Buffalo Bills vs. Minnesota Vikings: Week 13 Preview and Keys to the Game
This Sunday the 2-9 Buffalo Bills travel to face the 4-7 Minnesota Vikings in a game featuring two teams that are going in opposite directions.
The Vikings just missed making the Super Bowl last year when they lost in the NFC Championship Game to Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints. They were supposed to contend again this year, but the season has been a disaster, and head coach Brad Childress was fired last week. Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier was promoted to interim head coach, and led the Vikings to a win on the road against the Washington Redskins last weekend.
The Bills on the other hand have begun a major overhaul. They are in the midst of the first year of their makeover under the guidance of general manager Buddy Nix and head coach Chan Gailey. Gone are veterans like Trent Edwards, Marshawn Lynch, Kawika Mitchell, Aaron Schobel, Derek Schouman and Brad Butler.
The Bills had a two-game winning streak snapped last weekend, when they dropped a heartbreaking game in overtime to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bills had numerous chances to win, but couldn't find a way to stretch the winning streak to three games.
The current Bills roster has 12 rookies on the active 53-man roster, so this is definitely a young team that makes their fair share of mistakes. The Bills play with plenty of heart and passion, and as witnessed by the last two games against Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, don't let the outcome of the first half fool you. You should not turn off your television set until the final gun sounds.
Is This the Final Time Bills Fans Will See Brett Favre?
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Is the 2010 season the swan song for Brett Favre? If you look at his performance numbers from the 2009 season to this year, the dropoff is substantial. Rather than take you through all of the painful statistics, I would direct you to an article I wrote about the very subject last week. Here is the link for those that want to dive in to his numbers.
It is hard to imagine Favre suiting up for 2011, but then again it was hard to do that for 2010 as well. He has lasted far beyond what most people could have imagined him lasting, so a tip of the hat for his grit, determination and ability to persevere.
But this is also the same guy that is leading the NFL in pass interceptions, and his touchdown to interceptions ratio is just plain ugly. For the year, Favre has thrown 17 interceptions to only 10 touchdowns. His QB passer rating is 71, which ranks him at 30th in the league.
He has been sacked 21 times already, and since the Bills were able to get to Ben Roethlisberger for five sacks last week, it is a good bet that they will find their way to Favre on Sunday.
Will Steve Johnson Bounce Back with a Big Game after the Drop?
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Everyone probably knows by now about the big dropped pass last weekend, as Steve Johnson let a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers drop right through his hands. Johnson was remorseful when he faced the media after the game. He then took to tweeting and let his frustrations take over. He declined to talk to the media on Monday.
The team however is squarely behind Johnson, as they should be. Johnson has proven to be a true star in the making on the Bills team, and the fans should continue their support of his effort and of him as an individual. His personality and attitude are refreshing.
The Vikings have issues at right cornerback as the tandem of Chris Cook and Asher Allen have not been getting the job done. The other cornerback is someone Bills fans might have heard of before Antoine Winfield. Winfield only has one interception on the year, but if he were still in a Bills uniform that one pick would have him tied for the team lead. Sad but true.
Ryan Fitzpatrick has stated that he will continue to throw the ball to Johnson despite the five drops by him last week. It will be curious to see what the final tally for targets to Johnson are, considering that the number was 15 in the cold weather at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
Minnesota Comes in With Key Player Banged Up
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Now that the calendar has turned to December, how about an early Christmas present for the Bills defense? How about not having to face Adrian Peterson due to a sprained ankle? Would that qualify as a gift?
Peterson is the third-best rusher in the NFL right now, having already eclipsed the century mark with 1,016 yards for the season. He is averaging 92 yards a game and also averages 4.7 yards per carry. His ankle sprain last Sunday that he was forced out of the game. His replacement, Stanford rookie Toby Gerhart stepped in and cranked out 76 yards in 22 carries.
So far word is that Peterson is limited, but nothing definitive yet that he will play or sit this game out. Gerhart by the way came up with a shoulder stinger last week, so he probably is feeling some pain as well.
Other hurting Vikings include guard Steve Hutchinson (bad thumb injury), defensive end Ray Edwards (had MRI on his ankle on Monday) and wide receiver Sidney Rice, who still seems to be rusty after coming off of his hip surgery. Rice managed just one catch for 20 yards last week against the Bears, so my guess is he is still not all the way back.
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Bills Have Their Own Health Issues To Deal With
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Dwan Edwards turned his back to the ball, and a Steelers lineman came up and gave him a shove in the back. Just like that, Edwards hurt his hamstring and his season is probably over as a result. Chan Gailey said that it is possible he might be back for the last game or possibly two, but at this point, it is probably for the best that he goes on I.R. and they give some more playing time to Spencer Johnson and Alex Carrington.
