Do The Bills Have The Keys To The Playoffs?

[BillsImpossible]

So here we are at the turning point.

To the point of no return from the past that has ailed us for so long.

To everything turn, turn, turn.....

Solid play at the quarterback position is the number one key, and the Bills have that for the first time in a over a decade.

Kyle Orton has been the biggest difference maker so far this season for the Bills and it feels like he's just getting started here in Buffalo.

Riders on The Storm

Great defense. The Bills have one of the league's best defenses in 2014, and they're even better than Pettine's real thing. Props to the Schwartz.

Very good special teams play. Carpenter has been Money. The punter guy nobody knows, Colton Schmidt has been surprisingly good, and return coverage has been excellent. Props to Danny Crossman.

Come late November and December is the time that the Bills will need their running game to be effective, but I don't think it is essential to a playoff birth given their talent at the wide receiver positions.

The Bills are struggling with an identity crisis.

"Are we a passing team, or a running team, coach?"

Can the Bills have it both ways? I don't think so.

The offensive line has been trying to find its way since game 1, but Kraig Urbik's game against the Jets was the best left guard performance the Bills have seen all season. He played very well and deserves credit for having a great game against an excellent defense.

That could spell, "gel," for the Bills o-line in the weeks to come.

Offense, defense, and special teams are the 3 main keys to unlocking the playoff door.

Honorable mentions: Depth and Health.

You better knock on wood, baby.

Giving birth to the first Buffalo Bills playoff wild child in 15 years is going to be messy in a good way.

Keep pushin', Bills fans.

[Scumbag College]

I'm the biggest Bills homer in the world and haven't picked against the Bills ever, but I think the OL is the only thing that is holding this team back right now. I can't remember too many teams that have made the playoffs with as putrid of an offensive line as the Bills have.

[chris66]

3 road games in December are probably going to kill those dreams.

[ublinkwescore]

We will beat the raiders. They are the west coast jets.

[mightysimi]

I'm the biggest Bills homer in the world and haven't picked against the Bills ever, but I think the OL is the only thing that is holding this team back right now. I can't remember too many teams that have made the playoffs with as putrid of an offensive line as the Bills have.

The colts O-line isn't very good. Neither is GB. Difference is they have a QB that gets the ball out quickly

[Bills Juggernaut]

Nope. We just had two wins against maybe the two worst teams in the NFL right now (besides Jax). This team will get exposed once they play teams that aren't completely inept.

[RedEyE]

The OL is just too suspect. FJax is a critical part of the pass block and running game. They have to be more dominant at home. The losses to Houston and San Diego could hurt down the road. Lose to KC and their conference loss % is too difficult to overcome in tie breakers down the road.

I can honestly see 9-7 but can just as easily see 7-9. 9-7 won't be enough for a wildcard and they would have to just about win out division games to overtake NE for the AFC East crown.

[The Doc]

The Bills are good. Finally. But there are a lot of good teams in the hunt and I think with the Pats we're fishin' for a wild card. Lets see who stays healthy.

[Topas]

.....
Solid play at the quarterback position is the number one key, and the Bills have that for the first time in a over a decade.
...
Props to Danny Crossman.
...

Good post. However, I disagree that we have no had such a QB performance like Orton's in the last 10 years. Fitz was also good for a few games and we raved about his magic connection with Stevie that even made Revis look stupid. So a bushfire we already had previously. Now it is on Orton to prove that he is more than that and can sustain the performance. I root for him but I am not yet sold.

And yes, props to Crossman. Considering that all his special teams were rather bad with his previous team, I thought it is extremely stupid for Marrone not to fire him. I thought this is an instance of friendship meaning more than performance. And I hate that.
But, so far, I was wrong.

To be clear. I am happy with being wrong as long as the Bills win.

[justasportsfan]

We finally have a qb that can make defenses pay when D's stack the line to stop our running game.

Problem is, our OL sucks and our top rb's are down. So now D's will play the pass and I'm not sure if Orton is a qb that can impose his will when teams are playing the pass.

[Ed]

The colts O-line isn't very good. Neither is GB. Difference is they have a QB that gets the ball out quickly

Luck and Rodgers are also very mobile though. Those guys can buy themselves extra time and make plays outside the pocket. Orton can't. He needs a better O-line than those guys.

[chris66]

Orton is 4 games in. D coordinators should start having decent tape on him. That was Fitz, s issue. He would have a good four or five game stretch, but once they had tape it was all downhill

[Mr. Pink]

They'll be fighting for the 6th seed. Division is all but gone barring a New England collapse.

Be fighting with teams like the Ravens, Bengals, Steelers - whichever doesn't win the North and San Diego for the 6th seed.

And that doesn't include teams like the Chiefs, Browns, Dolphins, Texans who are all still in that mix.

A loss to the Chiefs would basically put a dagger to all playoff talks, imo. Much like if the Chiefs lose to the Bills that will pretty much end their playoff aspirations. Realistically they can only lose two more conference games, that loss to the Texans might come back to bite the team in the ass however 7-5 in conference while being 10-6 overall gives you a legitimate shot on tiebreakers.