2009 - 2010 Buffalo Bills Prediction and Preview

Last Season -

The Buffalo Bills got off to a promising start during the 2008 campaign winning 5 of their first 6 games. However, the rest of the season was plagued by a struggling offense that ranked as one of the five worse offenses in the NFL. The Bills completely lost all their momentum closing out the year losing 8 of their last 10 ball games. The Bills were held to a mere 305 yards per game last season and simply could never establish any consistency on the ground or through the air. The Bills defense was mediocre holding teams to 326 total yards per game. The defense could have performed better if the offense could have kept them off the field. Buffalo main focus heading into 2009 must be their division games. The Bills are in the difficult AFC East and they must find a way to hold their ground. Buffalo composed a winless 0-6 record in the AFC East last year and they must find a way to get some wins in the division to have a successful year.

Off Season -

Buffalo got a solid draft pick selecting defensive end Aaron Maybin with the number 11 selection in the first round. Maybin was a solid defensive force for the Penn State Nittany Lions last season. Maybin is a smaller more athletic type of defensive end that is quick off the ball. Maybin will likely be a solid pass rusher at the next level, but may not to add some strength to be effective against the run. Buffalo also drafted center Eric Wood late in the first round at the number 28 selection. Wood was drafted to help rebuild the line after the loss of Jason Peters. However, Buffalo could have used the late first round pick and sought after some playmakers at the receiver position to help the struggling offense. 2nd round pick Jairus Byrd is an electric player that racked up 17 interceptions during his career in Oregon. Byrd does not possess the height you may love to see out of your average cornerback, but makes up for it with his knack for making big plays. Outside of Byrd the remaining draft picks hold a lot of question marks that may take some time to see how those players develop. Outside of the NFL Draft the biggest off-season move was when Buffalo managed to grab Terrell Owens from the Dallas Cowboys. Love him or hate him, Owens finds a way to make plays and could hopefully help turnaround the poor passing game.

2009 Preview -

The 2009 Buffalo Bills team will attempt to get things headed in the right direction. Defensively the Bills will be pretty similar except with the addition of Maybin. Paul Posluszny and Kawika Mitchell will lead the defensive efforts. Again the defense could be more effective if they can get some help from the offense. Offensively, Trent Edwards will try to find a way to move the ball down the field and target wide receiver Terrell Owens. Hopefully, Owens can be the threat needed on offense that can allow some other receivers like Lee Evans the opportunity to make plays. It will be interesting to see how the always level headed Owens keeps his composure if he and Edwards are not able to hook up early and often. Running back Marshawn Lynch had a 1,000 yard season in 2008, but reports have indicated that he has been battling ankle problems during the off-season. Behind Lynch there is not much help and add to the fact that Lynch will already miss the first 3 regular season games due to league conduct policy and Buffalo’s passing game will have to be effective early.

2009 Prediction -

The Buffalo Bills 2009 campaign will start off in Gillette Stadium when they will travel to take on the revamped New England Patriots. The Bills will then face a crucial 5 game stretch that will likely indicate how the season will unfold. Games against Tampa Bay and Cleveland will be very capable wins. The Bills will also get the chance to knock off Miami or the Jets in that 5 game stretch which would build a lot of confidence towards getting back in the right direction in the division. However, the team looks very similar to last year’s 7-9 team and things could be eerily similar this time around.

Pick - 2008 repeats itself as the Bills go 7-9 and finish 4th in the AFC East, but at least the manage to win a division game or two. Read the rest of our NFL previews here.