After struggling during a four-game losing streak, the
Buffalo Bills' offense broke out in a big way last weekend. The team will hope
for more of the same this Sunday, when it hosts the San Francisco 49ers at
Ralph Wilson Stadium.
After opening the season with wins in five of their first six games, the Bills
suffered through a four-game skid that did some damage to their playoff hopes.
Buffalo scored less than 20 points in three of its four losses, but appeared
to get on track in a 54-31 defeat of Kansas City last weekend. Quarterback
Trent Edwards was a touchdown machine, throwing a pair of scoring passes while
also finding the end zone on the ground twice for the first time in his
career.
Interestingly, the 31 points Buffalo yielded was more than it allowed in any
of its previous four losses. However, the offense answered with its biggest
output since a club-record 58 points on September 18, 1966 against the
Miami Dolphins.
The victory was big for a Bills club that is tied with fellow 6-5 Miami for
third in the AFC East. New England is a game better at 7-4, while the New York
Jets are the division front-runners with an 8-3 record.
Though Buffalo's slide included a loss to each of its fellow division
residents, the team still has three divisional games remaining, giving it an
outside chance of making a move in the standings.
The Bills are still in the thick of the Wild Card chase as well. Three non-
division leading teams are ahead of Buffalo with a 7-4 mark, including the
Patriots.
The 49ers, meanwhile, fell to 3-8 on the season after last Sunday's 35-22
setback in Dallas. A loss to the Bills this weekend would secure San
Francisco's sixth straight losing season.
A loss in Buffalo would also be San Francisco's eighth in the last nine games
after the club started the season 2-1. The Niners are also just 1-3 in four
games under interim head coach Mike Singletary, though they are averaging 27.0
points per game over their last three test.
Making his third straight start in place of the benched J.T. O'Sullivan,
quarterback Shaun Hill hit the 300-yard passing mark for the first time in his
career in the Dallas game. However, San Francisco's ground game never got
going, totaling just 26 yards in the loss.
After defeating the Seahawks in Seattle back in Week 2, the 49ers have lost
their last four on the road.
This will make San Francisco cornerback Nate Clements' first game against
Buffalo since leaving the club as a free agent following the 2006 season.
Clements notched 23 interceptions in six seasons with the Bills after they
selected him in the first round of the 2001 draft.
The Bills, meanwhile, will get a look at linebacker Takeo Spikes for the first
time since he was traded from the club following the 2006 season. Spikes spent
2003-06 playing with Buffalo and was with Philadelphia last year before
joining the Niners this offseason.
SERIES HISTORY
The Bills have a 5-4 lead in their all-time series with the 49ers, breaking a
deadlock in the series with a 41-7 road rout when the teams last met, in Week
16 of the 2004 season. The Niners won the previous meeting, a 35-0 shutout at
Candlestick Park in 2001. The 49ers were 26-21 losers when they last visited
Buffalo, in 1998, and their only win there all-time occurred in 1983.
Bills head coach Dick Jauron is 1-2 in his career against the 49ers, with all
three of those meetings dating back to his tenure with the Bears (1999-2003).
Singletary, another former Bear, will be meeting both Jauron and the Bills for
the first time as a head coach.
WHEN THE 49ERS HAVE THE BALL
Though San Francisco's record might not show it, Hill (906 passing yards, 7
TD, 3 INT) has improved as a quarterback each week since Singletary went with
him as the starter. He completed 21-of-33 passes for 303 yards against the
Cowboys, getting picked off once while throwing two touchdown passes for a
third straight week. That came after he posted a perfect passer rating in the
first half of a win over the Rams on November 16. Gore (860 rushing yards, 6
rushing TD, 36 receptions) posted 106 yards and two rushing touchdowns against
the Rams two Sundays ago, but was limited to 14 carries against Dallas. His 26
rushing yards marked his second-lowest total of the year, ahead of only his
11-yard effort against the Giants on October 19. Wide receiver Isaac Bruce (34
receptions, 5 TD) had a big game last week, notching eight catches for 125
yards, including an 18-yard touchdown catch. Receiver Bryant Johnson (27
receptions, 2 TD) added four catches for 56 yards and tight end Vernon Davis
(19 receptions, 2 TD) made a 47-yard catch. Backup running back DeShaun Foster
added a nine-yard scoring catch in the loss. The offensive line allowed Hill
to be sacked four times versus the Cowboys and have allowed 40 sacks on the
season, the second-highest total in the NFL. Return specialist Allen Rossum
left the Dallas loss in the second quarter when he injured his right ankle
waiting for a punt.
