshawn is wearing down every defense he sees this year, but he is not killing anyone by any stretch.

EDGE: Dolphins

 

Lee Evans tears Miami up every time he sees them. Roscoe Parrish should be playing with a lot of fire since he is from the Miami area, and Josh Reed is putting together a very quiet but great year playing as a #2 receiver. Ted Ginn Jr. is fast, but the limited arm strength of the quarterback makes it hard to see him being able to take advantage of his speed. Anthony Fasano is a great tight end….mainly because he is from Notre Dame and I loved him there.

EDGE: Bills

 

The offensive lines are both doing an adequate job this year, but I have to give the edge to the pass protection that the Bills are giving Trent on a weekly basis. I barely ever see him get really hit in games, and if you give him time, he won’t miss his receivers.

EDGE: Bills

 

The Bills will be without Aaron Schobel this week again, and that to me is a large blow because playing against the wildcat formation takes all the defensive linemen and the linebackers playing very sound gap coverage. I have faith in his replacements, but I would really like to have him out there to provide some speed on the line. Marcus Stroud is continuing his dominate play and I think he will bury Pennington at some point in this game. The Dolphins play a good front 4, but no one of their line scares me.

EDGE: Bills

Joey Porter is playing like he did back with the Steelers, but I am still not too afraid of this unit as a whole. I think that if we get a body on them, we can break them. Poz and Mitchell should be in the conversation at least for pro bowl births this year.

EDGE: Bills

 

Our secondary will be getting McGee back this week, which should help because even though he did a good job as a whole, McKelvin has looked overmatched at times. This unit has been one of the big surprises of the year; because I cant think of a game where this unit as a whole didn’t play above average. Whitner is showing his versatility and is looking like a future defensive player of the year in the making. Miami is solid but unspectacular.

EDGE: Bills

 

I know that our special teams hasn’t been as spectacular as many would have hoped, but we still have a very very solid kicking game, and with a healthy Roscoe, McGee, and McKelvin alternating back there, it is only a matter of time before one of them breaks another one. The Dolphins kicking game is good, and when they put Ginn back there to return kick. it is dangerous.

EDGE: Bills

 

Dick Jauron is slowly showing that Marv Levy wasn’t as senile as many thought when he hired Jauron. He has to be a lead contender along with Jeff Fisher for coach of the year honors. Tony Sparano was brought over from Dallas by Bill Parcells and has shown a good ability to get the most out of his players.

EDGE: Bills

 

So I have the Bills having a large edge, but I think this game could be a pretty close slugfest. Miami has the ability to get into a shoot out because if a team cant stop Ronnie Brown and Rickey Williams, then they are in trouble because both can take it to the house from anywhere on the field. I think the Bills will do a good job limiting the effectiveness of the wildcat formation and will force Pennington to have to throw a lot of passes. So with that being said I am calling for a 31-21 victory for the Buffalo Bills to send a message to the AFC East that they are here to stay.

 

I see Marshawn getting his first 100-yard performance of the year to go with 2 rushing touchdowns. Lee Evans is going to get over 100 due largely in part to an over 50-yard touchdown catch. The other touchdown is going to come from……Poz. Last time I picked a defensive player to score, he did, so I am going to try again. I see Poz getting a loose ball after a big sack and taking it to the house. Lindell will ice the game just as the Dolphins are putting together a late run.

 

GO BILLS!!!!