The 2010 NFL regular season kicks off for the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, September 12th, against AFC East division rival Miami. Can a football season get underway in any better fashion for a Buffalo Bills fan? This opening game of the season brings one of their most hated rivals to the Bills home stadium in Orchard Park New York. After a disappointing decade of futility, will this be the year the Bills return to the playoffs? Will the 2010 Bills make fans want to shout, or pout? The first four games of the new season, should show fans if the team is ready to compete against NFL playoff caliber teams, or if their rebuilding is still on the drawing board!
September 12th, Miami at Buffalo – As a Bills follower and fan since the first days of their existence, it does not matter if the Dolphins are floating atop the rest of the NFL, or if they’ve become bottom feeders, this game means a lot. No Bills fan will ever forget the 0 for the 70’s, when the Dolphins swept the decade against the Bills. A victory over “The Fish”, would get the Bills headed in the right direction, and would supply their faithful fans with some hope for the upcoming gauntlet.
September 19th, Buffalo at Green Bay – “The Pack”, one of the most storied of NFL franchises, has once again become a very formidable opponent. At least the Bills travel to Green Bay in September instead of December, when Lambeau Field has the potential to become an ice skating rink rather than a football field! While the Bills have never shied away from the elements, dealing with the swirling winds and snowy conditions in Orchard Park, I’m sure they will much prefer their early season visit to Wisconsin; as long as the trip results in a victory.
September 26th, Buffalo at New England – Another AFC East foe, the Patriots in Gillette Stadium, always pose a problem for the Bills. While Tom Brady, quarterback supreme for the Pats, is a year older and perhaps not as nimble or sturdy as he used to be, he still must be considered as one of the elite offensive leaders in the game. It never matters if the Patriots are having a good or bad season, when the Bills travel to New England, bad things tend to happen! If the Bills have been successful to this point, perhaps momentum can help them defeat this nemesis. If the Bills have not been successful to this point, it could end up being yet another Patriot victory.
October 3rd, New York at Buffalo – J- E- T- S, Jets, Jets, Jets! The Mark Sanchez led Jets invade Orchard Park on the first Sunday of October, hoping to use the Bills as a stepping stone to the Superbowl. Being another AFC East rival, and the team that lost in the AFC championship game last season, makes the Jets another measuring stick for the young Bills. Can the Bills be competitive against, let alone defeat, a team with the Superbowl greedily in their sights? Common sense says the Jets will defeat the Bills, even with the game being played in Orchard Park. In many sporting common sense scenarios though, the team that is supposed to win often takes their downtrodden opponent too lightly. Can the rebuilding Bills cause the high flying Jets to be recalled to the terminal? We’ll have to wait until October 3rd to find out.
Those first four games of the season, three against division rivals, and one versus an NFC power, should give some idea as to how the rest of the season goes. Will the Bills close out this first quarter of the season undefeated? I truly think that only the greatest, die-hard fans believe that could happen. More realistic followers of the team would probably be very happy with two wins, especially if the two loses were close, well executed games.
October 10th, Jacksonville at Buffalo – The weather in Orchard Park during early October will not be an issue, so the Jags should not have any trouble getting their claws dug into the still unfrozen turf at Ralph Wilson stadium for this game. The Bills and Jaguars have played some very spirited contests in the past few years, and this one should be the same, with both teams looking to gain the respect of the other teams in the league. Whichever team ends up victorious in this contest, gains that little bit of respect from future opponents. The loser, gets to try to improve the following week.
October 24th, Buffalo at Baltimore – After their bye week, the Bills get to travel east once again, this time to face the Ravens in the city that the now Indianapolis Colts used to call home. Make no mistake though, the fans of Baltimore now cheer for their Ravens as raucously as old Colts fans used to cheer for Johnny Unitas. Joe Flacco is the new leader of an offense that includes one time Buffalo Bill, Willis McGahee. This will be a very stern test for the Bills, as the Ravens in recent years have made their way into the upper crust of AFC teams. The Ravens also boast one of the best defenses in the league.
October 31st, Buffalo at Kansas City – While the Chiefs have fallen light years away from the team that knocked the Buffalo Bills out of the very first Superbowl derby, they still have the distinction of being a past Superbowl champion. Some Bills fans have never forgotten or forgiven that fact. The Bills had better not take this team too lightly, or the rebuilding and upcoming Chiefs could send the Bills back to Orchard Park with an embarrassing loss.
