Another week, another game, let us take a moment to pray to whatever football gods are up there.
"May the Bills somehow, against the odds, pull out a win. May their defense remain strong and healthy and persevere without the beastly forces of Kawika Mitchell and Poz. May whatever man suits up at QB actually throw the ball and may his lineman effectively block so that he has time to. May our running game find its rhythm and--if Coach Gailey insists on rotating three RBs--may they each find their own strengths to contribute. May Lindell continue to be on point and make the tough FGs under pressure and may Moorman give the Packers crappy field position, while Roscoe gives us great field position. And, above all dear football gods, please...a win."
On paper, Week 2 on the road against Green Bay doesn't look promising. In our heart of hearts, though, it could happen and here's why.
-Green Bay's No.1 running back Ryan Grant is out with an injury, so they'll be relying on their two back ups. While those guys do seem fairly capable and individually had more carries and yards than all our RBs combined (well, almost), it's bound to shake up the team just a little bit mentally, knowing that their top guy is benched with an injury. Let's hope our improving run D can take advantage of that doubt and hold them.
-Our run game is set to look much better than last week, at least according to everyone over at One Bills Drive. And that plan could very well play out against a Green Bay defense that is notorious for giving up yards on the ground. This might just be the game for Spiller to find his NFL feet and for my Freddy J to look like the powerhouse from last season. Maybe Marshawn will even break into his "beast mode" ...although I'm still not holding my breath.
-Aaron Rodgers is good and definitely came out and proved (eventually) that he has what it takes to be a starting QB--which wasn't an easy thing to do in Favre's super gray 5 o'clock shadow. The problem for Rodgers is, his performance last week wasn't yet what it was last season and his pass protection...well, I wouldn't go right to great...and our pass rush is actually decent. Also, Jairus Byrd will likely be able to start this week and I have full confidence in his ability to pick off a Rodgers pass that might not be 100 percent on point.
-Our QB situation is clearly more than a bit iffy, it's a legit mess. However, if Trent Edwards can get rid of that scared rabbit look he had goin' on last week and realize he's in the NFL so he should probably play like it, we might have a chance. That's because Green Bay supposedly has a pass rush that's not great, which is borderline amazing news for us. Whatever it takes for Edwards gets his confidence (and skills) back, I'm down with, even if that means looking good against attackers that aren't so good. If that ball gets launched down the field and Lee catches it, I'll take it.
-Speaking of Lee, he was noticeably frustrated with not getting the ball thrown to him last week against Miami, so in the interest of preserving the ever-so-important QB/WR relationship...please throw the ball Trent. In case you need some encouragement, here's a nice video someone made for you last year--although I wouldn't go right to "tribute."
-While two key members of our defense are still banged up enough to sit this week (and several more) out, the Packers' D is hurting too, with several active players still working through preseason injuries. That evens the playing field...kind of.
-Our biggest advantage, I think, will be our sheer desire to dig ourselves out of the small ditch we got ourselves into last week. This is supposed to be our year to make a comeback--or at least finish close to even (baby steps, people) and we need to win to do that.
-The Packers' biggest advantage will be playing at home and FEELING like they're the stronger team. Strength, though, is a multi-faceted, many-layered state of mind. Look out!
GO BILLS!!!