Rams’ head coach Scott Linehan could have his job on the line in this football game which is bad news for him against a surging 3-0 Buffalo Bills football team.  The Bills will likely come out running the football against a Rams’ defense that is allowing 184.3 rushing yards per game and 5.1 yards per carry.  Look for Marshawn Lynch to have a huge game today and for backup Fred Jackson to scoop up some scraps.  After the running game is established look for Trent Edwards to attack the young Rams’ CBs with Lee Evans and Josh Reed down the field.

The Rams’ offensive line will have to protect veteran QB Trent Green better than they did for Marc Bulger (11 sacks) if he’s going to have any success moving the offense against a Bills’ defense that is only allowing 247.3 yards of total offense per game.  The Bills’ linebackers better be ready for a fight as the Rams will likely lean heavily on Steven Jackson in both the running and the passing game this week.  Look for rookie WR Donnie Avery to be the secret weapon in this game for the Rams as he is getting his first NFL start and he will be working with single coverage as the Bills gang up on Torry Holt.

PREDICTION:  BUFFALO BILLS 24, ST. LOUIS RAMS 20

The Bills have lost WR/PR Roscoe Parrish for the next 4-6 weeks due to thumb surgery.  He has caught 7 passes for 60 yards (8.6 avg) with 1 TD grab and he also has returned 11 punts for 167 yards (15.2 avg) with 1 TD return.  Rookies will likely replace him as the #3 WR (James Hardy) and the punt returner (Leodis McKelvin).  Hardy has only caught 2 passes for 12 yards this season (6.0 avg) but the Bills still have high hopes for him.  McKelvin has returned 7 kickoffs for 180 yards (25.7 avg) but he hasn’t returned a punt this season yet.  The Bills are hoping that the rookies step up for them as they want to keep rolling along this season.

The Bills were down 23-14 in the 4th quarter and things weren’t looking good but that was when Trent Edwards went to work.  He led the Bills to 10 points late in the game to finish off the Raiders.  Rian Lindell hit a 38-yard FG on the last play of the game to give the Bills a nice win.  Trent Edwards completed 24 of 39 passes for 279 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception.  Marshawn Lynch was very busy against the Raiders with 83 yards rushing on 23 carries (3.6 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also pitched in with 31 yards receiving on 4 catches (7.8 avg).  Josh Reed led the way for the Bills in the passing game with 6 catches for 72 yards (12.0 avg).  Roscoe Parrish pitched in with 42 yards receiving on 3 catches (14.0 avg) with a 14-yard TD reception in the 4th quarter.  The Bills finished up with 116 yards rushing on 30 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 39 passes for 262 yards.

The Bills’ defense played very well in this football game essentially giving the team a chance to come back and win.  LB Paul Poslusny (6 tackles, fumble recovery), DT Marcus Stroud (6 tackles) and safety Ko Simpson (6 tackles) led the way for the Bills.  The Bills allowed 98 yards rushing on 30 carries (3.3 ypc) and the Raiders completed 9 of 19 passes for 149 yards.  The Bills are now 3-0 on the season and are sitting atop the AFC East by themselves with the Patriots’ loss to the Dolphins.

The Oakland Raiders got a nice road win last week but beating the Bills in Buffalo will be much harder.  The Raiders will use the recipe that worked against the Chiefs last week by pounding the football with rookie RB Darren McFadden (210 yards rushing, 7.0 ypc) and Michael Bush (90 yards rushing, 5.6 ypc) with Justin Fargas out of action due to injury.  But, they will have to mix things up a little better against a Bills’ defense that is only allowing 91.5 yards rushing per game and 3.8 yards per carry.  The Raiders will likely be careful throwing the ball down the field and challenging the solid corners of the Bills, prefering to settle for short stuff to TE Zach Miller.

The Buffalo Bills have run a pretty balanced offense this season (56 passes, 55 runs) and look for them to keep that up this week against the Raiders.  Look for the Bills to try to pass early to get a lead and take the Raiders out of there vaunted running game.  The Bills have been throwing a lot of shorter passes this season but look for them to let Trent Edwards (107.7 QB Rating) test the Raiders’ defense deep with Lee Evans (8 rec, 179 yards) often in this game.

PREDICTION:  BUFFALO BILLS 21, OAKLAND RAIDERS 10

The Buffalo Bills had another solid overall effort yesterday and the result was another impressive victory.  Trent Edwards was very effiecient in this game completing 20 of 25 passes for 239 yards with a 7-yard TD pass to rookie WR James Hardy.  Marshawn Lynch led the Bills in rushing with 59 yards on 19 carries (3.1 ypc) with a TD run.  Fred Jackson was also very busy in this game for the Bills as he rushed for 17 yards on 6 carries (2.8 ypc) and he also caught 7 passes for 83 yards (11.9 avg).  Lee Evans pitched in with 4 receptions for 77 yards (19.3 avg) in this game.  The Bills finished up with 75 yards rushing on 26 carries (2.9 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 25 passes for 210 yards.

The Bills’ Defense had a solid overall effort against the Jags.  CB Terrence McGee led the way for the Bills in this game with 7 tackles and a interception.  Safety Donte’ Whitner and linebacker Paul Poslusny each pitched in with 6 tackles apiece.  The Jaguars finished up with 98 yards rushing on 27 carries (3.6 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 28 passes for 145 yards.  The Bills are off to a very impressive 2-0 start to the 2008 season.