Sep 14, 2014; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins (14) runs after a catch as Miami Dolphins strong safety Jimmy Wilson (27) pursues during the first half at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
Forgive Buffalo Bills fans if they use today’s game against the Minnesota Vikings to take a collective breather. Coming in to last week, Bills fandemonium was at its pinnacle with the Patriots in town days after the Pegula Family officially took over ownership of the team and vowed to keep it in Buffalo
Walking out of last week, Bills fans felt a bit blitzed. Watching their team fail to rise up and give the Patriots their best effort served as a painful, sobering reminder the team might not quite be ready for a real run at the playoffs. There were so many pieces of last week’s game that sucked the energy out of the fan base: Tom Brady throwing all over the Bills secondary; the decision to make Sammy Watkins a ghost; horrendous offensive line play; the newest chapter in C.J. Spiller’s season of irrelevance; poor coaching decisions….
Now, Bills fans are staring at today’s game with the Minnesota Vikings with a bit less excitement. The Bills should absolutely, 100% without any doubt take it to the Vikings and their rookie QB Teddy Bridgewater today. If the Bills somehow lose this game, fans will know their team was a paper tiger in the early weeks of the season destined for another 6-10 season. However, even a Bills win is going to have trouble pushing last week’s painful memories from fan’s heads.
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Honestly, dream up the best-case scenario for today… the Bills win going away 35-0? It will feel good for a day or two but it won’t allow us to get past the Patriots loss. Until the Bills step up and beat elite teams in big moments, fans will continue to doubt big wins against lesser competition.
If there’s one positive possible today, it would be nice to see Sammy Watkins get back on track. Every week, I feel like CBS and FOX are cutting to show me touchdowns from A.J. Green or Calvin Johnson – I want those kind of plays from Sammy Watkins on a regular basis. That may not be fair to ask of a rookie, but that’s the kind of pressure that comes with being worth two #1 draft picks.
Today’s game just feels weird. The Bills need to win. I hope they get Sammy the ball a ton. I hope they ignite a run through the next six games (a soft piece of the schedule). But, most of all, I just hope we can get to the next big test and pass with flying colors.