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Sunday, December 23, 2012

Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins Gameday Preview

Dolphins running game vs. Bills run defense
RB Reggie Bush (895 yards, 4.5 yards per carry) faces the NFL's 30th-ranked run defense in yards per game (144.1). He's also coming off a 104-yard performance against Jacksonville. Miami is missing Daniel Thomas (knee), its pass blocking/short-yardage/red zone specialist. But his loss shouldn't affect Bush, who is on the verge of back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. LB Nick Barnett (97 tackles) and DT Kyle Williams will be the biggest impediments to success for the Dolphins. EDGE: Dolphins
Dolphins passing game vs. Bills pass defense
QB Ryan Tannehill has gone three games without an interception and has completed 60.3 percent of his passes in his last four games. The health of WRs Davone Bess (back) and Brian Hartline (back) is a huge factor, however. Buffalo, the league's 15th-ranked pass defense, was tough on Tannehill last time. S Jairus Byrd and LB Bryan Scott had INTs in the final two minutes. If the WRs aren't healthy this could get ugly. EDGE: Bills
Bills running game vs. Dolphins run defense
RB C.J. Spiller (1,047 yards, 6.5 ypc) had 91 yards rushing the last time these teams played. Look for him to do something along those lines again. Miami's run defense is eighth (100.9 yards per game) and tackles Randy Starks, who is questionable, and Paul Soliai make things tough. LB Karlos Dansby (111 tackles) also does good work. But Spiller is so shifty he only needs a small crack. Look for S Reshad Jones to crowd the line of scrimmage often. EDGE: Bills
Bills passing game vs. Dolphins pass defense
Miami's banged-up secondary is the biggest factor. CB Nolan Carroll (knee) is ailing and S Jimmy Wilson (hip) is slowed. And the Dolphins are the 26th-ranked pass defense with him on the field. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (22 TDs, 19 INTs) is ranked 19th with an 83.5 passer rating and WR Stevie Johnson (891 yards, 6 TDs) has been effective. Fitzpatrick has 5 TDs and 5 INTs in his last five games. Still, it's tough to overcome missing/slowed personnel. EDGE: Bills
Dolphins special teams vs. Bills special teams
Miami signed K Nate Kaeding and placed Dan Carpenter (groin) on injured reserve. KOR/PR Marcus Thigpen had a 96-yard KOR TD when these teams played. Of course, that was after Bills' PR Leodis McKelvin had a 79-yard TD. But McKelvin, the NFL in punt return average at 18.7 yards, is on injured reserve (groin) and won't play. Thigpen is third in kickoff return average (28.7) and tied for fifth in punt return average (12.0). Bills K Rian Lindell (20-for-21 on FGs) has made 95.2 percent of his attempts. Miami P Brandon Fields (50.6 yards per punt gross average) is a master at flipping field position. EDGE: Dolphins
Intangibles
Buffalo's defense is tied for last in points allowed (28.7 per game). That's not good for a road team. But Miami is without RB Daniel Thomas (knee) and TE/FB Charles Clay (knee) and the WRs will be affected by injury, too. Look for Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Sherman to continue using multiple sets and formations, and allow QB Ryan Tannehill to roll out and use his feet. Being at home should be a great asset in a game between fairly evenly-matched teams. EDGE: Dolphins
Prediction: Bills 20, Dolphins 17.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Buffalo Bills vs. Seattle Seahawks Gameday Preview

After the Seattle Seahawks sent a message to their opponent last week, Marshawn Lynch may want to do the same to his former team.
Lynch and the Seahawks try for their fifth victory in six games Sunday as they head to Toronto to face the Buffalo Bills, who appear bound to miss the playoffs for the 13th consecutive season.
Although the Bills' ground game has been strong thanks to C.J. Spiller's emergence, Lynch has turned into one of the league's most consistent backs since Buffalo traded him to Seattle for a pair of draft picks in October 2010. He ranks second to Adrian Peterson with a career-high 1,266 yards this season, and he needed only 11 carries to accumulate 128 yards and three touchdowns in last Sunday's 58-0 drubbing of Arizona.
"This is what we had hoped," coach Pete Carroll said. "We hoped that he would be a big-timer and we could make him fit in and feel comfortable and like his surroundings and really contribute in a big way. He has done everything. He's done everything we have asked of him."
The Bills chose Lynch 12th overall in the 2007 draft out of California and he surpassed 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons, but he fell out of favor.
Along with rookie quarterback Russell Wilson and a stout defense, Lynch is a major reason the Seahawks (8-5) currently own the NFC's top wild-card position, and they're feeling especially good after the NFL's third-largest shutout win since 1950.
Seattle set a franchise record for points and matched its second-highest takeaway total with eight.
The Seahawks are one victory away from clinching their first winning season since going 10-6 in 2007. Their surge prompted next week's game against San Francisco to be flexed to the Sunday night spot.
That could be a showdown for the NFC West lead, though it's seemingly one of the last things on Carroll's mind.
"Yeah, whatever, it's moved back a little bit," he said. "That's two weeks from now."
The lopsided margin against Arizona gave the Seahawks plenty of opportunities to run the ball, which they did 42 times for 284 yards - the fourth-most in team history. Seattle's 152.3 rushing yards per game rank fourth in the league, although the Bills are sixth at 141.2.
Wilson sat out the final 25 minutes last Sunday as he became the first rookie quarterback to start and win his first six home games since the 1970 merger.
"You're trying to get first downs and keep the football, with the sensitivity of the situation," Carroll said. "You know you're going to run the football like crazy, which was awesome and we love to do that."
The Seahawks haven't been nearly as good outside of Seattle, going 2-5, although they won their most recent road game in Chicago.
Preparing to play a game in Toronto for the fifth straight season, the Bills (5-8) haven't given up on their first postseason appearance since 1999 - the league's longest active drought - though they must win out and receive plenty of help.
"Now, we don't have many wins to show for it at this point, but I believe we can get there," bills coach Chan Gailey said. "And I have a great deal of confidence in the direction we're headed."
Gailey has been criticized for his perceived under-utilization of Spiller, but with Fred Jackson put on injured reserve Tuesday because of a sprained MCL, he may have little choice but to give the ball to Spiller more often.
Spiller has 944 yards on 144 carries - a 6.6-yard average, the NFL's highest through 13 games since Jim Brown in 1963. However, he's carried the ball fewer than 10 times in six of Buffalo's games, gaining 37 yards on seven attempts against the Rams.
Still, Spiller hasn't complained publicly and continues to support Gailey as the team's head coach.
"Those people who want him fired, they must not understand football," Spiller said. "He's my coach, and I've got his back."
Perhaps a higher dosage of Spiller can spark an offense averaging 19.5 points over its last four games.
"My style is I'll never go up there and beg, beg, beg for the ball," he told the team's official website. "I understand we've got a lot of playmakers out there. Everybody wants to have the ball in their hands and everybody wants to make that play. I'm not different, but I'm not going to sit around and mope week in and week out."
Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman will have another week on the field after his appeal hearing for his four-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs was delayed. Sherman had a pair of interceptions last weekend.
However, fellow starting corner Walter Thurmond won't play after injuring his hamstring during practice Wednesday.
Either Byron Maxwell or rookie Jeremy Lane will start in place of Thurmond for the league's third-ranked defense, which allows 301.7 yards per game.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Buffalo Bills vs. St. Louis Rams Gameday Preview

