This weeks cut on future opponents

[Pyrite Gal]

All along, I have held that the key to assessing the 2006 season is not simply what folks think about the Bills (we're doomed) but also an assessment of how our opponents look. As reality occurs, this obviously changes, but overall, I think no matter how little you think of the Bills chances, the 1-15 rants were simply nuts because not only can any team be beaten by even a horrible team on any given Sunday, but no matter how bad we really might be there are opponents we face who are equally as bad or in fact worse.

 

This perspective is not dead lock certain predictive either, since as we saw yesterday on a given Sunday even a really bad team (as I still think the Jets are) may well beat you at home. However, this is my cut on the past games and future opponents after week 3.

 

 

Sept. 10 @ New England L 19-17 - A surprisingly nice performance on the road against a recent multi-time SB winner in their house. I am not a real believer in the "moral" victory designation as morality as little to do with football results and like it or not this team is 0-1. However, acknowledging realtiy deems folks note that this performance was surprisingly better than expected from this team.

 

Sept. 17 @ Miami W 16-6 - another surprisingly good performance and this time a W on the road against thse pretenders.

 

Sept. 24 NY Jets Preview - A stinker. The Bills had to be expected to lay an egg when they should not have and though the real answer is that this team is not that good (though 1-15 still strikes me as really a stupid prediction) there is still potential that they might balance this loss of a should win game with a win of a should lose game. I doubt they will prove to be that good to make us that lucky but hope springs eternal or until the fat lady sings or some other cliche.

 

 

 

 

 

Oct. 1 Minnesota 1:00pm - Our friends in Chicago may have provided Fairchild with a good primer on how to take advantage of the weaknesses in the Vikes D as the Vikes got beaten at home and should be beatable when they come to our house. The 2-1 Vikes may end up being favored over the 1-2 Bills, but all of their games have been close so they are certainly not a juggernaut and they are beatable though i think they may well be a better team overall than our Billsl

 

Oct. 8 @ Chicago 1:00pm - a 3-0 start by the Bears should make this a likely loss for us unless Grossman does not make the over/under of four games before his typical season ending injury.

 

Oct. 15 @ Detroit 1:00pm - Detroit is a very bad team built by that idiot Millen. Een on the road this game is emininently winnable by even a bad team.

 

Oct. 22 New England 1:00pm - Our season opening performance where we came close to a win in their house means this one is definiitely winnable. yesterday's loss by the Pats to Denver may be a sign with their bare wins over the Bills and Jets that they are headed in a downhill period which makes this one winnable.

 

Oct. 29 Bye

 

Nov. 5 Green Bay 1:00pm - - They did a get a W yesterday, but this was on Detroit and it still looks like these are the Packers who went 0-2 in their first games and should be beatable.

 

Nov. 12 @ Indianapolis 1:00pm - The most likely loss for us this seaon in my opinion.

 

Nov. 19 @ Houston 1:00pm - Another bad team that folks are wondering if they might even go 0-16. Any given Sunday says no and definitely we should be depressed if we happen to be a W for them, but this game even in their house is winnable by even a bad team.

 

Nov. 26 Jacksonville 1:00pm - Impressive evven in losing to Indy and this one looks like a loss even at home.

 

Dec. 3 San Diego 1:00pm - A tough game in the part of the schedule which worrie me most as we face two teams in a row from the conference who may well make the playoffs this year.

 

Dec. 10 @ NY Jets 1:00pm - Losing to them at home turns this one into a must win for us and how the previous games turn out may make what clearly must be considered and up hill climb for us a tough game.

 

Dec. 17 Miami 1:00pm - Squishing the Fish was fun last week and they showed little in their victory over TN that indicates that this team will not likely get squished again when they roll into Buffalo in mid-December.

 

Dec. 24 Tennessee 1:00pm - Their loss to Miami yesterday makes this bad team look worse and worse.

 

Dec. 31 @ Baltimore - This 3-0 team was not impressive in beating lowly Clevelburg by only a point yesterday, but our best chance against them appears to be if they are restong up for the playoffs and we need this game.

 

In summary in our remaining 13 gamese will face:

 

We will face 4 games we will almost certainly lose (Indy, CHI, BAL on the road and wither Jax or SD here depending on how the season goes and the injury wildcard).

 

We will face 6 games we will almost certainly win even if you judge the Bills to be a bad team (DET, GB, Hou. TN appear to be really bad teams which can be beaten by anyone anywhere and I like our chances facing a bad Miami team whom we already beat and an NE team whom we kept up with until the end and both at home.

 

The remaining two games are MN here and NYJ there and I actually feel pretty good about these games because MN is not really that great (though on paper I think they are better than us and despite the loss yesterday I am not impressed with NYJ.

 

How things turn out will be subject to how folks are doing week to week, but even wih a horrible loss yesterday, i think we are a long way from DDOOOMMED and I like our chances for finishing at least .500 this year.

 

I think th keys will be:

 

1. Do not lose to the Vikes at hom next week as this game is winnable and if we lose as we are traveling to Chicago the next week this season could get very long after a glimpse of hope provided last week.

 

2. Stealing one from either Jax or SD at home (both better teams who on most Sundays would beat us) is essential to balancing off a bad beat we took yesterday. In fact, if we lose boh of these at home it will make this a long season for us and leave a bitter taste in Bills rooters mouths.

 

As a Bills fan, even with a loss yesterday I still love this team (I actually would love them if they went 0-16). but the good news is that as a semi-objective football fan even with a loss yesterday I still like this team (as a semi-objective NFL fan I do not like it all when the team puts on a performance like they did last year) and think we have a good shot at fisnishing at least .500 because a lot of our opponents are simply bad teams.