Seven and Nine: Seven Key Games on The Bills 2009 Schedule.

(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Seven and Nine: Seven key games to win that will end Buffalo's nine year playoff drought.

Seven and Nine are familiar numbers to Buffalo Bills fans, and it’s a dubious combination that the team itself wants to avoid at all costs when the final standings are sorted out the evening of January 3, 2010.

One thing is for certain, if the Bills finish 7-9 again this season, not only will they extend their playoff drought to double digits in terms of years, but there will likely be wholesale changes made in the front office, coaching staff, and roster.

With the exception of last year’s 5-1 start, a major reason why the Bills have failed to make the playoffs is because of their notoriously slow starts the greater part of this decade.

If they ever want to get back to playing football in January and February, they can ill afford another slow start. It’d be nice to replicate last season’s fantastic start, but even if they can manage a .500 record through their first six games, they should be in good shape heading down the stretch.

Obviously, an NFL season isn’t as long as the other three major professional sports leagues, so you can argue that every game in a 16 game NFL schedule is equally important.

Here are seven key dates that are significantly more important than the other nine. And what makes them so important is that they are either divisional or against fellow AFC conference rivals that all have the same goal in mind. So mark your calendar now, because the Bills are likely going to need to win at least four or five of these contests to have a chance at making it back to the playoffs this year.

1) AT New England 09/14/09

Considering the venue, the hype, and the prime time slot, this game has all the makings of another lopsided blowout in the Patriot’s favor.

But what if the Bills go into Foxboro and do the unthinkable? It could very well set the tone for a special season, and would certainly be a disaster for the media circus that is anticipating nothing short than a Patriot rout of the Bills as Tom Brady makes his triumphant return to the NFL.

I would also imagine that the Vegas gambling network would collapse considering how much money is likely going to be waged on this one in the Pats favor, as they will likely be at least 14 point favorites by kickoff.

2) AT Miami 10/04/09

Whether you want to call it Land Shark Stadium, Joe Robbie Stadium, Pro Player Stadium, etc; the Bills have won three of last five in South Florida. This is a very key game for both teams because the Dolphins could very well be 0-3 going into this one, which would give the Bills an opportunity to go for the jugular early.

Conversely, if the Bills lose in New England, they will be desperate to avoid a 0-2 start in division play, and for a team that went 0-6 in division play last year the pressure will mount fast.

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