Buffalo Bills and 9 Teams Who've Shocked the NFL so Far in 2011

Every year, teams in the NFL never cease to shock us.  You could look at the 2009 Denver Broncos starting 6-0, the 1999 St. Louis Rams under Kurt Warner's leadership, or even the Seattle Seahawks defeating the New Orleans Saints in the playoffs back in January.

The 2011 season is young, but it has already supplied us with a load of surprises.  Naturally, this was to be expected after a lengthy lockout and an offseason full of transactions.

For some teams, being on this list will not be for the right reasons.  Some teams are simply awful.

Whether they're good, bad, or ugly, these teams have managed to shock us three weeks into the 2011 NFL season.

Kansas City Chiefs

It's shaping up to be one of the ugliest seasons Kansas City has ever season.  This comes after the team is fresh off a surprising AFC West title run in 2010.

Oh, what a difference a year can make.

The Chiefs have lost Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry for the season.  Matt Cassel looks like a bad college quarterback.  The offense is non-existant.

Overall, there's nothing you can say about this team that's all that positive.  Last year, they were great in the rushing game and the offense clicked on all cylinders.  Dwayne Bowe has fallen into the dreaded "after-thought" category to fantasy owners.

It doesn't help that the defense has given up 40+ points twice within the first three weeks. 

There were hopes of a second consecutive division title in 2011 for the Chiefs—instead, they may join the infamous 2008 Detroit Lions as one of the most shamed teams in history. 

Indianapolis Colts

Even before hearing about Peyton Manning's injury, I predicted that the Colts would miss the playoffs.  Then, I heard he was out and I KNEW they wouldn't go to the playoffs.

Here we are three weeks in.  I would never have fathomed that Indy would be this bad.

Kerry Collins is a shell of his former self, and that's saying a lot considering his former self only passed as a decent quarterback at best.  He's constantly under pressure, can't make an accurate throw, and looks uncomfortable in the pocket pretty much all the time.

Joseph Addai continues to be average, if not worse.  Pierre Garcon, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark,, and Austin Collie are all talented, but a lackluster quarterback brings them down.

The Colts' constantly absent defense?  Yeah, it's still there.

Go ahead and settle in Colts' fans; it's going to be the long season you never thought you would see.

St. Louis Rams

Last season, Sam Bradford and the St. Louis Rams finished a single game away from a stunning division title.  He had one of the better rookie showings in recent years.

2011 has been a different story for the Rams.  Bradford has thrown for just under 700 yards, half of which came in Week 2 by itself.  He's been erratic and under pressure all three weeks.

Steven Jackson continues to be marred by injury.  Overall, the offense has been unable to score more than 16 points in any of the first three weeks.  This was an offense that some thought would be one of the better ones in the league with quality receivers, a young quarterback and a great veteran running back.

The defense has also been largely terrible against the pass, allowing over 300 yards twice.  They also have allowed at least 28 points in all three games.

Not much pointing in the right direction so far in St. Louis.

Philadelphia Eagles

After an amazing string of free agent signings during the offseason, the Eagles have gotten off to a slow start at 1-2.

The defense played well against St. Louis in Week 1, but allowed 35 points against Atlanta and 29 against the Giants.  Not to mention, they couldn't tackle at all in Week 3.

Michael Vick is on injury number two for the year.  This may just be a little bad luck, but if you consider Week 1 where he didn't get hurt, that game wasn't exactly impressive.  He couldn't muster even 200 yards.

This is not a write-off of the Philadelphia Eagles.  That would just be foolish.  It's just shown that there are vulnerabilities and a lot of them. 

If they want to be as dominant as experts expect them to be, the Eagles need to plug a few holes.

Atlanta Falcons

Matt Ryan had a great Week 2 performance against the Eagles.  He ripped through the Philadelphia defense several times and with great ease.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the other two games.  After being the number one seed in the NFC in 2010, Atlanta has come out slow.  Their win in Week 2 was impressive, but Weeks 1 and 3 haven't been so much.

The high-powered Falcon offense put up only 12 points in Week 1 against Chicago and only 13 in Week 3 against Tampa Bay.  They simply aren't scoring in the red zone and can't convert on key opportunities. 

