Rumblin' Herd: Buffalo Bills Stampede Past Overmatched Seahawks in Opener

Buffalo Bills fans left Ralph Wilson Stadium today and finally had something to smile about. It's been a while. The opener, in overcast Orchard Park, seemed like something manifested by the collective dreams of those same fans.

The game went perfectly, according to not only the wishes of the Bills' faithful, but the game plan of Dick Jauron and the rest of the Bills' coaching staff. 

Across the sideline, Mike Holmgren and the Seattle Seahawks make the long trip back to the Pacific Northwest, frustrated, more injured, and wondering what hit them. The reigning NFC West champs, who have been one of the more consistent teams in the NFL over the past five years, couldn't have looked any further away from home.

As the game began, both offenses looked as if they forgot they were done with the preseason, as the Seahawks delivered the first first-down of the game with 8:32 left in the first quarter.

The rain was doing its job on both quarterbacks and receivers, affecting the grip on the ball, which led to drops and over-throws to start. The game gained its offensive firepower when Lee Evans ran a perfect deep fade route, and Trent Edwards placed the ball perfectly in his out-stretched arms for a 32-yard completion.

Later in the drive, Turk Schonert displayed his creativity, dialing up a spread-draw play that allowed Marshawn Lynch to dance his way into the end zone for the first score of the game. The momentum then began to shift Buffalo's way.

Following a few drives that didn't amount to much by both squads, Roscoe Parrish brought the Ralph's already rowdy crowd to a whole new noise level. His 63-yard punt return for a touchdown reminded Bills fans, and the rest of the league, for that matter, of his speed, agility, and capability to find a hole.

When it seemed the Bills fans had nothing to worry about, veteran signal caller Matt Hasselbeck drove his 'Hawks down the field and connected on a beautiful pass-and-catch with Nate Burleson in the corner of the end zone to draw Seattle to within one score.

The first half drew to a close with defensive-line dominance, anchored by Marcus Stroud, resulting in two field goals, stretching Buffalo's lead to 13, taking a 20-7 advantage into the locker room.

The third quarter can normally win or lose a game for a team, and the Bills came out sticking to their gameplan, while making the necessary changes in order to increase their lead.

Following conservative calls from both offensive coordinators to begin the second half, Olindo Mare's 45-yard field goal that squeaked through the uprights had everyone pondering the possibility of a competitive game.

Boy were they wrong.

Buffalo countered with a decent drive of their own, highlighting Evans and Lynch, but had to settle for a field goal. Or did they? Ryan Denney stood, incognito, near the far sideline, and Brian Moorman took the snap and threw a perfect strike to the defensive lineman, which resulted in an easy score.

Moorman's throw really could have been anywhere; Denney was as wide open as you can be. The trickery really deflated the Seahawks. One play after the Seahawks fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, Trent Edwards beamed a laser between two cover men into the end zone and found Robert Royal for six.

His throw erased any questions about the strength of the second year quarterback's arm and had everyone in Western New York singing "Shout" louder than ever. The 14 points in 25 seconds essentially ended the game.

The margin of victory was not necessarily important, but the sheer domination against a solid Seahawks team opened many eyes. The defensive line continually threw very successful blitz packages at Hasselbeck, and the offensive line, spotlighted by the play of Kirk Chambers, kept an above-average Seattle pass rush in check all day.

Edwards made plays when he needed to, without turning it over, and Marshawn Lynch was in beast mode from opening kickoff. The 34-10 victory marked the first opening-season win for the Bills since 2005 and gives Bills fans some basis behind "Billieving."