Other Bills with health issues that might be ready to come back and play this week are C.J. Spiller and Spencer Johnson. Both are thought to be available this Sunday. It will be interesting to see what C.J. can do on the artificial surface playing under the dome, so this could be a game that helps him have a more positive feeling about his rookie year. It would help if he broke a long play, via run, pass or return. It really doesn't matter which way, just as long as a few more happen.
Still questionable are Eric Wood and Terrence McGee. Kraig Urbick seemed to play fairly well last week, and he will need to step up again facing the Vikings defensive line which includes the Williams boys in the middle, and their sack leader Jared Allen on the end. It is a tough defensive line to contend with.
Inside the Numbers When the Bills Have the Ball
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Ryan Fitzpatrick is currently ranked number 20 of all NFL QB's, with a passer rating of 85.2. He has thrown 19 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. He has been sacked 16 times, completes 58 percent of his passes and his average pass is 6.75 yards. He is tied for ninth in the league for touchdowns with Carson Palmer and Matt Ryan.
The Bills offense is 25th overall, generating 318 yards a game. The pass offense is 23rd, averaging 208 yards a game, while the rush offense is 18th, generating 110 yards a game. The Bills offense averages 20.8 points a game, which is 20th in the league.
The Vikings defense is ninth overall, allowing 307 yards per game. The pass defense is 14th, giving up 215 yards a game, and the rush defense is fifth, allowing just 92 yards a game. The Vikings defense allows an average of 21.7 points a game.
A couple points of note. The Vikings defense is last in the league at recovering fumbles, as they only have three recoveries for the entire season. That is pretty low. The defense is tough to string together a long drive, as they have only allowed 182 total first downs for the season, which is fourth best in the league.
Inside the Numbers When the Vikings Have the Ball
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The Vikings offense is ranked 20th in the league, averaging 333 yards per game. The pass offense is picking up 213 yards a game (19th in NFL) and the rush offense is 10th in the league, averaging 120 yards per game.
The Vikings average just 17 points a game, which has them ranked in the bottom three, at 30th place.
The Bills defense is ranked 26th in the league, by allowing an average of 377 yards per game. Their pass defense is 11th, at 209 yards a game, while the woeful rushing defense is dead last, giving up a whopping 167 yards per game. Obviously, the health of Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart will be instrumental in how the Vikings opt to move the ball against the Bills.
The Bills defense is 30th in the league at allowing first downs, as the 245 this year places them in the bottom three of the league.
The Bills defense is No. 1 in the NFL for tackles, however. The Bills defense has come up with 961 tackles, which is tops in the league. They are ranked fourth in solo tackles at 635, and are first in assists on tackles at 326, by a wide margin. What this means is that the Bills defense hustles to the ball and does lots of gang tackling, but it is usually too far down field from the line of scrimmage to get overly excited about it.
Star Players in This Game
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Just like last year, Fred Jackson is making a run in the second half of the season. He had come up with 100-yard rushing games for two straight weeks in the wins over Detroit and Cincinnati. Last week against Pittsburgh, he ran the ball effectively, but wound up leading all Bills receivers with over 100 yards through the air. Jackson continues to prove his versatility and is very underrated as a player.
The Bills will look to use their four receiver sets with Lee Evans, Chris Johnson, David Nelson and Donald Jones to spread the Vikings defense. If the Vikings pass rush gets to Ryan Fitzpatrick too quickly, he will revert to the short passing game, and let the Bills receivers pick up yards after the catch, something they excel at.
On defense, the Bills have two of the top tacklers in the league, as Donte Whitner ranks No. 4 with 104, while Paul Posluszny is No. 9 with 96. The Vikings by the way, have the No. 3 tackler in the league, with linebacker Chad Greenway with 108.
For the Vikings, Brett Favre will have wide receivers Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin to throw to, along with tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, who led the Vikings last week in receiving yards against the Redskins. We have already talked about the running back duo of Peterson and Gerhart, so it will be curious to see what their health is like as the week progresses.
On defense, Bills fans are familiar with Antoine Winfield and Pat Williams. The Vikings also have Jared Allen and Ray Edwards to make a formidable pass rush from the end position.
What To Expect From This Game
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A jubilant Brett Favre handed the game ball to new interim head coach Leslie Frazier after the final gun went off last Sunday. It seems that new life has been breathed in to the Vikings team, as Brad Childress had apparently sucked the life out of the team. Just the Bills' luck, they catch a team that is now playing inspired ball.
No matter, that defines the Bills team anyway. They are playing hard for Chan Gailey and the Vikings game will be one more yard stick to measure just how good the current Bills team truly is. The Bills are playing for pride at this point, as the Vikings are as well. Neither team appears to be in any kind of a position to even think about the playoffs, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see both teams starting to audition some of their younger players over the final five games of the season.