Though the Bills allowed the Kansas City offense to total 462 yards of net
offense, including 159 on the ground, the unit compensated by forcing five
turnovers. Linebacker Blake Costanzo (10 tackles) forced a pair of fumbles and
cornerback Reggie Corner (10 tackles) also knocked the ball loose once, while
corner Leodis McKelvin (16 tackles, 2 INT) intercepted Chiefs quarterback
Tyler Thigpen twice. Buffalo's defense was all over Thigpen in the game, with
safety George Wilson (19 tackles, 2 sacks) and defensive ends Ryan Denney (32
tackles, 2 sacks) and Copeland Bryan (16 tackles, 1 sack) each notching a sack
in the win. Wilson, who also recovered a fumble, tied for the team lead in
tackles with four, matching corner Terrence McGee (42 tackles, 2 INT) and
linebacker Keith Ellison (47 tackles). Not bad for a unit that was without
defensive end Aaron Schobel (19 tackles, 1 sack) for a sixth straight week due
to a foot injury and safety Donte Whitner (40 tackles, 1 sack) for the second
time in three tests because of a shoulder ailment. Corner Jabari Greer (37
tackles, 2 INT) missed his first game of the season because of a knee injury.
Buffalo's run defense does face a stiff test this weekend in Gore and is
allowing 114.1 yards per game on the ground, ranked 20th in the NFL this
season.
WHEN THE BILLS HAVE THE BALL
Edwards (2266 passing yards, 10 TD, 10 INT) threw eight interceptions over
Buffalo's losing streak, but did not turn the ball over at all in the Kansas
City win while completing 24-of-32 pass attempts for 273 yards. That outing
helped cut the club's turnover ratio in half to minus-5. The outing also
marked Edwards' first multi-touchdown passing game of the season, and he
posted a career-high 121.0 passer rating. Wide receiver Lee Evans (42
receptions, 3 TD) made five catches for 110 yards in the game and wideout Josh
Reed (31 receptions, 1 TD) added five catches for 50 yards with a touchdown.
Tight end Derek Schouman also had a touchdown catch in the win. Coming off his
first 100-yard rushing game in a loss to Cleveland, running back Marshawn
Lynch (710 rushing yards, 42 receptions, 8 total TD) posted 79 yards and a
score on the ground while also making five catches for another 25 yards.
Kicker Rian Lindell did a great job capping drives, hitting all six of his
extra-point attempts while also going 4-for-4 on field goal tries. Buffalo's
offensive line has allowed 25 sacks this season, but gave up zero to the
Chiefs. The Bills are scoring 24.8 points per game -- eighth in the league --
and have the 13th-ranked pass attack at 213.2 yards per game.
San Francisco's secondary -- which is allowing 243.9 passing yards per game --
was burned by former 49er Terrell Owens in last Sunday's loss. Owens ended
with 213 receiving yards on seven catches, including a 75-yard touchdown grab.
Dallas quarterback Tony Romo ended with 341 passing yards and was sacked just
once, with linebacker Manny Lawson (26 tackles, 3 sacks) bringing him down.
Lawson also recovered a fumble in the setback. San Francisco did manage to
hold Dallas to 74 yards rushing, as Spikes (69 tackles, 3 INT) led the Niners
with nine tackles. Leading stopper Patrick Willis (76 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT),
meanwhile, added seven stops. With Owens having such a big day, San Francisco
will likely focus on preventing Evans from having similar success. That could
be a fun matchup to watch if former Bill Clements (42 tackles, 2 INT) draws
the task. Fellow corner Walt Harris (42 tackles, 1 sack, 2 INT), a former Pro
Bowl honoree as well, will also be busy versus Buffalo. The 49ers can't forget
about Lynch either, as they are allowing 103.8 yards per game on the ground
this year. San Francisco has a horrid minus-13 turnover ratio this season and
have managed only 19 sacks.
FANTASY FOCUS
Though he is coming off a bad week, Gore is still a must-start, especially
after Buffalo's performance against the run a week ago. Hill is also emerging
as a solid fantasy start and could continue his growth against the Bills'
secondary that allowed Thigpen to throw for over 300 yards. Bruce and
Johnson's value is up with receivers Josh Morgan (groin) and Arnaz Battle
(foot) battling injuries. Despite his long catch a week ago, Davis has just
three receptions over his last three games, though two have gone for
touchdowns. San Francisco's defense doesn't post enough turnovers or sacks to
warrant consideration.
Lynch has been red-hot over the last two weeks, finding the end zone while
also figuring into the passing game. Evans has been Edwards' favorite target
all year, even though he only has three touchdowns to show for it. Start both
with confidence. Edwards, meanwhile, broke out of his four-game slump and his
two rushing scores likely made owners very happy. He won't have as much luck
on the ground this week against Willis, Lawson and Spikes, but a good passing
game isn't out of the question. Lindell is another excellent start this
weekend, though it will be tough to duplicate his chances from last Sunday.
OVERALL ANALYSIS
The Bills snapped their skid just in time, as they draw a favorable matchup
this weekend, giving them an excellent chance to take a winning streak into
back-to-back division games. Buffalo beat up on one bad team a week ago, and
Jauron's boys should be able to do so again. A fast start and ball control are
the keys for the Bills this Sunday. The Niners, meanwhile, are still trying to
find themselves under Singletary and need to get Gore going early. The Buffalo
weather may also impact the West Coast-dwelling Niners. The Bills need this
game in a big way and are riding a wave of momentum on offense that will carry
them across the finish line first.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Bills 27, 49ers 17
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