Aerial Showdown: Matt Schaub Vs. Buffalo Bills Pass Defense

Sorry I can't do the generic Game Preview.

There's too many out there. How many can one possibly read leading up to a game?

My advice...read my Featured Columnist colleague Dan Van Wie's previews, they're good. He does a much better job hyping a game that I ever could.

I'm more of a numbers/match-up guy.

Anyhow, this week's most intriguing story comes from the rocket arm of Matt Schaub and the turnover-creating Bills defense.

Let's break down these two critical aspects of Sunday's game.

Matt Schaub is currently:

First in passing yards (2,074)

First in touchdown passes (16)

Third in total completions (163)

He's got weapons too.

Andre Johnson is about as scary as they come in terms of wide receivers, and Owen Daniels, yes, Owen Daniels should be a household name if he's not already. He deserves the notoriety.

Andre Johnson is:

First in receiving yards (634)

First in targets (70)

T-3rd with nine receptions over 20 yards.

The guy looks like a linebacker but runs like an Olympic track star.

Don't sleep on Owen Daniels either.

Through six games Daniels is:

Sixth in first down receptions (27)

Second among TE's with 39 receptions

First in TE receiving yards 497.

He can certainly play the tight end position.

The Buffalo Bills counter with a defense that prides itself on giving an anemic offense great opportunities to score points—by creating those ever-important things called turnovers. They're giving opposing quarterbacks fits this year.

The Bills defense is:

T-1st with 13 interceptions

Third in yards per attempt allowed 5.8

Second in opposing quarterback rating allowed at 58.

I touched on these very stats in my article comparing the run defense and the pass defense , but they continued their outstanding play, therefore I feel the need to reiterate how shockingly good the pass defense has been.

Sure they've faced some shaky quarterbacks in the past three weeks (Derek Anderson, Mark Sanchez, and Jake Delhomme) but the Bills didn't allow these struggling quarterbacks to have a rebound game against their unit.

They did hold Drew Brees and Tom Brady to somewhat pedestrian numbers remember.

What's going to give?

It's very tough to predict this one—even the "experts" would have a hard time, though I think the majority is leaning toward Houston's pass offense getting the best of the Bills.

Andre Johnson has been hurt, but don't expect him to slow down his locomotive-like engine, and I don't envision Perry Fewell changing much with his super-successful game plan.

The determining factor, to me, is the pass rush. Schaub has been sacked 12 times this season, which carries a mediocre standing in the NFL.

The Bills D-line is revitalized. They've already accumulated 16 quarterback take downs.

The point is, Matt Schaub isn't known for his mobility. If he gets into a groove, stays relaxed in the pocket, things may turn in Houston's favor. But if an early pressure leads to a bad interception, the Bills will have extreme momentum. There's nothing better for a crowd to feed off than tremendous defensive play. 

Schaub can be rattled, but also can look as comfortable as Brady back there.

Whichever team sets the tone early, has the advantage.

What do I think will happen?

I think Schaub will have a good day, but nothing spectacular. At home, the crowd really gets behind the defense that, for the most part, has played out of their minds as of late—especially at the Ralph.

This makes me believe Schaub could be forced into a bad throw in the early going, as the Texans haven't been able to rely on Steve Slaton producing great yardage on first down.

On obvious passing downs, the Texans won't have as big of an edge on the Bills secondary as it may seem on paper.

I don't dare to make a game prediction, but I envision a near draw between these two heavy-weights, with the unit that makes one or two more plays deciding the winner.

That close.