Bills defeat Chargers in total team effort
by Brian Galliford on Oct 19, 2008 6:47 PM EDT
in Buffalo Bills News
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This was a weird game, folks. Playing nearly an entire half of football in what can only be described as "pre-historic" conditions, the Buffalo Bills defeated the San Diego Chargers 23-14 to improve their record to 5-1 on the season.
Ralph Wilson Stadium was without power for the majority of the first half, causing issues for both teams. The Bills hung tough and took a 13-7 lead into the (completely lightless) locker room. Surviving that bit of adversity, with severely cramped communications, can't be underestimated. I've been to a lot of Bills games; this one was the weirdest.
Trent Edwards and Kawika Mitchell were the stars, but this was a total team effort. This was a huge test for the Bills coming off of their bye week and a tough loss in Arizona; the Bills passed that test with near-flying colors.
Offense dominant through the air
Do y'all remember when, earlier this week, I laid out the blueprint to beating the Chargers? Ball control passing game, taking advantage of the Chargers' awful pass defense? Well, either the Bills were listening, or they were already on it. Edwards completed 25 of his 30 passes, the running game was more complementary than primary, and the Bills held the ball for over 35 minutes in a dominant performance.
It was a sound game plan, and Edwards - in his first appearance after sustaining a concussion - executed it to perfection. (I'd like to posit a new nickname for Buffalo's star quarterback: "The Executor".) Edwards threw for 261 yards and notched a beautiful two-yard touchdown toss to Lee Evans, who used his helmet in lieu of a second hand on the reception. Evans finished the day with 8 grabs for 89 yards and the score; Edwards' passer rating on the day was a stupendous 114.
Buffalo's rushing attack suffered through some of its usual problems - mostly finding any room to run between the tackles - but the duo of Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson were effective in this one. The Bills ran for 109 yards on the day; Lynch amassed 70 of those and scored on a 9-yard jaunt to take the lead for good, with Jackson serving as his lead blocker on the play. The unspectacular efficiency of the ground game led to the Bills' most balanced game of the season offensively.
Defense makes plays when it needs to
Mitchell gets the credit for swinging the momentum for the Bills. Philip Rivers had been doing a good job carving the Bills' defense up underneath, but it was a Mitchell interception a yard deep in Buffalo's end zone that thwarted the Chargers' go-ahead scoring attempt mid-way through the fourth quarter. Mitchell then added a forced fumble - recovered by Copeland Bryan - that put the game on ice for the Bills.
Buffalo's pass rush, which was non-existent for most of the game, showed up when it had to. Playing without Aaron Schobel, Buffalo's defensive line was once again disruptive; this was especially true in the run game, as the Bills held LaDainian Tomlinson to just 41 yards rushing. It was the secondary, however, that played well. With Terrence McGee out and Ashton Youboty's playing time severely limited with an injury of his own, the Bills gave up some big plays, but also kept the Chargers' lethal passing attack largely under control. The lack of big plays by the San Diego offense is what ultimately did them in.
Game balls
Three game balls to give out today, and I'm pretty sure you know where two of them are going right off the bat...
Trent Edwards: Let's not underestimate this kid anymore. He's arrived. When you complete 83% of your passes two weeks after a concussion is, quite frankly, ridiculous. His QB rating is 98.8 this season, and the Bills are 5-0 in which he's taken the majority of snaps. He's the real deal, and he played like it against a pretty good pass rush today.
The O-Line: The Chargers came into this game ranked fifth in the league with 17 sacks. The Bills started a reserve center (Duke Preston) and played with a reserve at right guard (Jason Whittle) for a while. The Chargers didn't record a sack; in fact, Edwards didn't even take any hits. This was a spectacular performance for Buffalo's pass blockers.
Kawika Mitchell: He struggled mightily in Arizona; that's not true of his performance today. 7 tackles, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble made Mitchell the engine of an impressive defensive effort.
Roll call and "Image of the Day"
Mad props to the 30 folks who toughed it out through the power outages in today's game thread. Bigger props to Kurupt for running the blog while I was getting my face burned at the stadium, and also for pacing the threads with a whopping 242 comments (WABillsfan, for the record, wasn't far behind with 203). Thanks to these 30 folks:
StuckInNJ, karovda, Kurupt, thefourwinds, MonStarr_716, BuffCrunch, MARVelous, Scoe221, tomsbills, WABillsfan, chaosthepitbull, NJBillsfan, Thronsen, Memphisbillsfan, kaisertown, Ron From NM, keuka121, MattRichWarren, DodgerBlueBalls, The Buffalonian, patamunzo, SebastianPruiti, TheK-GunNeedsReloaded, Cinga, Black84GTI, Joe P., fletcherjd, BearsNecessity, GhostDogg47, Northern1
And now, fellow Rumblers, your image of the day:
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Is he crying?
I could not see the or listen to the game in full because I was at work, but I am VERY pleased with how we played. It was the game we needed. Even though the running game is not where it needs to be, we stick with it, and it shows up just when it should. I wonder if its the blocking scheme/strategy?
