The Chan Gailey era has finally begun in Buffalo as the Bills are coming off their first win of the season and it only took them 10 weeks to get the job done. Buffalo was able to fend off the Lions in the fourth quarter of a tight football game to become the last team to register a win this season. The Cincinnati Bengals are starting to feel like the Bills as they have lost the last six games they've played. Last season's Cardiac Cats have returned, but this year they haven't been able to get that final score in regulation to either tie the game or get the win. In six of the Bengals seven losses this season they lost by one score or less with the latest being a six point loss to the Colts in which they came back and had the ball with a chance to take the lead had they scored a late touchdown.
With Chan Gailey finally in the winners column he is now focused on starting a win streak. This week against the Bengals is as good a chance as any to get the Bills second win of the season. Last game the Bills were paced by running back Fred Jackson who ran 25 times for 133 yards and a touchdown. Jackson also caught six passes for 37 yards including a 16-yard pass that resulted in a touchdown from QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. While Fitzpatrick only completed 12 of his 24 passes for under 150 yards it was enough as the Bills were able to control the ball and move on with a win. Buffalo's defense allowed Lions QB Shaun Hill to throw for 323 yards, but were able to give up only 76 yards on the ground. The turning point in the game came late in the fourth quarter when the Lions were stopped on a 2-pt conversion try that would have tied the game, but instead gave the Bills their first win of the season. This week, the Bills will look to do more of the same against the Bengals in their gameplan. Fred Jackson will be a large part of the offense this week most likely carrying the ball 25 times again. Star receiver Lee Evans will need to step up in this one and make a few big plays as well. Evans talent has always drawn plenty of attention from opposing defenses and it has caused him to have few opportunities a game. However, it was also allowed fellow receiver Steve Johnson to step up this season into the role of the top receiver for this Bills team as he leads the team with 44 receptions for 591 yards and 6 touchdowns. The defense is going to need to focus on being successful against the run this week just like they were last week allowing those 76 yards on 26 carries and no touchdowns. Through the air it will Owens who will be shadowed as he is having one of the best years he's had in a while, and he is also playing his former team.
With Terrell Owens playing against another former team of his it should be interesting to see how he treats them in between plays, but during plays the Bengals expect him to be making big ones. In recent weeks T.O. has overshadowed fellow teammate and received Chad Ochocinco and it is apparent Chad is not happy about the recent developments of the ball sharing situation. Carson Palmer has developed a liking for throwing to T.O. since he has done pretty much everything with the ball so far this season catching 59 passes for 834 yards and seven scores. Ochocinco has only caught 47 passes for 559 yards and three scores and he is not too happy about that differential, especially since his team has only two wins. Aside from the WR issues this team has failed to close out a game that was close this season since week two and it has cost them arguably up to six wins. If the fourth quarter were to go a little differently for this team it would be a completely different season, but right now it hasn't and the Bengals are staring at a 2-9 start if they can't work together against the Bills who are coming into this game hungry for another win. While Palmer has thrown 16 touchdowns he has also thrown 11 interceptions and some of them have been costly. Against the Bills, the Bengals plan will most likely be to pound the ball with Cedric Benson or see if Owens can slice up the Bills DB's. With Ochocinco's head sometimes out of the game it will be interesting to see how big a role he plays in this game, especially when it gets down to the end. While the Bengals have struggled this season they still have the talent on both sides of the ball to get big wins, and even though they are playing the 1-8 Buffalo Bills this would be a big confidence win for the team.
The Buffalo Bills played scrappy in their last game and it got them the win. The Cincinnati Bengals have scrapped away more wins this season then they would like to remember. As the season gets into the second half teams start to realize that they aren't in playoff contention and for some of them that takes their heads out of the game. Bengals 31 - Bills20
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