Opposition Talking Points: Buffalo Bills

Posted by Holly Phelps on September 16, 2010   Jump To Comments

Donald Driver knows the quickest way through a Bills defender...

So, it’s Week 2, and the Buffalo Bills are coming to Lambeau.  It’s the first time I’ll ever be able to attend a game in Green Bay (my dad, too!), and so I can’t wait for the Packers to put on a show.  But…it’s the Bills. Put plainly, this is not a complete team.

They lost their home opener to the Dolphins 15-10, and while the Bills defense kept Brandon Marshall to 53 yards receiving, the “new-look” offense had 6 3-and-outs and mustered only 9 first downs.  Even the Bills ground game, which has Marshawn Lynch third in the depth chart, managed only 38 yards.  The carnage could have been worse, but Miami seemed to stop caring.

Buffalo’s quarterback is Trent Edwards, a checkdown king who rarely makes use of Lee Evans, who’s actually darn good. Expect most throws to be under 10 yards.  Without a passing game, the burden falls on the running backs, who must do better than they did last week. Rookie CJ Spiller had a lot of preseason hype and was named the starter over Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch, but none of them were able to pick up speed against Miami.

And, after the way the Packers were able to contain DeSean Jackson in Philadelphia, my panic about Spiller on special teams has been downgraded too.

As far as what to expect, the Packers should be able to move the ball on the ground, Grant or no Grant. Top linebacker Paul Posluzsny is out for the game, but let’s face it — the Bills weren’t a run-stuffing machine before he got hurt.

In complete contrast to all other phases of the game, the Bills pass defense is ridiculous. Led by second-year safety Jairus Byrd, the unit grabbed 28 interceptions last year and held opposing QBs to a passer rating of 61.1. If Rodgers wants to prove that his poor performance last week was an aberration, here’s his chance – pinpoint throws will be necessary.

The Packers can win this, and they should. The Bills secondary has a goal of allowing no more than 200 yards to any quarterback. I’m challenging Rodgers to hit that milestone…in the first half.

Want to read more about this game before kickoff?  Head over to my full Opposition Research post, which includes some predictions from Bills fans about how the game will go (hint, it involves dressing up like Packers players and stealing Mike McCarthy’s car keys).  Enjoy the game!

Got a question about the Bills or any of the Packers opponents? Shoot me an email at holly@brentfavre.com.  You can also find me on Twitter at @htphelps and at CheeseheadTV’s The Other 31.