Buffalo Bills are fighting hard to get a wildcard playoff berth and they will face another hurdle in their road to postseason as they take on reviving St. Louis Rams in Week 14 game on Sunday, December 09, 2012, at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Buffalo, New York.
Both teams are desperate to continue their winning momentum in race to save their season. This game would end the playoff hopes for one of these teams.
Rams (5-6-1) are currently feeling over the moon after beating the mighty San Francisco 49ers in Week 13 by 16-13 in overtime. The team is on course to win three games in a row for the first time since the 2006 season.
In order to qualify for the playoffs, Rams must win all of their next four games as they currently stand 11th in the National Football Conference (NFC). Earlier this week, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said:
"This team is focused on Buffalo. It's our next opponent. There's too much that could happen right now. I don't even know what the record is of some teams in the division. So, we just go play."
Meanwhile, Bills (5-7) are also looking confident after getting their second victory in three games. The team is tied at second place in American Football Conference (AFC) East.
It will be a gigantic task for Bills to go to postseason after a league record 12 seasons. However, they will have to do it without many of their starters who are out due to injuries.
Defensive end Chris Kelsay, Center Eric Wood and right tackle Chris Hairston are all out for the rest of the season with season ending injuries.
Moreover, the offence will be without their top wide receivers Stevie Johnson and Donald Jones while cornerbacks Aaron Williams and Leodis McKelvin are also out.
Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick will go against his former team with a very thin offensive line that will include Sam Young, Kraig Urbik and David Snow.
The offence will come face to face against Rams defence that put up 13 sacks during the last four games. Giving his views about facing Rams defence, Bills head coach Chan Gailey said:
"They do a great job of rushing the passer and (Chris) Long will be a challenge over there for Sam. That will be a real challenge for him. To be honest with you, they rotate through a lot of guys that can play. This might be overall as athletic of defensive front, and powerful combined with quickness a defensive front, as we have played all season."
Bills defence has also shown good form in recent weeks as they limited the opposing defence to an average of just 17 points during last three games while compiling 11 sacks. Rams 24-Bills 17

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Buffalo Bills vs. Jacksonville Jaguars Gameday Preview

The Jacksonville Jaguars will play against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Neither team is in the playoff hunt but both are already experimenting for next season.
Jacksonville seems to have resigned from seeing Blaine Gabbard (injured, demoted) as a cornerstone of their future. They will continue to play Chad Henne the rest of the way as they attempt to see if he can be the starter in 2013. The move may have as much to do with an underwhelming incoming quarterback class as it does with the actual ability of Henne.
Buffalo’s head coach Chan Gailey and general manager Buddy Nix both have spoken critically of their quarterback as well. The team plans to draft a quarterback to replace Ryan Fitzpatrick but that is not where the changes stop. CJ Spiller has taken over as the lead running back on the Bills as the team will hope for more flashy plays from the third year player.
So what is the spread in the Jaguars and Bills game?Buffalo is a six point favorite over Jacksonville. The over/under or total points for the game is set at 45.5 points.
Buffalo has shown flashes of putting up large sums of points but they have been inconsistent. Jacksonville struggled to score early in the year but since switching to Henne they have been significantly better. They have scored 61 points over their last two games against Houston and Tennessee.
Tireball.com Prediction: Do not base your picks on us but we like Jacksonville in this one. We like what Spiller brings to the Bills offense but the resurgence of Jacksonville with Henne is too much for us to ignore. The Jaguars upset Bills 27-24