Bills vs. Broncos Preseason LIVE BLOG

Follow along with us all night as we watch the Bills take on the Broncos in Denver! You can also keep us with us on Twitter (@BuffLowDown). Please feel free to send us some Tweets or comment on the blog as we watch the game!

4th Quarter

0:00 – The Bills get to the 20-yard-line but run out of time. Thanks for following along with us! FINAL: Broncos 24, Bills 10 

0:43 – Looking decent for Smith so far. He’s completed a few passes and scrambled once for big yards.

1:30 – Brad Smith in at QB, and it appears he’ll get a chance to throw the ball around here.

1:42 – The Bills will get one more shot with the ball after stopping Denver short on third down and calling a time out.

2:30 – After a few handoffs, Tebow runs a bootleg to pick up the first down. I don’t get what Denver’s doing here. If you want to see what Tebow has, why not let him throw it?

4:15 – It’s fourth-and-four from the Bronco six, and Buffalo goes for it…and is denied. Thigpen’s pass intended for Kamar Aiken is knocked away. Still some positives there in that drive though.

5:30 – Brad Smith comes in for the Wildcat…and it doesn’t even come close to working. Big loss.

6:00 – Thigpen makes up for it by hitting Easley for the middle for a big gain on the next play. The Bills are in business again, inside the Bronco 15-yard-line.

6:22 – Thigpen has time and throws deep…and nearly gets Easley killed by throwing the ball right into the path of a Broncos safety. Fortunately, Easley is okay.

8:14 – Lost in the discussion tonight is the fact that the Bills have actually run the ball decently. Bruce Hall opens the drive with another big run. First down Buffalo.

8:59 – Undrafted rookie linebacker Robert Eddins ends the Bronco drive with a sack. This guy just keeps making plays. He’ll get at least a practice squad spot, methinks.

9:00 – Michael Jasper into the game for Buffalo. We’ll try to keep an eye on him. Third-and-seven for Denver…that is now third-and-12 as Tebow gets hit with a delay of game.

10:50 – Tim Tebow finally in at QB for Denver. His first play is a handoff that gets five yards. He follows it up with a screen pass that connects for a first down.

10:59 – Oh my goodness! It’s a touchdown! Thigpen hits WR Felton Huggins, who runs a very nice route. Not an easy throw for Thigpen either. That’s encouraging for Thigpen. Good for Huggins too, who sadly will probably be a victim of Buffalo’s depth at WR. Really too bad for him, as he would have made the team last year if not for an injury. Who knows if he’ll ever get another shot at the NFL? Broncos 24, Bills 10

12:11 – It’s against the Denver scrubs, but the Bills are showing some life here. Thigpen actually had some time to throw and hit Marcus Easley for a big gain. Bills inside the Denver 20.

14:30 – I’ll say this for Thigpen: he’s quick enough to run for his life when he needs to. He just avoided two straight sacks simply by running fast. On the second he managed to dump the ball off to Elzy for a decent gain. In a related story, Cordaro Howard stinks.

15:00 – Brad Smith in at quarterback for the third-and-short. Smith hands off to undrafted rookie Anthony Elzy for a first down. Thigpen comes back in for Smith.

3rd Quarter

0:00 – The Bills get stuffed on 2nd-and-1 to end the quarter. Fitting. Broncos 24, Bills 3 at the end of three quarters.

1:10 – Thigpen hits undrafted rookie Kamar Aiken for a nice first down. Aiken definitely has an NFL body…too bad for him he’s on a team so deep at WR.

2:14 – The next Bills drive starts with a very rare drop by Naaman Roosevelt. Some nights just aren’t your night.

2:19 – Quinn has all day to throw and hits WR Britt Davis for an easy touchdown on a post route. Someone blew an assignment there. Looked like Reggie Corner was expecting safety help that never came. Broncos 24, Bills 3

4:49 – Another positive tonight: Torell Troup. On first down, he broke past the center and forced Quinn to throw the ball away. On second down, he dominated the line of scrimmage and the running back had nowhere to go.

5:10 – Thigpen should have been able to hit Hall for a first down, but Thigpen overthrows him and Hall can’t haul it in. The Bills have to punt again.

