Orchard Park, NY

The Buffalo Bills haven't had a winning season since 2004 or won 10 games in a season since 1999. Thanks to contributions from a high-scoring efficient offense, an opportunistic defense and the kicking game, that may be about to change.

Buffalo, playing with a ton of non-drafted free agents and low-round draft picks, is 3-0 for just the second time since 1992 - especially impressive since they began last season 0-8 en route to a 4-12 disaster. After pounding Kansas City 41-7 in the season opener on the road,Buffalo became the first team in NFL history to rally from 18-point deficits to win consecutive games.

The Bills overcame a 21-3 deficit to rally for a 38-35 win in the home opener against Oakland in Week 2, scoring on five consecutive second-half drives and converting two fourth downs. They responded to a 21-0 deficit to snap a 15-game losing streak against New England with a 34-31 win Sunday. The losses have been the only setbacks for the Raiders and Patriots this season.

Buffalo will look to extend its record to 4-0 Sunday against the 1-2 Cincinnati Bengals.

Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas, one of the stars to Buffalo's four Super Bowl teams in the 1990s, likes the Bills even though there are differences from his teams.

"The group we had had a lot of first-round draft picks and a lot of second-round draft picks," Thomas said. "This group, they're seventh-round picks. They're free agents, undrafted guys, but they're hungry. When you have that philosophy and that way of wanting to do things and make a name for themselves, it seems to come together."

Buffalo, which ranked 28th in scoring last season (17.7), leads the league at 37.7 points scoring 34 or more in its first three games for the first time since 1992. The Bills are third in total offense at 431, a 126-yard improvement on last season's 24th overall ranking. The Bills haven't finished among the top 10 in yards in 10 seasons - ranking 23rd or worse eight times.

Head coach Chan Gailey calls the plays, has spread the field with three and four wide receiver-sets, which has opened holes up the middle for running back Fred Jackson.

And the leader is quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, a seventh-round pick by the Rams in 2005. He's one of only three Harvard players in the NFL right now and the first Crimson QB to throw a pass in the NFL in 40 years.

The 29-year-old, who survived an attempted fan coup over the winter, has completed 65 percent of his 111 passes for 841 yards with nine TDs - one shy of the franchise mark after three games - and three interceptions. He has now played 16 games as the starter under Gailey, passing for 3,841 yards with 32 TDs and 18 interceptions. Only Jim Kelly and Drew Bledsoe have passed for more yards in a season and Kelly more TDs.

Although he ranks a respectable seventh in passer rating, Fitzpatrick is ranked fourth by ProFootballFocus.com and second by ESPN - using metrics which take into account sacks, the score, down, distance and importance of a play or drive.

Although Fitzpatrick is averaging a pedestrian 11.68 yards per completion, 19th in the league, he's converted first-down passes on 41.4 percent of his throws - ranking fourth - and has engineered 14 scores (11 TDs) in 14 trips to the red zone, throwing eight TDS in 20 passes inside the 20.

Buffalo's 6.14 average points in the red zone ranks second behind Oakland and much better in 2010 when the club ranked 25th in red-zone scoring last season (4.41), converting 19 TDs in 37 trips. Buffalo's best rank in the red zone the last 10 years has been 20th.

To make his early-season success even more impressive, the Ivy Leaguer is throwing to relative unknowns: wide receivers Steve Johnson and David Nelson (20 catches each) and tight end Scott Chandler (9 catches and 4 TDs). Johnson was a seventh-rounder, Chandler a fourth rounder and Nelson non-drafted.

The offensive line has also been excellent. Fitzpatrick has been sacked a league-low once in 112 dropbacks. In addition, according to PFF.com, the line has allowed just seven hurries - fewest in the league - and five hits.

Tackles Demetrius Bell, a seventh-rounder, and new starter and undrafted Erik Pears grade second and third respectively in PPF's proprietary rankings while guard Andy Levitre ranks first and has not allowed nary a hurry in three games. Last year, Bell ranked 52nd of 78 tackles and Levitre in the middle of 82 guards.

Running back Fred Jackson is fourth in the NFL in rushing with 303 yards with three TDs, and he has added 115 yards on eight catches - grading out as the No. 1 back in the NFL by PFF.com. The former free agent leads the league with five runs of 20-plus, has forced 13 missed tackles - second to Adrian Peterson - and his 4.1-yard average after contact is tops in the NFL and more than Matt Forte, Rashard Mendenhall, Peyton Hills and Jonathan Stewart average on runs.

On the defensive side of the ball Buffalo ranks 21st in points allowed (24.3), 26th in yards (387.3), last in sacks (2) and is yielding 4.7 yards per rush. However, the Bills are fourth in the league in takeaway margin (plus-5) after ranking last in 2010 (minus-17). They lead in interceptions (6 - 5 fewer than last season) and picked off Tom Brady four times last week - the same amount he threw all of last season.

Cornerback Drayton Florence has graded out eighth so far according to PFF, allowing just six completions in 15 attempts for 78 yards with two interceptions, and safeties Bryan Scott and undrafted George Wilson have come up with nine stops apiece at the line of scrimmage - tied for second among safeties. Jairus Byrd is tied for the league lead among safeties with threepasses defensed.

Bills linebacker Nick Barnett, who played for the Green Bay Packers' Super Bowl championship team last season, has been around a lot of good teams. He thinks Buffalo is on to something.

"This can be one of the best teams. It just depends on how we continue to grow," Barnett said. "It's too early to talk aboutwe're going to the Super Bowl or this and that. We still got some growth to do. But I think we're playing [well]. If the offense keeps putting up 30 points, there's no way we should lose, ever."

 

 

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