This much is true: at least one of the Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders, and Cincinnati Bengals will be 2-0 at the end of this weekend. I can be confident in that statement because the Bills and Raiders face each other in an all-underdog undercard. Barring a tie, one of these teams will officially become one of the “surprise teams” of 2011. (Stupid ties.)
Here’s a quick preview of each team’s fortunes in week 2.
Cincinnati Bengals
Dave Biddle of ThreeWayChili.com, here on the Bloguin Network, was pleasantly surprised by the Bengals’ surprisingly easy win over their in-state rivals.
Really, the Browns lost the game more than the Bengals won it, but we’ll take it. Considering how easy the schedule is this season – especially early – Cincinnati might surprise some folks this year.
Strengths: Cedric Benson had a strong day running the ball with a 4.8 ypc over 25 pounding runs. Benson looked more like the revitalized runner of 2009 than, well, like he has for the rest of his mostly disappointing career. A.J. Green and Jermaine Gresham (6 catches, including a TD) appear to be providing legitimate options on offense as well.
On defense, Carlos Dunlap and the Bengals unsung defensive line are capable of providing effective pressure on the pocket, letting the rest of the defense flow to the ball.
Weaknesses: Quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Bruce Gradkowski didn’t have to do much in this game. That’s good, because they didn’t, combining for less than 200 yards on the day. Dalton is being spoonfed the Sam Bradford playbook, spraying efficient short-yardage throws around the field. Better teams will be able to break him down in this offense, and find the holes in the defense.
Matchup: The Bengals travel to Denver, where they’ll be tested by Kyle Orton’s passing game. John Fox is trying to put a physical stamp on the Broncos. But his conservative approach on offense and a still-unimproved run defense could lead to another winnable game for Marvin Lewis’ Bengals team.
Oakland Raiders
Levi Damien of Thoughts from the Dark Side, Bloguin’s home for Raiders coverage, is always ready to celebrate a win over the hated Denver Broncos.
This win would not come easy. But win they did. It was ugly and messy at times and it certainly couldn’t hold a candle to the drubbing of 59 points the Raiders hung on the Broncos last season in Denver. But the formula was the same –- run the ball.
Strengths: Obviously, Darren McFadden. Like Benson, McFadden did not start his NFL career well. But the power back they call “DMC” exploded last year, averaging 5.2 yards per carry over his thirteen starts. McFadden is helped by a monstrous offensive line, with each starter standing 6’3 or taller. (Their left tackle, Jared Veldheer, stands a full 6’8″, but has surprisingly short arms at 33″. I have 33″ arms and I’m no giant.) Also, Sebastian Janikowski has the biggest leg in the game, booting a record-tying 63-yarder last Monday night.
On defense, the Raiders are solid in most areas, and do an excellent job of getting off the field on third downs. Kamerion Wimbley is a pass-rushing wildcard at outside linebacker that has to be accounted for.
Weaknesses: Jason Campbell is hard to trust for extended stretches at quarterback, though he finished the season strong. His weapons in the passing game are athletic but not refined, and the team appears to be without explosive returner Jacoby Ford.
Matchup: The Raiders travel to Buffalo in week two. More on that in a moment…
Buffalo Bills
Joe Pinzone of Buffalo Wins, our Bills site on Bloguin, was thrilled by the Bills’ week 1 thrashing of the Kansas City Chiefs. But are they a flash in the pan? He takes time to compare the 2011 Bills to the most talented team of Dick Jauron’s era, and sees a Buffalo team on the rise.
I continue to contend that Buddy Nix has a plan for this team and three years removed from 2008, he appears to be heading in the right direction.
Strengths: The centerpiece of the Bills’ rise last year wasn’t first round pick CJ Spiller, who often looked lost on the field. Instead, it was a guy who graduated from Harvard, and once sat fourth on the Rams’ quarterback depth chart behind Gus Frerotte and Brock Berlin. His name is Ryan Fitzpatrick, and he has made the Bills into his team. He is also finding weapons where no one outside of Buffalo would expect, turning WR Stevie Johnson into a fantasy player’s household name, and hitting unknown tight end Scott Chandler for two touchdowns in the season opener.
The Bills once signed Terrell Owens as their obligatory “over the hill veteran who might have something left.” This year they’ve doubled down on that bet with linebackers Shawn Merriman and Nick Barnett. Their play in the middle may free third-year safety Jairus Byrd to revert back to a pure “centerfield” player, taking advantage of his elite ball-hawking skills.
Weaknesses: The backfield tandem of Fred Jackson and Spiller is supposed to provide a thunder-and-lightning 1-2 punch, but the effect is more like a rubber mallet and a flashlight. They’re effective tools in certain situations, but you can’t necessarily lean on them to produce. Defensively, they struggle to produce pass pressure, rating near the bottom in sacks in 2010.
Matchup: The Bills host the Raiders for their home opener. The decidedly unphysical Chiefs will have done little to prepare them for this game, as Oakland can bring the nasty as well as anyone. If Buffalo is going to steal the “2-0 surprise team” crown, it will come via Fitzpatrick’s arm.
