Yesterday afternoon the Bills won their season opener 34-10. Maybe more important then the win was the balanced scoring and proving they could finish a game. I can only speak for myself but I am sure I am not the only fan who was having flashbacks of last years season opener against Denver where the Bills blew a lead and lost on the last play of the game. Not this time they made sure to close out this game with 2 touchdowns and a forced fumble in just 25 seconds late in the 3rd quarter.
There are 3 aspects to football offense, defense and special teams. Buffalo out played Seattle in all 3. Everyone knows Buffalo has one of, if not the best special teams in the NFL, so it was no surprise that they dominated there. Parrish had an unbelievable 63 yard punt return for a touchdown and Moorman (yes our punter) threw a touchdown pass to Denney (yes a defensive end). A well designed play that was helped by the Seahawks falling asleep as the Bills faked a field goal.
During this off season the Bills made major contributions to the defense and you could see the difference in the game. Buffalo the last few years fell back on a bend don't break mentality and yesterday there was no bending. Buffalo did a great job of getting pressure on veteran QB Matt Hasselbeck. They managed to come out with 5 sacks and numerous knock downs and hurries. With the team healthy and new-comers Marcus Stroud and Kawika Mitchell the Bills defense should come up big this season.
As for the 3rd aspect of football, offense, once Buffalo hit a rhythm they seemed to move the ball with ease. The offensive line gave Trent Edwards time against the very good pass rush of Seattle. Trent threw a 30 yard strike to Robert Royal for the last score of the day. I would like to see them get James Hardy involved a little more but there is plenty of time for that. Marshawn Lynch was...well Marshawn Lynch. He had 18 carries for 76 yards and a 21 yard touchdown run. If the offense continues to produce this consistently the Bills are going to be a difficult team to handle.
A few unusual events took place that have really helped the Bills. I plan on discussing this in much more detail in another blog later in the week. Keep in mind it is only week one and a lot can happen between now and the end of the season but it felt great to get a win in the season opener. This was something Buffalo hadn't done since 2005. As a fan of the Bills no matter how bad they look it was awesome to see them play so great.
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