One thing we did not touch on yet is turnovers. The Vikings are last in the NFC with a minus-12 rating on turnovers, while the Bills are next to last in the AFC Conference with a minus-seven rating. Teams that keep losing the ball usually lose their games, so that would help to explain the combined record of the two teams at 6-16.
Expect this to be a close game, as both teams are going to be inspired to play for their head coaches. I really think the Bills will go out of their way to restore the confidence in Steve Johnson, and the Bills will try their best to pour the pressure on Brett Favre and try to force him in to some bad throws. Maybe the Bills will come up with a couple interceptions, because the picks have been M.I.A. all season long.
Andre Reed Was Included in the Semifinalists for Hall of Fame Consideration
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Courtesy of www.profootballhof.com, here is the list of the 26 semifinalists for possible induction in to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Bills fans are proud to see Andre Reed included in the list. He is up against some tough competition, but we hope that the people that are entrusted with voting, will make Andre the wide receiver that gets the nod this year.
Here is the list of the semi-finalists:
Jerome Bettis, RB – 1993-95 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 1996-2005 Pittsburgh Steelers
Tim Brown, WR/KR – 1988-2003 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, 2004 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Cris Carter, WR – 1987-89 Philadelphia Eagles, 1990-2001 Minnesota Vikings, 2002 Miami Dolphins
Don Coryell, Coach – 1973-77 St. Louis Cardinals, 1978-1986 San Diego Chargers
Roger Craig, RB – 1983-1990 San Francisco 49ers, 1991 Los Angeles Raiders, 1992-93 Minnesota Vikings
Terrell Davis, RB – 1995-2001 Denver Broncos
Dermontti Dawson, C – 1988-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers
Edward DeBartolo, Jr., Owner – 1979-1997 San Francisco 49ers
Richard Dent, DE – 1983-1993, 1995 Chicago Bears, 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 1996 Indianapolis Colts, 1997 Philadelphia Eagles
Chris Doleman, DE/LB – 1985-1993, 1999 Minnesota Vikings, 1994-95 Atlanta Falcons, 1996-98 San Francisco 49ers
Marshall Faulk, RB – 1994-98 Indianapolis Colts, 1999-2005 St. Louis Rams
Kevin Greene, LB/DE – 1985-1992 Los Angeles Rams, 1993-95 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1996, 1998-99 Carolina Panthers, 1997 San Francisco 49ers
Ray Guy, P – 1973-1986 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
Charles Haley, DE/LB – 1986-1991, 1999 San Francisco 49ers, 1992-96 Dallas Cowboys
Lester Hayes, CB – 1977-1986 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
Cortez Kennedy, DT – 1990-2000 Seattle Seahawks
Curtis Martin, RB – 1995-97 New England Patriots, 1998-2005 New York Jets
Art Modell, Owner – 1961-1995 Cleveland Browns, 1996-2003 Baltimore Ravens
Andre Reed, WR – 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins
Willie Roaf, T – 1993-2001 New Orleans Saints, 2002-05 Kansas City Chiefs
Ed Sabol, Contributor – 1964-1995 NFL Films
Deion Sanders, CB/KR/PR – 1989-1993 Atlanta Falcons, 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 1995-99 Dallas Cowboys, 2000 Washington Redskins, 2004-05 Baltimore Ravens
Shannon Sharpe, TE – 1990-99, 2002-03 Denver Broncos, 2000-01 Baltimore Ravens
Paul Tagliabue, Commissioner – 1989-2006 National Football League
Aeneas Williams, CB/S – 1991-2000 Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, 2001-04 St. Louis Rams
George Young, Contributor – 1968-1974 Baltimore Colts, 1975-78 Miami Dolphins, 1979-1997 New York Giants, 1998-2001 National Football League
The list of 26 semifinalists will be reduced by mail ballot to 15 modern-era finalists. That list increases to 17 finalist nominees with the inclusion of the two recommended candidates of the Hall of Fame’s Seniors Committee. The Seniors Committee nominees, who were announced in August, are linebacker Chris Hanburger, Washington Redskins (1965-1978) and linebacker Les Richter, Los Angeles Rams (1954-1962).
Bills News: Add Two Former South Florida Players To Practice Squad
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Due to the promotion of two practice squad members to the active roster last week, the Bills filled those two vacancies with teammates from South Florida. Pictured here is guard Marc Dile, who went undrafted after graduation in 2009. The other player was cornerback Trae Williams, who was a fifth round pick of Jacksonville in 2008.
My best guess is that Williams may serve as an insurance policy for Terrence McGee, who continues to be troubled by his leg nerve injury that required surgery earlier in the season. The Bills team just continues to get younger and younger with every passing week.
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