6:30 – Bruce Hall, in the game for Johnny White at running back, makes a good first impression with a ten-yard-run. It’s a terrible thing to think about, but Hall must realize his chances to make the team just went up about 1000000% if White turns out to be really hurt.

6:42 – Nice pass breakup by Reggie Corner, and the Bills actually make the Broncos go three-and-out. There we go.

7:20 – Danny Batten, who started for Shawne Merriman tonight, is still in. He hasn’t made a big impression, but did just draw a holding penalty. It’s going to be third-and-long for Denver.

8:00 – And the Bills are already punting. New QB Tyler Thigpen had made a nice throw to Naaman Roosevelt to get the Bills to third-and-three, but Buffalo couldn’t convert.

9:10 – It’s nearly ten minutes later and White is still down. Looked like he got his head slammed into the ground very hard on that play. He’s now being stretchered out. We can only hope that it’s just a precaution.

9:10 – Our first look at the Buffalo second-string offense is not good, as RB Johnny White gets nailed behind the line of scrimmage. And now White is hurt. Fantastic.

9:18 – The Bills get the stop on third down. A deep field goal is converted by Denver. Broncos 17, Bills 3.

10:30 – The run defense continues to be fairly stout, which is about the only positive thing I can say about tonight at all so far. Third and seven coming up for Denver inside Buffalo territory.

12:39 – Rookie safety Da’Norris Searcy just made a very nice play in the running game, stepping in and popping the runner for no gain. That’s definitely encouraging.

13:40 – Another big pass play for the Broncos. This secondary has been awful tonight.

15:00 – The Bills can’t cover a receiver out of the backfield tonight at all. It’s been way too easy for the Broncos.

Halftime: Not a lot of positives from that second quarter. This offensive line is a wreck. I just can not believe the Bills did not upgrade at tackle. Just a baffling decision. The defense started okay, but there was a distinct lack of pass rush and the coverage in the secondary was pretty brutal. A lot of concerns heading into next week for the first string on both sides of the ball.

2nd Quarter

0:00 – After an awful quarter, the Bills salvage a bit of positiveness at the very end as Terrence McGee picks off a pass in the endzone to end the half. Broncos 14, Bills 3 at halftime.

0:23 – And there’s another big gain. Just no pressure and awful coverage.

1:00 – Not much of a pass rush tonight. Brady Quinn has all day to throw and makes his first pass of the night count for a big gain.

2:07 – Marcus Easley might have just got himself cut from the team. Fitz made a nice throw over the middle to Easley…which Easley let go through his hands and directly into the waiting arms of the Denver defense. That’s an interception that shouldn’t be credited to the quarterback.

3:30 – Fred Jackson makes a nice run to the outside for 20 yards despite the absence of blocking. He’s in regular season form already.

3:38 – Donald Jones just gets CRUSHED helmet-to-helmet by Denver safety Rahim Moore on a deep route. It’s a personal foul and probably a big fine coming. First down, Buffalo.

4:30 – C.J. Spiller gets hit as he taking the handoff because Demetrius Bell can’t block anyone. It’s okay to now enter panic mode.

5:30 – After an offsides call on Von Miller gives the Bills five free yards, the Bills pick up the first down on a slant route by Fred Jackson. The Broncos get hit with a roughing the passer call for good measure.

6:14 – On second down, C.J. Spiller doesn’t bother to block anyone and Fitz nearly gets killed by the Broncos’ rush. Some major pass protection issues here, to say the least.

6:17 – Bills’ starting offense still on the field. Fitz’s first pass knocked down at the line. This has been ugly.

6:22 – The Broncos score on a swing pass to McGahee. Somehow, McGahee managed to shake Reggie Torbor’s “coverage.” I wouldn’t be sad if Torbor doesn’t make this team. Broncos 14, Bills 3.

8:06 – Nick Barnett blows up an attempted Denver end-around. He’s going to help the Bills a lot this year. His speed, coverage ability, and instincts will be big boosts.

8:45 – Third-and-inches coming up after a Denver timeout. A nice test for both teams here….and the Broncos convert even though the Bills get some push on the line.

