On Sunday, the Buffalo Bills traveled to the brand new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, to take on the Atlanta Falcons. Coming into the game the Bills didn’t have much of a chance, as the defending NFC Champions were favored by eight over the Bills. Also, the so-called “experts” seemed to not give the Bills and their fans any hope heading into Sunday afternoon.
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Well, the Buffalo Bills did it again, two weeks in a row now that they’ve knocked off teams that most people had them losing to early in the season. First, last week against the Denver Broncos and now this week against the Falcons the Buffalo Bills pull off a huge 23-17 win to jump to 3-1.
Here are 5 reasons why the Buffalo Bills pulled off the huge upset and won!
5) Charles Clay
Coming into the game Buffalo’s tight end, Charles Clay had a favorable matchup going for him. With superb linebacker Vic Beasley missing his second consecutive week with a hamstring injury, Clay would have an edge over inexperienced linebackers Deion Jones, Duke Riley and De’Vondre Campbell.
Quarterback Tyrod Taylor took advantage of this matchup and targeted Clay early in the game. In the first half alone Clay hauled in four of his five catches for 78-yards, including a 44-yard catch and run that set up the go-ahead Jordan Matthews touchdown to give the Bills the early 7-3 lead.
Clay would once again step up big when it mattered most, hauling in a 34-yard pass that launched Steven Hauschka’s 56-yard go-ahead field goal to give Buffalo a late lead. At the end of the day, Clay had a huge day on the gridiron, hauling in five of his six targets for a total of 112-yards.
4) Jerry Hughes
Going into the locker room the Bills found themselves trailing the Falcons 10-7. Jerry Hughes said after the game that going into the locker room defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said that the defense needed to step up big and get a turnover if they wanted to consider themselves a playoff team.
"““Coach Frazier had just talked about it, coming out of the locker room at halftime hungry for some turnovers,” said Hughes. “If we wanted to be a playoff caliber team and be any type of defense, we need to force turnovers on the road. I was just happy that it worked out in our favor.”"
Well, a turnover is exactly what Hughes and the Bills got. Early in the third quarter Matt Ryan and the Falcons found themselves facing a 3rd and 9, Hughes got enough pressure on Ryan to force a strip sack and forced a fumble.
That fumble was then scooped up by rookie Tre’Davious White for a 52-yard fumble return touchdown.
This huge play in the game gave Buffalo an early 14-0 lead in the third quarter. On the ensuing drive Ryan unleashed a deep pass downfield intended for wide receiver Taylor Gabriel. But the third year safety out of Iowa, Micah Hyde, was there to intercept the pass and this later led to another Hauschka field goal.
The strip sack by Hughes was a game changer as it brought momentum for the Bills going forward in the game and is one of the reasons why the Bills pulled off the upset.
3) Steven Hauschka
Two weeks in a row now that Hauschka has come up clutch for the Buffalo Bills. Last week against Denver we saw Hauschka nail 27, 29, 53 and 55-yard field goals.
This week was the same story, just in a different stadium. Ever since he signed with the Buffalo Bills, the former Seahawks has been money. Hauschka connected on field goals of 24, 55 and 56-yards and even connected on two extra points as well. Both of his 55 and 56-yard field goals gave Buffalo a lead at crucial points in the game and ultimately was a huge aspect to the Buffalo Bills upset on Sunday.
So far this season, Hauschka is five for six and has put up a total of 20 points on the board for the Bills, his only miss coming in week ones win against the New York Jets where he missed a 46-yard field goal.
2) Tyrod Taylor
Quarterback Tyrod Taylor continues to impress through out the first month of the season. Last week against Denver’s tough defense Taylor went 20 of 26, for 213 yards, two touchdowns and a passer rating of 126. He followed up his impressive week three outing with another one in week four.
On Sunday Taylor went 12 of 20, for 182 yards and one touchdown. Taylor averaged 9.1 yards per throw and finished with a passer rating of 106. Taylor continues to receive excellent pressure from his offensive line, resulting in a calmer pocket and cleaner looks downfield.
It’s clear to see that when Taylor is in play-action or on the run that he is one of the best in doing so. That dual-threat ability to escape with his legs and throw downfield was on full display on Sunday.
Falcons linebackers were second-guessing almost every play-action snap, resulting in big completions downfield to tight end Charles Clay.
We’re through the first month of the season, and Taylor finished with 562 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception. Taylor continues just to make plays and keep things simple for the Buffalo Bills putting them in a winning position week in and week out.
1) Defense
Going into the matchup against Atlanta the Buffalo Bills were going to be faced with arguably their toughest matchup of the season. Having to take on stars like Matt Ryan and Julio Jones and having to go up against a two-headed monster backfield in Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, the Buffalo Bills knew it wasn’t going to be easy.
Yes, the Falcons did have some injuries with playmaker Julio Jones going down with a hip injury in the second quarter. The Falcons receiving core took another blow when Mohamed Sanu had to exit the game in the third quarter with a hamstring injury, leaving the Falcons without a receiver for Ryan to throw to.
Even in a game where it saw Buffalo’s defense give up their first passing touchdown of the season, the defense still stepped up big again. Hughes’ strip sack fumble on Ryan let the ball roll into the arms of Tre’Davious White who turned into a 52-yard scoop and score.
The struggles for Ryan continued as he was then intercepted by safety Micah Hyde on the ensuing possession. Just when it seemed Atlanta was mounting a comeback thanks to an Andre Roberts 61-yard kickoff return, Buffalo’s defense answered right back. On a 3rd and 17, Ryan threw over the middle for wide receiver Nick Williams who tipped the ball up into the air and Hyde was right there for the interception.
Next: Buffalo Bills @ Atlanta Falcons: Blogging Dirty’s view on week 4
It’s clear to see now that Buffalo’s defense is certainly for real and one of the best in the league and will have their hands full once again when they face A.J. Green and the Cincinnati Bengals.