Defense leads Bills to 54 points (with some help from the offense)

By Anthony Bialy  |   Monday, November 24, 2008  |  Comments( 95 )

Buffalo Bills
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The Buffalo Bills’ defense was the reason this team scored nonstop Sunday. Sure, the offense may have chipped in a bit and actually gotten most of the points, but the defenders managed a touchdown on their own while setting up another one along with a pair of field goals thanks to taking away footballs, all as they shut off a miserable Kansas City Chiefs franchise when necessary. They gave up 462 yards and were still somehow dominant, which stands as a testament to the fact that big plays make the difference nearly every game.

Of course, rookie Leodis McKelvin was the hugest of the huge playmakers. After shining at special teams against the Cleveland Browns in last Monday's loss, he made his arrival known in one phase for the second consecutive game; importantly, this time he impressed at his primary task of stopping or stealing throws. On top of the highlight moments whereby he intercepted passes twice and scored once, he was also credited with two solo tackles and two passes defended, looking entirely comfortable in doing so.

With key secondary pieces Donte Whitner and Jabari Greer joining Ashton Youboty on the sidelines, this was the week the Troy product had to emerge as a credible pass defender, and he skipped competence and went straight to being the best player on the field. It reflected the way this team wasn’t going to surrender, then blame quitting on injuries.

At the same time they refused to make excuses, the Bills don’t need to apologize for their opponent’s sad incompetence, either. Kansas City may currently field a remedial football team, one that’s closer in collective age to a mature college squad than a pro side, but what can Buffalo do except deal with the speed bump it was scheduled to face? Besides, every other AFC East team gets a shot at the Chiefs this season, so it equals out anyway.

Plus, it wasn’t always artistic. The Bills gave up a first-drive touchdown and 17 first-half points without being put in bad spots, either: The Chiefs’ defense managed zero turnovers, while the offense wasn’t handed spectacular starts, as its drives opened on average at about its own 25.

As for specifically wobbly moments, safety George Wilson did the one thing a secondary member can never do, namely fall down in coverage, on the Chiefs’ third-quarter touchdown pass, while Kansas City running back Larry Johnson ran like he was fleeing bounty hunters on his 63-yard jaunt early in the second stanza; it turns out that accosting and assaulting ladies may have simply been part of an elaborate training regimen.

Avoiding lapses even while inflicting overwhelming blowouts must be a priority from today forward. While it ultimately didn’t affect them in Kansas City, they won’t be able to get away with the trend during, say, their remaining divisional games. Regardless, the important matter is that the Bills played huge when it mattered.

The Chiefs’ quarterbacks in Tyler Thigpen and mop-wielder Quinn Gray threw for 316 yards as their rushers averaged a seemingly amazing 12.2 yards per run in getting to 159 net yards on only 13 attempts, and it none of it mattered. Aside from the fact that a larger percentage of those were garbage-time gains, any signs of life from the home team were negated by the way the Bills exploited their foe’s youthfully sloppy manner.

A few shaky plays by Buffalo’s defense obviously can’t take away from what turned into a stomping, as the Bills did what they simply had to against a young quarterback who’s spending his first NFL starts treading in ominously hostile waters.

The Bills have waited a long time for this, as it’s excruciating for them and their fans to recall the last win for this once-promising team came back on Oct. 19 against the San Diego Chargers; any backers who also count themselves among the Buffalo Sabres faithful have spent a few weeks consuming cocktails as if they were laid off on the same day their divorces became final. Now, followers can finally imbibe in a merry way, as a hometown team prevailed in a game it both needed to and should have won.

The Bills (6-5) did it with a few extraordinary moments: Throw in three sacks to accompany five total turnovers, and the memorable plays on defense allowed the team to obtain a memorable point accumulation.
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About Anthony Bialy

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CommentsComments: 95  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Kegman		09:59 AM
11/24/2008
Entertaining game to watch. And a warm Monday morning feeling. The few Bills fans in attandance in the bar I go to were somewhat...
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No.2
Derek		10:06 AM
11/24/2008
How large is that missed field goal at the end of the Cleveland game right now? That may be the play that dictated to the Bill's...
No.3
Greg S		10:07 AM
11/24/2008
Who saw that many points coming??? It was good to see Josh Reed back in the game plan. He helps Trent with his shorter...
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