9:30 – False start by Denver gives the Bills a much-needed break. But they immediately blow the advantage by giving up a big run by Moreno.

10:30 – First down pass for Orton right out of the gate. McKelvin getting abused tonight. He’s so frustrating.

11:12 – After a first-down pickup by Fred Jackson, the Bills go nowhere on three subsequent plays. Bad blocking and bad throwing by Fitz are the biggest culprits. Bills have to punt.

14:10 – C.J. Spiller catches a ball on a crossing route and shows some fire when the Broncos keep dragging him down after the whistle. I like it.

14:16 – Fitz misses Stevie Johnson low. He’s not been accurate at all tonight.

14:21 – It takes two tries for Broncos RB Willis McGahee, but he eventually runs it in for a one-yard touchdown. Broncos 7, Bills 3.

1st Quarter

0:00 – The Broncos end the quarter with an embarrassingly successful screen pass. Broncos will start the 2nd quarter on Bills’ one-yard-line. Bills 3, Broncos 0 after the first quarter.

0:35 – The Bills run D looking sharp so far. Spencer Johnson just blew up a play in the backfield for a loss.

1:22 – The Bills’ corners not looking good at all in coverage so far. Terrence McGee just got beat for a first down. Broncos on the Bills’ 22-yard-line.

3:00 – A big play for the Broncos as a screen pass goes for big yards after Nick Barnett reads the play so well he actually runs too far and misses Knowshon Moreno.

4:00 – A screen pass to Jackson gets back to the original line of scrimmage. Crap. There’s a real chance this awful tackle situation kills the team this year.

5:00 – Von Miller just blew by Demetrius Bell and nailed Fitz for a sack. Oof. Why didn’t this team spend some money on some tackles again? Bell needs to be better than this if the Bills have a chance this season.

5:06 – Fitz actually has time to throw on the first play of the drive…but overthrows Stevie Johnson.

5:22 – Thanks in large part to Dareus, the Broncos have to punt. Da’Norris Searcy lets it bounce into the endzone. Bills will take over at their own 20. Pretty encouraging start.

6:15 – Early sack for Dareus. Man is a freaking beast. Just collapsed the pocket on his own.

7:15 – Early first down for Denver as Brandon Lloyd and Kyle Orton work over Leodis McKelvin.

8:20 – Marcell Dareus is going to make a big difference for this team. He just makes plays against the run.

8:39 – Another kickoff flies deep into the endzone for a touchback. Get used to seeing that.

8:39 – Rian Lindell knocks through a mid-range field goal and the Bills are on the board. Good first drive, but some ugly moments along the O-line. Bills 3, Broncos 0.

8:45 – The Broncos overwhelm the Bills O-line with a blitz and Fitz is lucky to even be able to throw it away. Fitz hasn’t had a lot of time in the pocket so far. Fourth down.

8:50 – A pass to the corner of the endzone to Donald Jones is way underthrown. Probably should have been picked.

9:00 – A big gain by Fred Jackson in his first touch. It’s been a lot of Spiller so far, though. Reports are surfacing it’s Spiller’s job to lose.

10:00 – Tight end screen to Scott Chandler picks up nine. Love the pace and playcalling right now.

11:00 – The Bills are rolling now. Two big gains by C.J. Spiller and a very nice grab by Stevie Johnson. Bills inside the Broncos’ 40.

13:00 – And it’s a fake punt! Brad Smith gets a direct snap and picks the first! I like it. Keep your offense on the field.

13:30 – And the run gets blown up. Not good blocking by Eric Wood there. Fourth down.

14:00 – A four-yard run by C.J. Spiller and a four-yard scramble by Fitz sets up an early third-and-short.

15:00 – The opening kickoff is a touchback? Shocking.

Pregame: Looking forward to this one quite a bit. The extended look at the first string should be illuminating: Can this offensive line protect Ryan Fitzpatrick at all? Is the passing game as bad as reports from camp indicate? Is this Bills’ defense really improving? Preseason won’t truly provide us with the answers, but we can get some early signs.

The Bills have won the coin toss and elected to receive. Let’s see what the offense can do.