Let me start off by stating that I'm not insane, despite all of the extremely stupid things I've said in my life. Hopefully my next sentence won't be one of those things: I think the Bills can make the playoffs.
Granted, the Bills are only 5-4 (they should be 7-2 - curse you football gods!), but that record doesn't really tell the true story of the Bills.
Five weeks ago, the Bills were only 1-4. After getting their act together, they have pulled off a four-game winning streak and are now starting to mesh as a group. Despite countless injuries, their defense is stepping up, jumping to ninth place in scoring defense in the NFL, giving up 18.4 points per game and tied for sixth place in the NFL for their 12 interceptions. Granted, they aren't stellar, but they still find a way to win. Marshawn "Beast-Mode" Lynch is carrying this team on his shoulders like he's done it his entire life, and our quarterback J.P. Edwards (or was it Trent Losman?) is putting drives together when they are needed the most.
So here comes another comment that most people will say destroys any credibility I might have: I think the Bills can beat the Patriots.
Laugh all you want, but I think it is more than possible. Bill Bellicheat and the 9-0* (Google Don Shula Patriots for the asterisk definition) Patriots aren't godly, and, unlike 90 percent of America, I realize that Tom "I think I'm super cool because while I'm sleeping with Gisele Bundchen I impregnated Bridget Moynahan" Brady isn't/won't be the best quarterback of all time. Mark my words, if the Bills can best Brady, the Patriots will lose. In which case I, with the 1972 Miami Dolphins, will drink after the loss, filling my glass with the succulent tears that Brady will cry after the clock hits 0:00.
Okay, so that probably won't happen, but a guy can dream, right? That doesn't mean the playoff idea is out of the picture. The NFL is too mediocre as a whole, with nobody knowing what is going on anymore. Take, for example, the Chargers-Colts games. Six interceptions, Peyton? Come on now, you aren't Eli!
Nevertheless, I, along with the rest of Bills country, will be glued to my TV for the upcoming weeks, because anything is possible. As of today, the Buffalo Bills are in seventh place in the AFC, with the wild-card berths going to the Tennessee Titans and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Looks like those two wins would have been nice right about now.
Unless SARS hits the entire organization, the Patriots will win the AFC East. The Colts should win the AFC South, the Steelers will grab the AFC North and the Chargers should grab the AFC West. Someone from the South should get a wild card, and, if my master plans go the way they should, that team should be the Titans.
The Bills have a chance to disrupt the entire scheme of things if they can take care of business against their AFC foes. By the looks of the schedule, unless something crazy happens, the Titans should ride their way into the playoffs, but the Bills have a legitimate chance to send the Jaguars packing to play some golf.
If they can win against Jacksonville, Washington and Cleveland, Buffalo will be in the driver's seat for the wild card, owning any tiebreakers that are necessary against their AFC counterparts. I personally feel that is more than possible, with the only trouble coming from the Jacksonville game, but it won't be too difficult. Miami is nearly a given win, with the leftover games being versus the Patriots, Giants and Eagles. My bet is the Bills can easily beat the battered-down Eagles and the extremely overrated Giants, with the Patriots game up in the air.
Call me overly optimistic - in fact, call me the biggest homer you've ever met, but I wouldn't be a Bills fan if I weren't. When it comes down to it, the Bills have a legitimate shot at making the postseason for the first time since Bill Clinton was president. Put the quarterback controversy aside, all the Bills need to do is win, and it's possible. In a season where the Patriots can go 16-0* and the Dolphins might go 0-16, the Bills could possibly make the playoffs.
Right?
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
