Bills-Chargers: Edwards & Mitchell Short-Circuit the Chargers

On a gorgeous Autumn afternoon in Orchard Park, NY, the Buffalo Bills faced the San Diego Chargers in a game that turned out to live up to the hype. The Bills triumphed over the Chargers, 23-14, capitalizing on three San Diego turnovers, while playing their most complete game of the season against their toughest competition.

Oh, I forgot to mention something pretty important. For two periods, which seemed to be an eternity, the Ralph went pre-historic as it lost all power, cutting off the TV feeds across the country. Many followed on the radio, which was being broadcast via speakerphone from the Bills' commentators' mobiles.

The power outages, which occurred in the first and second half, took some away, for fans outside the stadium at least, from what was a very entertaining and competitive football game.

The Bills got on the board first, without many of their Western New York fans watching. Trent Edwards immediately erased any questions that lingered after his concussion as he hit Lee Evans on the right sideline for 20 yards to begin the drive. The drive stalled, as a screen to Marshawn Lynch fell just short of a first down. Rian Lindell added a 38-yard field goal to make the score 3-0 early.

The Chargers, still riding their momentum from last week's win, were led 78 yards down the field by Phillip Rivers and scored when Malcolm Floyd made a diving catch in the back of the end zone. San Diego took the lead 7-3.

As power surged in and out, Edwards took charge of his Bills, generating a drive that saw the second year signal-caller throw many short, but successful, passes as Buffalo moved closer to scoring range. After a third down was stopped four-yards short, Rian Lindell missed a 52-yard field goal. All the energy, both literally and figuratively, seemed to be taken out of the Bills.

With the Chargers looking to take a firm grip on the blackout game, Rivers carved his way through Buffalo's zone defense, as he completed many underneath throws to wideouts. From his own 48, on 3rd-and-4, Rivers dropped back and upon releasing, dropped the football, which was recovered by offseason acquisition Marcus Stroud for Buffalo. Right at about this time, power was regained in the Bills' Stadium and the players were ready to stay in sync with the newly found electricity

Not seeming to miss a beat, Edwards, without much help from his running game, managed his team into the red zone for the first time. Fred Jackson was the go-to guy, catching balls out of the backfield, and his second-down run brought Buffalo inside the five.

On first down, the Bills lined up as if they were running, with a two-tight-end set. Lee Evans was spread out wide. Upon dropping back, Edwards, to the surprise of the Chargers, lofted a fade pass to Evans, who made a spectacular, one-handed grab in the corner of the end zone. As he scraped his second foot in bounds, Evans cradled the ball with his right hand and his helmet, to assure possession. 10-7 Buffalo.

After stopping San Diego on their following drive, Lindell redeemed himself with a late second-quarter field goal, giving Buffalo the lead 13-7 at the half.

The second half started with again, no picture anywhere, as we were warped back to the '40s with everyone glued to their radios. Buffalo's opening drive was halted and the door swung open for the ever dangerous San Diego Chargers.

Vincent Jackson's 31-yard reverse caught the Bills napping and gave San Diego a prime opportunity to take the momentum back to their sideline. And they did. On a crucial 3rd-and-12, Rivers beamed a lightning bolt to Jackson, as he worked on rookie Leodis Mckelvin. The fist-pumping Rivers put his team on top, 14-13. 

Midway through the third, Buffalo was desperate for more heroics from their quarterback Edwards, and he again responded. A 78-yard drive, which was highlighted by accurate tosses and even a 12-yard scamper by Edwards (which had WNY holding its collective breath) was finished by Marshawn Lynch's nine-yard gallop into the right corner of the end zone.

The road to the paint was constructed by bulldozing blocks downfield by Langston Walker and Fred Jackson. After Lindell's extra point, Buffalo was again on top, 20-14.

Many San Diego fans weren't overly nervous, as their quarterback had no trouble with the Bills' secondary the entire day up to that point. He was again taking care of business, spraying the ball all over the field to Jackson and Floyd, moving into the red zone. On 1st-and-goal from the nine, Rivers made a throw he wishes he could have back.

Looking for his favorite target Antonio Gates, Rivers threw into double coverage and veteran Kawika Mitchell dropped back into his zone and intercepted the ball, returning it to the 31. The Ralph was again rocking, as it has a lot this year, and finally everyone not at the game could witness the contest's intensity.

The Bills did what they needed to do on their following drive, as they held onto the ball and ran their offensive conservatively after a 16-yard seam-route catch by the often over-shadowed Josh Reed. Rian Lindell booted his third field goal of the game, giving the Bills a comfortable nine-point cushion.

They were down nine, but there was still time left for the Chargers to mount a comeback. But two plays after his untimely INT, Rivers again was haunted by Kawika Mitchell. His perfectly timed blitz ended with a forced fumble and a recovery by the Bills' Copeland Bryan.

Buffalo promptly snapped the ball three times, and the game was over. Bills 23, San Diego 14. Buffalo will try to stay hot as they kick off in Miami next Sunday against the 2-4 Dolphins. Game time set for 1 PM EDT.

Buffalo's win marks the first time since 1995 that the Bills have reached 5-1, a season in which they made the playoffs. This could be considered one of the biggest wins in Bills recent history.

AFC contender legitimacy was solidified, and the team bounced back from their loss two weeks prior. Holding San Diego's offense, which was averaging near 30 points a game, to only 14 is a feat in itself. Edwards is quickly becoming one of the more efficient quarterbacks in the league. And although not stacking up the numbers, the defense and the running game are doing enough to get the job done.

Many believed this would be a great test for Buffalo, and the Bills passed with flying colors. Hopefully they can work the kinks out in the Ralph. It'd be a shame to miss anymore of this new era in Buffalo. But one thing is for sure; you can most certainly Billieve.