The Bills were down 14-7 heading into the fourth quarter before exploding for 24 unanswered points to topple the rival Dolphins today.  Ryan Fitzpatrick had a very solid game for the Bills today completing 17 of 26 passes for 246 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 7 times for 50 yards (7.1 ypc) with a long TD run.  Fred Jackson had his best game of the year for the Bills today as he carried the ball 15 times for 73 yards (4.9 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 5 passes for 43 yards (8.6 avg) today.  Terrell Owens continued his second half surge for the Bills with 5 grabs for 96 yards (19.2 avg) with a TD grab.  The Bills finished up with 336 total yards on offense (129 rushing, 207 passing) in this game.

The defense made big plays when they had to in this football game despite giving up quite a few yards.  Safeties Bryan Scott (10 tackles) and Donte Whitner (10 tackles, 2 passes defensed, 1 interception) led the way for the Bills on D.  Linebacker Paul Poslusny also had a solid game with 10 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit.  CB Drayton Florence also was a pest on D with 5 tackles, 4 passes defensed and a interception.  The Dolphins finished up with 325 total yards (157 rushing, 168 passing) in this game.  The Bills are now 4-7 on the season with a nice win over a division rival.

27-year old Roscoe Parrish has been a fumbling machine this year and it earned him a spot on the bench.  Fred Jackson has taken over his role as the kickoff and punt returner for the Bills.  Parrish has played in 6 games this season for the Bills and he has carried the ball 2 times for 4 yards (2.0 ypc) and he has also caught 1 pass for 25 yards.  Parrish has returned 14 punts for 73 yards (5.2 avg) and 11 kickoffs for 258 yards (23.5 avg) this year.  I have a feeling the Bills will either cut Parrish after the season or trade him for a late round pick in next April’s NFL Draft.  Parrish has played in 61 games in his 5 years with the Bills and he has carried the ball 11 times for 48 yards (4.4 ypc) and he has caught 98 passes for 1,077 yards (11.0 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  Parrish has now returned 108 punts for 1,385 yards (12.8 avg) with 2 TD returns and he has returned 29 kickoffs for 685 yards (23.6 avg).  While Parrish has made some big plays on special teams in the past it’s about time for him to move on.

The Bills have signed 30-year old Kendall Simmons.  The 6’3″, 315 pound Simmons will start at right guard this Sunday against the Dolphins.  He played in 1 game (0 starts) for the Patriots earlier this season before he was released.  In 8 years in the NFL, Simmons has played in 81 games (80 starts) and the Bills were lucky to find a player with that kind of experience waiting by his phone.

This is a heated rivalry that the Bills and Dolphins have that goes back to the good old days of Dan Marino and Jim Kelly.  Chad Henne and Ryan Fitzpatrick won’t be likely putting on an air show like Marino and Kelly used to this weekend.  The Dolphins are really playing well the last seven weeks losing to only the Patriots and Saints in that time.  They abused the Bills in the first meeting between these teams 38-10 in Miami.  The Dolphins will likely have the same type of gameplan which included a lot of running the ball on offense.  The Bills are allowing 165.9 yards rushing per game and 4.9 yards per carry this season so look for Ricky Williams to be heavily involved in the offense.  Chad Henne will likely only be asked to manage this game and that is a good idea due to the ballhawking secondary that the Bills employ that already has 17 pickoffs this season.

The Bills will likely come out firing the football around the field in a attempt to get the Dolphins out of their game plan.  Terrell Owens and Lee Evans will likely be the players most targeted in the passing game as the Fins will be starting two rookies at CB.  For that type of offense to work the O-Line will have to give Fitzpatrick time to throw the ball.  That will be easier said than done with the injuries the Bills have suffered recently along the O-Line.  The Fins will likely be blitzing a lot in this game with Jason Taylor and the recently rejuvenated Joey Porter.  The Bills will also likely use a lot of screen passes in this game to beat the blitz.  Fred Jackson will likely do a lot of the heavy lifting in the running game and out of the backfield in the passing game as Marshawn Lynch is gimpy right now. 

