For the past two weeks, Buffalo Bills quarterback Trent Edwards has begun to make a name for himself as a clutch performer in the fourth quarter. Even though he has only a dozen NFL starts under his belt, Edwards has now led the Bills to fourth-quarter comeback wins in three of his eight NFL victories - and two of those have come in the past two weeks.
Edwards has enjoyed an outstanding start to the 2008 season. He's completing 67 percent of his passes, has thrown for 733 yards - at 7.8 yards per attempt, no less - has three scores and, most importantly, the young Bills team he's in charge of leading has stormed out of the gate to a 3-0 record. Edwards' 96.6 quarterback rating makes him the fifth-highest rated quarterback in the AFC - behind Philip Rivers, Jay Cutler, Brett Favre and Ben Roethlisberger.
What's more, folks close to the organization have been equally impressed with Edwards' growth off the field as they have been with his play on it. Edwards is becoming more assertive in just his second NFL season. He's calm, he's confident, and he keeps his teammates confident. That's just as valuable as the clutch throws he's been making. Our young quarterback is really coming into his own; to say he's "arrived" would be premature, but "arriving" seems fairly accurate. If the kid keeps working at it, we might just have something special on our hands.
Just how good has Edwards been in the fourth quarter? Normally I'd pick apart numbers, analyze them, and expand on what they mean. This morning, I don't have to - not by a long stretch. This stat line speaks for itself, and proves exactly how clutch Edwards has been in the team's last two victories:
Edwards in the fourth quarter (in wins over JAX and OAK)
21/29, 268 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 123.9 QB rating
Bills: 27 points scored in 4-point and 1-point victories
The kid gets it done in the clutch, folks. The Bills may have found themselves a quarterback. I'm going to do my best to keep my enthusiasm in check - but please be understanding if I fail miserably.