November 7th, Chicago at Buffalo (Toronto) – “Da Bears” are the Bills opponent for this “home” game which will be played at the Rogers Centre in Toronto Ontario. While these Bears are not the Walter Payton, Dick Butkus and Mike Ditka lead juggernaut of years past, they are still a very tough opponent from the NFC. Jay Cutler, Bears quarterback, will still be trying to show that he can be one of the elite field generals in the league. We’ll have to hope that this game is not a rehearsal for the next Bears Superbowl shuffle!
November 14th, Detroit at Buffalo – It has been a long, LONG time since the Lions have been anything more than mediocre. However, this is the type of team that in the past, the Bills have looked past for who is coming up next on their schedule, and pay the price for doing so. Hopefully the new Buffalo coaching staff will keep the team focused, and not allow them to worry about anything other than defeating the Lions on that day.
November 21st, Buffalo at Cincinnati – The Bengals are definitely one of the teams to beat in the AFC, and having to deal with them at Paul Brown Stadium will make this game even tougher for the Bills. The Bengals are loaded on offense, including the addition of one time Bill, and long time NFL receiving star Terrell Owens. While “T.O.” did not lead the Bills to the playoffs last season, he did end up in the Buffalo record books along with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, as being part of the two man team to achieve the longest touchdown pass play in Bills history; a play which covered 98 yards. The Buffalo defensive backs better be ready for this game, or it could turn into something ugly to watch for Bills fans!
November 28th, Pittsburgh at Buffalo – The onslaught of upper echelon teams continues, when the mighty Steelers come to town. It is of course too early to tell, but is the league mandated suspension of the Steelers starting quarterback for the beginning of the season, going to have any bearing on this teams fortunes? I get the impression that head coach, Mike Tomlin, will have the Steelers ready to play at a winning level no matter what obstacles are put before them.
December 5th, Buffalo at Minnesota – The Bills will be part of yet another, Brett Favre farewell season! The Vikings reached the NFC title game last year, but lost that contest to the eventual Superbowl champion New Orleans Saints. I don’t think Favre returned for one more season just to get pummeled by defensive lineman again, I think he returned because he feels the Vikes have what it takes to finally win that ultimate championship. This will be another game where the Bills defenders will be sorely tested.
December 12th, Cleveland at Buffalo – “The battle of Lake Erie” will take place once again, when the Browns come to Orchard Park. While no longer one of the elite teams in the NFL, the Browns still will present a challenge for the Bills to improve their record. In recent games versus the Browns, Mother Nature has provided some very difficult conditions with wind and snow. Both teams are used to playing outdoors in questionable weather, and Bills fans relish the idea of watching their favorites take on all comers during snow storms. Will it be too early for a blizzard on December 12th? Most likely, but Bills fans will still be hoping!
December 19th, Buffalo at Miami – Buffalo’s annual trip south to play the Dolphins, comes when the Bills are more acclimated to playing in twenty five degrees and snow rather than eighty degrees under a broiling sun! None the less, they will have to find a way to deal with those “adverse” weather conditions when they travel to Miami for this late season game. By this point in the season, both teams will either still have a playoff spot in their sights, or will be watching the other teams in the division pulling away from them in the standings.
December 26th, New England at Buffalo – What a late holiday gift for Bills fans! A game at home against a team we love to hate! Weather once again could play a part in the outcome of this game, as the winds and snows of winter should be in full gear. The running game will be crucial, and this would be the perfect opportunity for top flight offensive linemen and premier running backs to determine the outcome. By this point in the season, Bills fans will be hoping that Eric Wood, Andy Levitre and C.J. Spiller, have all demonstrated their worth, and have become rising stars in the league.
January 2nd, Buffalo at New York – The Bills play the final game of the regular season in the new home of the Jets. New York went to the conference championship game last season, but lost to the Indianapolis Colts. I’m sure they will have aspirations to make it all the way to the Superbowl this year. Of course, the mighty have fallen in the past, and underdogs have succeeded when expected to fail. Could the Bills be the next underdog not ready to give up the fight yet?
The 2010 season should be interesting for the Buffalo Bills. Of their 13 opponents, only 5 have not won the Superbowl in the past, Cleveland, Detroit, Cincinnati, Minnesota and Jacksonville. As a matter of fact, only Cleveland, Detroit and Jacksonville, are the only teams the Bills will play this season, who have never participated in that ultimate football challenge. While this is surely looked upon as a rebuilding year by many fans, their hopes for a playoff berth for the first time in a decade, will continue to bring them to the stadium for every home game to root for their team. Will a new coaching staff be the answer to the long standing woes of the Bills? Will some of the draft choices from the past, or free agents from this season make the difference? Only time will tell. All I know for certain, is that beginning on September 12th, my wife will become a Sunday football widow, as I turn on the television, and immerse myself in the joy of football once again. I am truly, a red, white and blue fan. Go Bills!
