Will the Buffalo Bills' Playoff Drought End in 2008?

Bills contain Frank Gore and take care of business.

Projected Record After November: 7-5

December

Week 14 vs. Miami (In Toronto)

Bills handle Dolphins, despite lack of the Buffalo faithful at the Ralph. This may be slightly off topic, but I think it sucks they had to take the Dolphins game away from the hometown fans.

Week 15 at NY Jets

Bills squeak by Jets in a close one on the strength of D.

Week 16 at Denver

I see the Bills dropping this one in a tough road environment, but this game could break either way.

Week 17 vs. New England

Possible playoff berth riding on the line here. The Bills don't lack motivation and heart, but barring the Pats sitting key players for playoff rest, I wouldn't count on this. The Bills need to reach 10-11 wins before Week 17.

Final projected record: 9-7

That's just my prediction of how each game will break. Certainly everyone will have their own view on these.

Any game can swing on the slightest unseen variable, so this type of prediction is always a crapshoot. That said, I see the Bills' D making a large improvement, and the offense will come along, too, though more slowly than the defensive unit.

There are a lot of factors that could swing the season to the good or bad for Buffalo, but even if the playoff drought isn't broken, the team will certainly take a step in the right direction.

The keys to watch are improvement of the run D, improvement of the passing attack, and health of the team. If the roster is wracked with injuries, the Bills will be behind the eight ball once again and will likely fail to reach the playoffs.

I also believe that Dick Jauron must improve his game-day coaching. He has done excellent work in preparing the team and keeping them focused in the face of adversity (such as the QB controversy and onslaught of injuries last year).

However, he failed to make proper adjustments and stop slides in games such as the 8-0 loss to Cleveland and the heartbreaking Dallas loss, in which Jauron saw his team blow a fourth-quarter lead and lose on the final play.

Should those factors all happen, I think the Bills have the potential to win 10 games and snag a Wild Card berth. If some of them happen, eight or nine wins might be a bit more likely. If the defense and the passing game don't improve considerably, the Bills will likely be looking at seven to eight wins again.

I don't know what will happen; I'm just hoping that Buffalo will once again play a game in January. It's time.

Thanks for taking the time to have a look at my own opinions. Please do contribute your own thoughts and expectations. Let's just keep it respectful.

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