Michael Turner continues to be a force and Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez bring a veteran presence.  Again, this has gone wasted thus far. 

The defense also must step up.  The Falcons certainly have some weapons, but they've not been showing up.  Tampa Bay only scored 16, but both of the Falcons' previous opponents put up at least 30 points. 

Another top-seeded run is looking less likely.

Tennesse Titans

The Titans are 2-1 and are tied for the division lead with the Texans. 

What's unbelievable is that they've largely won their two games without Chris Johnson's help.  Thanks to his long holdout, he hardly looks ready to be on the field.

Instead, Matt Hasselbeck is looking like the quarterback that took the Seahawks to the Super Bowl years ago.  He's thrown five touchdowns to two interceptions and has a passer rating of 102.2. 

It appears he's a revived man, but that will be challenged after the loss of Kenny Britt.  Nate Washington has been a great target for Hasselback, as Washington has a lot of talent and is underrated.

The defense has also stepped up in a big way, allowing 16, 13, and 14 points through the first three weeks.  They collectively shut down Joe Flacco and Ray Rice in Week 2.

That presents me with another point.  Matt Hasselbeck put up over 350 yards against that tough Baltimore defense.  Can the Titans continue to play impressive football?

Detroit Lions

There are a lot of experts and fans who knew that this team would have playoff capabilities.  However, if you try to tell me you knew they'd be this dominant, then you're lying.

Matt Stafford has thrown nine touchdowns and 977 yards.  That's a sign of being a great quarterback. 

Jahvid Best is a great tool in the backfield and Stafford has reliable receivers in Calvin Johnson and Titus Young.  The offense has been clicking on all cylinders, no doubt about it.

The defense has been so-so, more specifically against a weak Minnesota offense that scored 23 points in week three.  Still, Ndamukong Suh continues to be one of the best nose tackles in the game and Nick Fairley has yet to even see the field yet.  That's a scary thought.

Dallas and Chicago are next on the schedule for the Lions.  Is 5-0 in their future?

Washington Redskins

Rex Grossman is the team's leader.  Let me say that again for emphasis—REX GROSSMAN is the leader of the Washington Redskins. 

Any other year, my response would be, "So, the Redskins are winless then?"

In 2011, that has translated into 2-1, but that very well could have been 3-0.  Grossman is finally beginning to flourish as a quarterback, having thrown for at least one touchdown and over 250 yards in each of the season's first three weeks. 

Tim Hightower is also shocking some people.  He's not doing anything particularly special, but he's done a great job of teaming up with Roy Helu and carrying the ball effectively.  Despite a weak showing Monday night against the Cowboys, his power is really beginning to show.

As for the defense, they have to be given their fair amount of respect as well.  They've been able to limit decent offenses to minimal points.  Eli Manning was sloppy, Kevin Kolb was lost, and Tony Romo was just irritated. 

I predicted the 'Skins would win two games or less in 2011.  It's still possible, but this team has proven to not be that bad.  They're currently tied atop the NFC East.

Buffalo Bills

Naturally, I had to save the best for last.  The Buffalo Bills have been playing the best football in the AFC—in a normal year, it would be best in the NFL, but the Packers are continuing to dominate.

I'm still not a 100 percent believer in them, though I am impressed.  Why am I not 100 percent? 

Do we remember the 2009 Broncos?  Ah, now we realize why they were mentioned on the opening slide!

However, this team is better.  Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown for nine touchdowns so far and is one of the most effective guys in the league.  Who would've thunk it?

Fred Jackson is quietly having a tremendous year as the power back he is.  Steve Johnson is beginning to come into the zone as one of football's elite wide receivers. 

The only cause for concern on this team is the defense.  They only allowed seven points to Kansas City during Week 1—given the opponent, that does NOT count as a good defensive performance.  They've allowed 35 points and 34 points on consecutive weeks.

In any case, I'm not about to bash this team after such a great start.  They're 3-0 and are looking like one of football's better teams.  No one expected it, and from the perspective of being a straight up football fan, I'd love to see the magic continue in Buffalo.