Lovin’ Trent…again, great game
The Bills CAN win every game
He is, the big ass pansy
Too bad his momma wasn’t there to comfort him and tuck him into bed with a warm milk.
Fear the mighty helmet wearing gopher, he is coming for your soul....
And...
Headline on SI is that the Bills beat the ‘sloppy’ Chargers, and on the NFL.com video, the analysts say that the Chargers msut be looking ahead to London. I mean…what the frig right?
The Bills CAN win every game
Seriously… don’t care about the media perspective. The longer this Bills team flies under the radar, the better. Sooner or later, people will figure out that we’re legit.
by Brian Galliford on Oct 19, 2008 7:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Yup
I heard from one analyst after the game that the chargers had key injuries…….Ok the chargers are missing a WR who isnt leading the team in yards and the bills are missing their best CB and DE. Just stupid. Yea I think people will start to take notice too. I was at the game today and I was happy to see that there was no booing or any of that negative stuff and everytime Trent went back to pass the ball you heard cheers all around. best football game ive ever went to. Go Bills!!!
That's the way it's always been...
When the Bills lose it is because they’re terrible and shouldn’t even be in the league. When they win it is because their opponents laid down and died. This is standard, boilerplate reporting from the national media about any Buffalo team.
"I could have conquered Europe, all of it, but I had women in my life." - King Henry II of England
God this team and the fans really needed this win,
I very much enjoyed it.
The bloggerformelyknownasBigBaddBubbaJ
That was the best I've seen our DLine play
We may not have gotten many sacks, but not many do on Rivers. Sans Schobel, we really created a decent, consistent amount of pressure with our front 4 with Stroud and Williams especially effective on stunts.
That was the key to the game, and we got it.
GO BLUE!!!
Power outages – They said some guy named Brian who was wearing a Poz jersey let a mylar balloon go into a transformer, and that blew out all the power. (going to make the film reviews interesting.)
Great game. the O-Line played great. Never thgought I’d say this but, let’s stick with Duke Preston.
The time has come for someone to put his foot down. And that foot is me.
They said some guy named Brian who was wearing a Poz jersey let a mylar balloon go into a transformer, and that blew out all the power. (going to make the film reviews interesting.)
That’s what I heard, too. I tried chasing the bastard down in my long-sleeve tee and Bills jacket, but it got warm fast.
Haven’t checked the DVR yet… at least I know I’ll be done in time for Heroes.
by Brian Galliford on Oct 19, 2008 9:22 PM EDT up reply actions
I was waiting in line to get into the stadium when we heard a popping noise. The transformer started smoking and it was pretty cool…until we looked at the stadium and realized the power was off.
I thought the crowd was actually into the game. They were random at times, but for the most part it just seemed like a really good atmousphere. And it was great to see Evans so involved in the game plan. I thought that they used him as much as the Chargers let them. He really showed today that you just can’t take the deep ball away from and completely take him out of the game.
Brian, well done. Please pass your game plan for next week on to Jauron!!!
I don’t like “The Executor” as Edwards nickname though. Too Raiderish and doesn’t reflect Edwards personality. Maybe “The XO”, as in football Xs and Os combined with the military meaning of Executive Officer?
The XO that sounds too hugs and kisses.
The time has come for someone to put his foot down. And that foot is me.
I didn't say XOXOXOXOXOOXOXOXOXO
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xo See nothing about kissing. That’s OK….it was just an idea :-)
Nice game plan
How about “The Trentinator”? (Or maybe more appropriately, “#5 Alive”!) Nice game all around off the bye.
Now let’s see how they stack up against rest of the division. Squish the Fish!
Get the Bills back to the big game!
Give the DL a game ball! Shut down LT and actually provided sporadic pressure on Rivers. Stroud and Williams played phenomenally inside and Copeland Bryan of all people was in on some plays. Good job by them today. We still desperately need multiple pass rushers off the edge, but if we can be effective like today, it can be managed….
Great win by the Bills today! It’s great to beat some of the so-called contenders in the AFC just in case a tie breaker comes into play later on. Big division game next week in Miami. This is where it should get fun!
~K
What a strange day.
Did anyone else lose cell service with the power outage? Mine (AT&T) was skittish all day. Text messages would get through occasionally. Internet was down so I couldn’t check anything. My mom called when they couldn’t get the game and it never rang but I got a voice mail 20 minutes later. 3 hours later while sitting on the hood of the car I finally was able to call her back.
Who knew Freddie could block like that? Anyone watching at home (and possibly at the game) probably didn’t catch it but as Lynch and Jackson came to the sideline, Lynch grabbed Jackson’s shoulder pads, ducked down behind him and used him as a battering ram on his teammates and they ran up the sideline.
Rivers is a little baby. The man threw a literal hissy fit during the game. Stomping off the field and into the face of one of the officials.
Speaking of Rivers. It’s about time the MSM rides Edward’s nuts like they do his and Cutler’s. Edwards just wins games.
Anyone watching at home (and possibly at the game) probably didn’t catch it but as Lynch and Jackson came to the sideline, Lynch grabbed Jackson’s shoulder pads, ducked down behind him and used him as a battering ram on his teammates and they ran up the sideline.