PREDICTION:  DOLPHINS 24, BILLS 17

The Buffalo Bills (3-7) lost the turnover battle against the Jacksonville Jaguars (6-4) and it cost them the game.  Ryan Fitzpatrick started and had a decent game if not for two interceptions.  He finished the game with those 2 picks, 1 touchdown and 297 yards on 18-31 attempts.  His one touchdown came on a great throw to a streaking Terrell Owens for a 98 yard touchdown that put them up 15-10 in the third quarter.  That lead wouldn’t last though, and the Jaguars got a touchdown with less than a minute left in the game.  The Bills got only 53 rushing yards, but it was good to see Terrell Owens and Fitzpatrick showing some chemistry.  T.O. had a huge game, catching 9 passes for 197 yards and that touchdown in the 3rd quarter.

The Bills defense gave up 102 rushing yards and let Jaguars’ quarterback David Garrard go 21/30 for 215 yards and a touchdown.  George Wilson did intercept Garrard and they sacked him twice.  It wasn’t enough though and with the offense turning the ball over three times the Bills gave this one away.

The Bills have lost 30-year old Seth McKinney for likely the rest of the year due to a torn meniscus in his left knee.  McKinney was inserted into the starting lineup yesterday to replace a injured Demetrius Bell.  He has played in 8 games (1 start) for the Bills this season.  This is a huge blow to the Bills as they are likely down to five healthy offensive linemen on the roster right now.  They will no doubt be looking for some help this week.

The Bills have lost rookie left guard Eric Wood for the season due to a broken left leg.  He started in all 10 games for the Bills this season before this gruesome injury.  This is a huge loss for the Bills as Wood was playing outstanding for them this season and they hope he will be ready to return next season during training camp.  I have added a video of the injury but only watch it if you have a strong stomach.

35-year old WR Terrell Owens isn’t having one of his better years so you have to wonder if he’s near the end of the line.  Personally, I don’t think he is.  He has played in all 9 games for the Bills this season in which he has caught 26 passes for 366 yards (14.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has also carried the ball 5 times for 58 yards (11.6 avg) with 1 TD run so far this year.  I think that Owens can still produce on a team with a decent starting QB which means somewhere else besides Buffalo.  He has suffered from poor QB play as Trent Edwards and Ryan Fitzpatrick have both stunk it up this season.  Owens has now played in 198 games in his NFL career and he has caught 977 passes for 14,488 yards (14.8 avg) with 140 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 38 times for 255 yards (6.7 ypc) with 3 TD runs in his career.  I do think that this will be Owens only year in Buffalo but I think some team will sign him next year as long as he ends this year healthy.

Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell is the interim head coach for the Buffalo Bills (3-6) this week against the Jacksonville Jaguars (5-4), as Dick Jauron got the axe earlier this week.  Fewell has decided to start Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback this week as Trent Edwards has struggled all season and has a 74.1 QB rating.  Fitzpatrick has not been any better, but he did lead the Bills to two wins in three starts earlier this season.  Maybe Fitzpatrick will be able to utilize Terrell Owens and Lee Evans a little better than Edwards did, and if he can do that it could really open things up for the Bills’ offense.  Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson will continue to split the carries, and Jackson has found some success running the wildcat and even had a touchdown pass out of the formation.  The Jaguars give up 118 rushing yards per game, so I expect the Bills to find some success on the ground.

The Bills defense has been awful all season stopping the run, so they should expect the Jaguars to run the ball early and often.  They are giving up 173 rushing yards per game and Maurice Jones-Drew has been having some big games the last few weeks for the Jags.  The Bills wont have much of a chance if they cannot contain Jones-Drew and the running game.  It will be an even more difficult task for the Bills defense as DT Marcus Stroud will be out of this contest.  Also, Jags quarterback David Garrard has had two solid games in a row, so if the Jags have a well-rounded attack on Sunday the Bills will be in big trouble.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Buffalo Bills 17, Jacksonville Jaguars 27

The Bills have lost starting OLB Keith Ellison for the rest of the year due to a quadriceps injury.  Ellison played in 8 games for the Bills this season and he made 68 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss and he has defensed 2 passes.  This is a big loss for the Bills as Ellison was the leading tackler on the team.