The Buffalo Bills, behind an efficient offensive performance spearheaded by C.J. Spiller, Trent Edwards and Roscoe Parrish, overcome sloppy efforts from their defense and special teams in beating the Cincinnati Bengals 35-20 at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
Spiller, who after three carries had amassed 16 negative yards, still managed to finish the game with 52 rushing yards on 12 carries, including two touchdowns (one yard and 20 yards). He added two catches for 33 yards as Buffalo's offense put up 21 points in the first half.
Edwards was highly efficient, completing 13 of 17 passes for 153 yards with one touchdown. Most impressively, he showed outstanding pocket awareness, deftly avoiding the rush and negative plays on several occasions. Parrish was his favorite target, hauling in four passes for 56 yards with a 12-yard touchdown to open the scoring for the Bills.
The offensive effort overshadowed a weak defensive effort; Carson Palmer completed 9 of 11 passes for 95 yards with two touchdowns, and Cedric Benson ripped off 50 rushing yards on eight carries as the Bengals put up 14 points early. Additionally, Bengals return man Adam Jones 38 yards per kick return, while Quan Crosby averaged 30. As encouraging as Buffalo's offense was, the defense (despite recording three sacks - two from Aaron Maybin - and two turnovers) and special teams were equally discouraging.
This game will re-air locally on Sunday night, for those who missed it. We'll have more comprehensive coverage throughout Sunday, but one likelihood is prevalent at the moment: no matter how good or bad the Bills are in 2010, they look like they'll at least be entertaining.