Buffalo Bills Must Curb Divisional Woes To Finish Above .500

The Buffalo Bills will never openly admit it, but Bernard Pollard may have been on their early Christmas card list last year.  When the Chiefs safety took out Tom Brady for the year in Week One, the AFC East division was up for grabs. 

Unfortunately for Bills fans, injuries and the loss of all six divisional games cost the Bills a chance to break their nine season playoff drought. 

For the Bills to return to the postseason they will need to pile up the W's in their division and beat the teams they are supposed to beat. Another 0-6 record against the AFC East simply will not get it done. 

In 2008, the Bills started off 4-0 and after Brady went down the Buffalo faithful could smell a playoff berth. 

In Week Five they came crashing down to earth against the Arizona Cardinals and went on to finish 7-9 for the third straight season. Arizona went on to the Super Bowl, but the Bills divisional losses that came later proved to be the death blow. 

In Week Eight the Bills D let Ted Ginn Jr. put up 175 yards and blew a nine point lead en route to a loss against the Dolphins. Chad Pennington also notched his first 300-yard game since 2006, something that should be bulletin board material for the Bills defense this season. 

The Dolphins took the league by surprise last year, wildcatting their way to an AFC East title. This year, no coach or coordinator worthy of his job should be caught off guard by their tactics. 

Pennington won comeback player of the year, but given his injury history it would be lunacy to expect a repeat performance.  In week 15 the Bills scored a mere three points against the Dolphins; however, it should be noted that J.P. Losman started in place of Trent Edwards. 

A healthy, functional offense should be enough to conquer the Dolphins, even with the return of an aging Jason Taylor.  The Bills need to have sweep on their minds against the Dolphins in 2009. 

Buffalo did not fare any better against the New York Jets. 

In Week Nine, the Jets held Buffalo’s backfield to 31 total yards. A Week 15 loss stemmed from a roll out play by JP Losman on 3rd-and-short that resulted in a fumble return for a touchdown.

Even novice fans questioned why Marshawn Lynch went unused in a short yardage situation. 

“That goes right on me. It backfired clearly and caused us to lose the game. ...It's one of those times in a game that's pretty good for a pass, right before the two-minute," coach Dick Jauron told the media after the game.  

Really coach? Lynch torched the Jets that day for 127 yards on 21 carries and the Bills had the lead when Jauron stepped over offensive coordinator Turk Schonert to call a pass.

This year the Jets have improved their defense with the addition of Lito Sheppard but their QB situation will be a battle between Kellen Clemens and the much hyped USC product Mark Sanchez. Despite the ballyhoo and jersey sales, Sanchez has yet to stare down an NFL defense. 

Running back Thomas Jones is getting older and has a group of what seems like backfield interns behind him. Logic would dictate that an ivy-league veteran like Dick Jauron should be able to out coach the Jets’ rookie coach Rex Ryan, but Jauron’s body of work is not convincing anyone except Marv Levy. 

Jauron’s mediocrity aside, a season sweep of the Jets is well within Buffalo’s reach. Much like the Dolphins, the Bills will need to beat the Jets as they have little luck against New England. 

Over the past three seasons, the Bills against the Patriots resembled Charlie Brown trying to kick the football, with Bill Belichick playing the part of Lucy. 

As soon as the Bills signed TO, Belichick snagged cornerback Shawn Springs from the Redskins due to his experience against Owens. The two have faced each other every season since 2002 and Springs now has Ellis Hobbs on the other side of him. 

On top of that, the NFL’s version of the Mega Powers will reunite as moody receiver Randy Moss will have his savior Tom Brady back. 

The duo shattered records in 2007 and unless Brady’s reconstructed knee completely falls apart there’s no reason to expect they can’t do it again. Even without Brady, the Bills could not solve the Patriots and Matt Cassel in 2008. 

Six of the Patriots’ front seven continue to limp closer to the nursing home, but it doesn’t really matter when the offense can put up Tecmo-Bowl-like numbers. 

Oh and that Wes Welker guy who caught over 100 passes two seasons in a row (as an undersized slot receiver, he’s still around, too. 

The Bills will need a hefty sacrifice to the Football Gods for even a split with the Patriots.

The Bills' defense needs Paul Posluszny and Donte Whitner healthy for a full season to break out of their 7-9 funk. An impact from first round pick DE Aaron Maybin would be an added bonus. 

The maturity of signal caller Trent Edwards and offensive line play is the key to the Bills offense, and of course there is the ultimate ex factor of Terrell Owens. 

It is not unreasonable for anyone to expect a 4-2 record against the AFC East and with a few lucky bounces a winning record. Good team chemistry could give them a chance at a wild card, but with Owens around that is far from a guarantee.