Michael Vick and the Eagles passing game should be able to have a great deal of success against the Buffalo Bills and their defense, which isn’t anything to right home about. The Bills defense has allowed teams to move the football quite successfully, but they have done a great job of forcing turnovers.
All of their defensive backs are ball hawks, so Vick has to be carefull with the football this week and only throw the football in places where it’s not going to be picked off. The Eagles cannot afford to turn the football over to this high-powered Buffalo offense. Turnovers will cost them this game if they play in a reckless fashion.
The Bills love to play Cover two coverage with their safeties Bryan Scott and George Wilson setting deep and taking away the big play. Their cornerbacks, Drayton Florence and Leodis McKelvin, cannot cover Eagles receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, on a consistent basis, but they can limit the big plays and go into this game willing to give up yardage as long as the Birds get nothing but field goals out of their drives.
This Buffalo defense has only recorded three sacks in four games, so Vick should have plenty of time to throw the football. He could easily throw for 400-plus yards in this game, but everything will be decided when they get to the red zone. They can’t afford to go 2 for 7 this time around. Some way or another Vick and company must score touchdowns.
Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg identified three areas of problems which have hurt the offense.
“You know, it’s kind of strange [that] we’re the very best in the league at getting into the red zone [and] that normally correlates to winning [but] it’s not for us because we’re turning the ball over in the red zone”, Mornhinweg said on Thursday. “We’re also getting penalties in the red zone. I think we’re eighth in the league in penalties…I shouldn’t say all of them, but many of our penalties are coming in the red zone and it’s very difficult to overcome penalties and sacks in the red zone. And then, another thing is the third downs. I believe that we’re fourth or fifth, somewhere in there, in the third downs and that’s good, that’s where we want to be. But our third and shorts, and three of them have been in the red zone, are poor.”
Turnovers, penalties and poor execution on keys downs are all signs of an undisciplined football team. That’s what the Eagles have been and it must change for them to beat the Bills.
Buffalo is going to score some points on our defense, but the question is which offense will be most effective in the red zone. Will our defense step up a time or two and force them to kick field goals and will the Birds offense find a way to get the job done? It comes down to a simple question.
Which of the two teams will come away with touchdowns rather than field goals?
G,
This very well could be their season, 2day!? I can’t see them winning.
Again, no mystery as to what the Bills game plan will be……..the big mystery is the Eagles game plan? It seems pretty clear their run offense has improved this year at pass-blockings expense. When is the mystery going to clear up for Andy?!
Well with Jason Peters out they will have at least one less Motion Penalty
Unless his replacement feels he has to imitate him
Turnovers are huge..
The Bills Defense only has 4 sacks this Season but 8 Int’s already and have some ball-hawks in that Secondary.. I would expect them to come after Vick a little bit from the outside with OLB blitzes from S Merriman, A Carrington and from the inside from Nick Barnett and Kelvin Shepard to test The Kelce/Watkins combo at C/RG
Who wins the Turnover Battle wins the game going away..
On a side note, watch for the Bills ILB Rookie Kelvin Shepard who the Bills Drafted in the 3rd Round from LSU.. I was very high on this kid and thought he would be a good LB in the Eagles Scheme.. He is a back-up player to ILB Nick Barnett but should see some action and has a bright future…
Bills also have ILB Kirk Morrison who they picked up as Free-Agent for chump change… It would have been nice for the Eagles to have a veteran LB like Morrison ssfuland I can’t understand why they went into this season with the current group of LB’s they have and thought they would be successful which boggles my mind… You put the entire Season’s hope and dreams on a LB Corp Fokou,Chaney,Matthews,Clayton,Rolle and Jordan…. It just pisses me off the more I think about it….
I see Eagles TE Brett Celek moved up to #24 Rankings for TE’s this week…
When are the Eagles going to updgrade this Position with some Talent.. Most teams and the good ones, have at least 1 or in many cases 2 very good TE’s whjho[present match-up problems vwersus LB and Safeties and the Eagles have zilch and what really stinks is that the last Coulple of Drafts, there have been some young TE’s selected who are now rising to the Top of the Position.. (Pettigrew, Graham, Hernandez,Gronkowski, Pitta, Dixon,Gresham,F Davis,Kendricks, etc,etc,) Meanwhile the EAgles select Harbor…. good grief…
TE clay harbor is a beast 260 lbs 4.5 40 and 40 inch vertical and was a former wide reciever .. we have the players andy reid just doesnt know how to use them dion lewis should also be playing instead of ronnie brown.. and on defense the preach fundemntals that they do tons of shifint and moving with the secondary lining guys up everywhere .. thats not fundementally sound footaball.. theyre is no neeed to blitz in the second have of games when you get pressure on the quarterback with the front 4 .. juan castilo is making to may mistakes trying to do too much..
Eagles just need more time to gel. They’ll be fine by November or December.