Counterfeit Bills?

It's been an agonizing decade for the Buffalo Bills and their fans. The organizations' coaching and player turnover would be highly spot-shadowed if it weren't for the ultimate mockery of an organization: the Oakland Raiders. 

Nevertheless, the Bills won their season opener for the first time in three years and are off to their best start since the 1992 season. Despite the Bills' spotless record, there are many pundits who question the teams' legitimacy. This is largely in part due to the Bills' "soft schedule" thus far. 

The four opponents they have faced (Sea, Jax, Oak, Stl) have a combined four total wins. The lack of quality opponents they have faced is one of the main reason why the Bills are left out of the conversation as a top-five NFL team in the majority of the power rankings. 

On cursory inspection, it seems easy to discredit the Bills; although, if a closer look is given to this year's performance, as well as recent Buffalo history, it would prove just how truly monumental of a start this is for Buffalo.

Last year, the Bills lost their season opener to the Denver Broncos, 19-17. The Bills allowed a 4th-and-19 conversion with under a minute to go in play, which set up a Jason Elam field goal as time elapsed. Devastating. Bills fans are used to this type game. Rewind to 2005. Bills begin 0-4. 

All of a sudden, they become the league's hottest team by reeling off nine of their next 11 games. Enter Week 17. Buffalo is home, has all the momentum in the world, and is playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have already clinched a wild-card berth. 

Oh, did I mention the Steelers practically benched any player of significance? Bills fall behind by three scores early and outplay the Steelers for the next three quarters, only to come up short. What a waste of a promising 11 weeks. If only the Bills had started better. 

Let's look even further back to 2004. The Bills squared off against Jacksonville. Despite outplaying the Jaguars for the entire game, the Bills once again failed to put a team away early in the game, allowing the Jaguars to complete a touchdown pass on fourth down with no time remaining. 

These types of losses in the past have proven irrecoverable for the Bills' organization.  For those still not sold on the Bills being arguably the unluckiest team in the NFL, well, sorry, that's the best I can do, as I refuse to put into words my feelings on the Music City Miracle.

Back to this season. 

A close look at each game provides great optimism for Bills fans. Each win has its own intangible. Week One, they pulverize Seattle. Buffalo was the better team and had the pedal to the metal for four quarters. 

This showed their staying power. Week Two, they get into an absolute dogfight in Jacksonville, and just when it appeared they let the game slip away, they have a huge drive, capped off by a touchdown from their rookie second-round draft pick, James Hardy.

This displayed Buffalo's resiliency, not to mention winning in one of the toughest places to play in the NFL, largely in part due to the scorching Jacksonville temperatures.  Week Three, they looked the sloppiest they had all season. 

The Oakland Raiders, of all teams, are blitzing and frustrating Trent Edwards and the Bills' offense. The Raiders outmatch the Bills in the first half. Cue the fourth quarter. The Bills are down by 12 points and go to the no-huddle, spread offense. They start picking apart the Raiders' secondary and kick a game-winning 38-yard field goal as time expires. This win evidences their ability to make adjustments. 

Turk Schoenert, Buffalo's first year offensive coordinator does a miraculous job adjusting the protection scheme and Edwards is unscathed in the fourth quarter.

Week Four, the Bills are playing sloppy and are lucky to be in the game against the inept St. Louis Rams. Once again, the Bills make great second-half adjustments and continue to lean on St. Louis, eventually causing them to collapse as the Bills end up winning in a landslide. 

This most recent victory displayed Buffalo's endurance and explosiveness. They have the ability to strike from any three phases of the ball. A huge punt return sets up a Bills offensive TD, which is then compounded by a Jabari Greer interception return for a TD.

The Bills should only get better as the weeks' surpass as their All Pro LT Jason Peters continues to get into the flow after going through a hold out all of training camp. The Bills have signed free agent fullback Corey Mcintyre, which should help the run game tremendously. 

Marshawn Lynch is only averaging 3.5 yards per carry, but this should certainly spike with the addition of the "Mack Truck." The way the defense is playing, I don't see any fold in this bunch, as this is a very young, energized team that is playing hard and expects to win.

Whether you want to give praise to the Bills or remain an infidel, one cannot refute that they are learning how to win and are now coming out on top in the type of games they lost in the past.

If critics and analysts are so scrupulous of strength of schedule, then how come the Tennessee Titans are being crowned the AFC's elite, when the teams they have faced have only a combined three wins. 

Regardless, one thing is for certain, if the Bills fail to make the playoffs, it won't be because of their start, and to Bills fans, there's solace in that.