After Lynch’s TD. I was watching at home and they showed Lynch headed to the sideline, and I was able to catch a quick shot of that.
The time has come for someone to put his foot down. And that foot is me.
DirecTV blitz has Bills game on at 1030 MST tonight
It should be on a couple of times over the next 2 days. I’m curious to see if they actually have the entire first half or if the cameras at the stadium lack battery backup power.
They should have the game, all cameras used by CBS can run for several hours on battery power
I have seen several plays that we heard on the radio during the highlights shows that we couldn’t see.
Fear the mighty helmet wearing gopher, he is coming for your soul....
Today
is what being a Bills fan is all about. A chance to stick it to the nay-sayers and the Bills did that.
All i Have to say though is wow…..Trent Edwards is a frick’n stud…and he keeps proving it. The poise, accuracy, leadership just all the intangibles. It is so REFRESHING to see us have a QB that can LEAD us and get us into the right situation and be so effective. Marshawn has yet to have his 100+ game but when he does start popping those off this offense will be even more effective.
Hardy did he even play a snap today????
MARVelous
Yeah, he was out there.
Mainly in the red zone. A couple times around the 50/40. I’m 90% sure he was in there on Evan’s TD because I thought that is who was going to get that pass. Though he might have been in there on the play before and I just didn’t see him come off the field.
by twoeightnine on Oct 20, 2008 12:31 AM EDT up reply actions
The great thing about Marshawn's slow start..
Is that when it gets cold and we really need him, he won’t be as banged up.
Yes
I have been thinking that our RB will be fresh for the long haul this year, and while it has been slow and I would like better production, he runs hard and sniffs out the endzone when he has to. I think there just might be a blocking scheme problem, but outside pitches have started to look quite nice.
The Bills CAN win every game
That's what we were trying to tell you about Edwards
this past offseason. (And I’m glad he’s proving us right!) Those intangibles don’t often make it into the scouting reports, but they make the difference between an average player and a pretty darn good one.
#5, Alive!
Get the Bills back to the big game!
Trent...
Wouldn’t Edwards’ 25/30 performance tie him for the all-time best completion rate by a Bills QB?
Well, either the Bills were listening, or they were already on it.
my guess Brian is that the Bills were already on to the fact that San Diego’s passing defense was suspect !!
I think everyone knew they were going to attack via the passing game. that is the bills bread and butter this year anyway.
What? You don’t think that Dick Jauron reads Rumblings?
The time has come for someone to put his foot down. And that foot is me.
ok
maybe Dick Jauron does read Rumblings to confirm his thoughts on what the team should do against their opponent!!
Here’s my thought for this week. When Pennington lines up as a WR in the “wildcat” formation have Mitchell or Poz drill him (w/in 5 yards of course). Free shots on a QB don’t happen often and he’s being place in a perfect position for such.
Not to nitpick but...
With the Bills trying to close out the game at the end Marshawn Lynch ran out of bounds twice in the last 4:40 of the game stopping the clock ,and potentially giving the Chargers a chance to get the ball back with plenty of time…Hey Marshawn, kids in Pop Warner know the fundamentals of sound clock management, there’s no excuse for you not staying in bounds and burning time off the clock
I noticed that as well. those are the types of things that can come back and bite you. I’m sure the coaching staff has, or will be, discussing that with him.
True, but one of those was a 19-yard gain. I’ll take going out of bounds if it comes with a new set of downs…
Also, I like how the Bills played the last two drives. Although they were trying to take time off the clock, they didn’t just run Lynch up the middle three times and punt; they mixed in runs and passes, just like a normal drive.
Contrast that with the Raiders – with 1:55 left on the clock and on the Jets 40, they ran three times for a total of -5 yards and punted, giving Favre a minute and a half to work with.
I agree
I was ambivalent as I saw this. It looked like Lynch was doing everything he could to keep the chains moving.
by thefourwinds on Oct 20, 2008 2:25 PM EDT up reply actions
Duke Preston?
i have a question. how did duke preston do starting at center? i know the line did a great job but im curious if he can replace melvin flowers as our starter? im not a big fan of flowers and hes definitely a position that needs to b fixed.
Hard to tell from my seats.
But the pass protection was excellent so he did well there. Not sure on running plays though.
by twoeightnine on Oct 20, 2008 10:31 AM EDT up reply actions
bashin buffalo, by the media, again
You know that power outage will fuel more anti-buffalo sentiments in the media. already spotted one on sportingnews.com. “Would this have happend in Toronto?” …. short answer, maybe. What in the F***! back off azzholes, crazy chit happens. Being from Toronto, and a Bills-Lifer, I would die before seeing them come here full time. Corporate-sponsored tailgate party?! Hogwash. Theyre missing the essence of NFL football.
excellent victory
Brian – since you were at the game how did Preson look?
Didn’t hear william name at all and i bet i would have if Fowler played.
The win i’ve been waiting for. I know that much
I’ll know more on Preston after re-watching what I can of the game on DVR tonight.
by Brian Galliford on Oct 20, 2008 12:37 PM EDT up reply actions
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