Bills Beat Bengals 35-20

The Bills had another encouraging performance as they bested the Cincinnati Bengals 35-20. C.J. Spiller kept fans buzzing about his highlight reel runs, scoring two touchdowns to lead the way for a suddenly sound offensive attack.

After the offense’s first drive was stifled due to a couple of negative runs by Spiller, it looked as if it was the same old Buffalo offense. But following a Carson Palmer touchdown pass, the Bills continued to look reinvigorated under Chan Gailey. The numbers tell a lot of the story. Trent Edwards was 13-17 for 153 yards and a touchdown, with no ints. C.J. Spiller overcame a few negative runs early to wind up with 52 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns, one of which required a spectacular burst of speed down the left sideline from 20 yards away. Roscoe Parrish, yes the punt returner, was the leading receiver with 4 catches for 56 yards and a touchdown.

“If we can stay healthy, we can be a very explosive team,” a confident Spiller said after the game. “We can be one of the best in the NFL, if not the best.”

Slow down C.J. Let’s try and finish in the top 20 first.

It was nice to be able to get excited about a Buffalo offense, but there was some cause for concern.

Carson Palmer had absolutely no trouble in torching the Bills’ secondary. He finished 9-11 with 95 yards and 2 tds, routinely beating the Bills’ starting defensive backs. J.T. O’Sullivan also had success, at times against members of the starting defense.

While the defense may have been ahead of the offense throughout most of camp, it appears that is no longer the case. The pass defense received a lot of praise for finishing second in the league a season ago, but they need to prove that wasn’t just because other teams could pound the run with little resistance from the front seven. It also was good for the pass defense’s numbers that opposing teams didn’t have to worry about trying to outscore the Bills. If the Bills can field a competent offense, the defense will be under a bigger lens and need to perform.

Other notes from the game:
-Ryan Fitzpatrick was the second QB in the game and played well completing 6 out of 9 passes for 77 yards and a touchdown. Brohm hardly saw the field, throwing just one incomplete pass.

-James Hardy was targeted three times in his first preseason action. He caught one pass for 30 yards.

-T.O. had 3 catches for 35 yards with no touchdowns.

-Reggie Corner intercepted a Jordan Palmer pass and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown.

-David Nelson scored Buffalo’s other TD, on a 20 yard pass from Fitzpatrick.