Buffalo Bills Are Scoring At A Record Pace

Don't look now, Buffalo Bills fans, but your favorite team's offense is not only leading the NFL in rushing, but in scoring. The Bills' 79 points are four higher than the Detroit Lions, who also had the opportunity of playing the rapidly decomposing Kansas City Chiefs. The New England Patriots, who come to town on Sunday, are third with 73.

The driving force behind the points on the scoreboard has been Ryan Fitzpatrick, whose seven touchdown passes is tied for the league lead with, unsurprisingly, Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford. The team's three rushing touchdowns are tied for second in that category.  Scott Chandler is leading all tight ends with three touchdown catches, and is tied for fourth in the league in touchdowns scored.

This week, the Bills face the Patriots' 14th-ranked scoring defense, which has given up 45 total points in their two games. Four of the scores the Patriots allowed were through the air, with two coming on the ground. Buffalo's scoring average in 2011 is 39.5 points, but they haven't scored that many on the Patriots since 1992.

While this scoring output from the Bills isn't commonplace (entered into the understatement of the year category), it's not unique in team annals. The last time the Bills scored 79 combined points in back-to-back weeks was 2004, when Drew Bledsoe led Buffalo to wins over the Miami Dolphins (42-32) and Cleveland Browns (37-7). The Bills were in the middle of a six-game streak of scoring 33 or more points that also coincided with a six-game winning streak. If they had pushed those numbers to seven in the season finale, that would have been the team's most recent playoff berth.

Looking strictly at the opening two games of the season, Buffalo's offensive attack hasn't been this potent since Jim Kelly threw for eight touchdowns in the first two weeks of 1991. That season, Buffalo scored 87 points through two games on their way to a team-record 458 points on the season and their second straight AFC title.

If the Bills continue scoring at this rate, they're on pace to top 600 points, which would best New England's league record 589 scored in 2007. But let's not get carried away here.