Must Win Opener

[patmoran2006]

Since this is the first Bills team I think has the talent to make a serious playoff run since 2003, it's more important than normal for them to get off to a good start.

I say the Bills MUST be no worse than 3-2 after their first five games to have a shot.

Although nothing is guaranteed in the NFL, it's highly unlikely we'll go to Jacksonville and win next week. So this is a must win game as far as I'm concerned to not start 0-2.

Oakland, at Rams and at Cardinals round out the first 5. All are certainly winnable but you have to allow for a possible stumble on the road. Therefore, in my opinion you must handle your business at home.

If Buffalo wins this game I think they start at 3-2, possibly even better.

We're obviously without our best offensive player today (Peters) but he'll be back.. Crowell is gone and that hurts far more than most here give credit for; he's so much better than Ellison it isn't funny.

BUt still, Seattle has even more injury problems than we do, and they're without Bernard today, not to mention on the road in Buffalo.

Must win!

[Philagape]

Allen Wilson makes a good point today .... the Bills have a scouting advantage because Seattle has had Holmgren's WC offense for years, but the Bills offense is brand new.

[HHURRICANE]

This is a must win.

[shelby]

Very good post.....
not only is this a must win....this is a can win!

[OpIv37]

I'll be the one to say it:

EVERY game is a must win in the NFL, especially the AFCE where the wild card is so competitive and we have virtually no chance at winning the division.

[patmoran2006]

I'll be the one to say it:

EVERY game is a must win in the NFL, especially the AFCE where the wild card is so competitive and we have virtually no chance at winning the division.

Your right in theory.

IMO, we want to get to 10 wins we must win this game.

Again, ANYTHING can happen on any given Sunday, but I"m counting on the @ Jags, San Diego and 2 NE games as losses.

That's four. And we can only lose 6 to get to 10 wins. So outside those four potential losses, we gotta win 10 out of the other 12.

We got some road games against weak teams, besides the Jets game. But nothing is safe on the road.

Therefore, you must handle your business at home. 6-2 home mark is a must, and we got NE and SD at home, two above average chances of losing.

So winning this game is a big premium for us, and we should win (and I predict we will)

[raphael120]

The definition of a playoff team is a team who wins the games that they SHOULD win.

Hence, this is a must win or we're going to be saying yet again "Maybe next year."

[OpIv37]

The definition of a playoff team is a team who wins the games that they SHOULD win.

Hence, this is a must win or we're going to be saying yet again "Maybe next year."

"There's always next year."

It's the Buffalo sports motto.

[ServoBillieves]

So if they don't win... they are doomed?

If they lose today, I only see them going 18-1 :-\

GO BILLS!

[Kerr]

Someone would say every game is a must win, but I think next week's game vs jax is far more important. If the bills are to contend for a wild card at the very least, then they need to go into jax and come out with a victory. By seasons end if let's say jax and buff were tied, then who would win the tie breaker? Who'd get that wild card spot? Obviously the winner of that game. Especially after last seasons beating, I would think the bills circled this game on their calander. I want them to crush the jags! It's great assurance to have Peters back.

[OpIv37]

So if they don't win... they are doomed?

If they lose today, I only see them going 18-1 :-\

GO BILLS!

If they're not good enough to win at home against a banged up Seahawks team that just traveled across the entire country, there's no way we'll get to 6 wins, let alone 18.

[raphael120]

So if they don't win... they are doomed?

If they lose today, I only see them going 18-1 :-\

GO BILLS!

I say if we look bad and we lose, it's cause for concern. Proven teams who stumble out the gates have a pass, but not a team who has stumbled out the gates the past two seasons under Jauron. I want to know that something has changed to make me believe we're better than a 7-9 team. Now if we win today, that's already changing the MO of this coaching staff and this team under it.

Don't you want to validate that we're a playoff team by BEATING a playoff team in Week 1? You can kid yourself all you want about the playoff talk, but I'm thinking we prove to us, the fans, the league, the Bills themselves that all this talk, all these acquisitiions have meant something and we CAN beat playoff teams from a year ago. If we prove to ourselves that we can beat a playoff team in the Seahawks (say we beat the Seahawks handily) do you think we go into the Jags game thinking "Oh we're not going to win this..."

[baalworship]

This is a must win. The Seahawks are not a good road team. Period. If we don't win this game we will have to steal a game against a much tougher opponent like New England or Jacksonville to reach the playoffs.

[Coach Sal]

Totally agree, Pat. Of course the season is a marathon and not a sprint, and is not over no matter what happens today.

But, just looking at recent Bills history, we know all too well how fatal losing week one can be.

Consider these recent openers:

2002: Lose 37-31 to Jets in OT on kickoff return.
Result: That one game may have won us the division. Jets won AFC East at 9-7, Bills finished 8-8. Records would have been reversed.

2004: Lose 13-10 to Jacksonville on last play of game.
Result: Bills finish 9-7. Two wild card teams (Jets/Broncos) were both 10-6. That win would have not only given us 10 wins, but an extra conference win in the tie-breaker.

2006: Lose 19-17 @ New England in a close, tough game.
Result: Finish 7-9 and although 8-8 would not have made the playoffs, with two weeks left the Bills were 7-7 and hanging on for dear playoff life instead of being 8-6 and in control of their own destiny.

2007: Lose 15-14 to Denver on last play of game.
Result: Although the Bills still had a chance late in the season and lost key games (@ Cleveland especially), they started 0-3 after that game and really never recovered completely from that hole.

Lessons learned.

This is a BIG game, even in the big picture.

[Philagape]

Ummm will total destruction do??