The surprising Buffalo Bills are 4-1 - and among the many surprising reasons that they're currently sitting atop the AFC standings, the team's ability to force turnovers defensively must rank highest among those factors.
In intercepting Michael Vick four times and recovering another fumble in yesterday's 31-24 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, the Bills upped their total number of forced turnovers to 16 through five games. Buffalo last had as fruitful a five-game stretch in that department in 2009, when they forced 16 turnovers in the middle of Dick Jauron's final season with the team. However, thanks to an anemic offense, the Bills went just 2-3 in that stretch.
Buffalo has committed just five turnovers themselves during their 4-1 start, and their plus-11 turnover margin is currently the best in the league (though Detroit could equal or surpass it this evening). Buffalo's defense is still giving up a lot of yards (and more than a few points) to some pretty explosive offenses (and some not as explosive), but they're also making big plays - and the Bills have been able to capitalize during their hot start.