What a difference one milestone victory can make.
Even as the Bills got off to one of their best starts in the franchise’s 61-year history, there were doubts about the veracity of their 6-2 record fashioned over the season’s first half.
Principal among them was that none of those six victories was against a member of the NFL’s elite … a “signature win.” Buffalo’s two chances to enhance its resume resulted in a 42-16 defeat at Tennessee and a 26-17 loss to the Chiefs in Orchard Park.
Then came Sunday afternoon at Bills Stadium.
That’s when Buffalo, a 3-point underdog, throttled Seattle, viewed as the NFC’s best team, 44-34, on an inordinately warm, albeit fanless, Western New York day.
This was no fluke.
No last-second field goal … no ill-timed turnover … no controversial officiating call.
The Bills out-matched the NFL’s highest-scoring team.
Buffalo never trailed in hanging the most points on the Seahawks since December of 2009.
It could be argued this was the franchise’s biggest win since it downed NFC Championship Game-bound Green Bay, 21-13, in December of 2014 at then-Ralph Wilson Stadium
At 7-2, with the AFC’s third-best record, coach Sean McDermott’s team has established itself among the conference elite while raising major questions about Seattle going forward.
The Seahawks hit their offensive average, scoring 34 points (though turning the ball over four times and taking five sacks), but they’re now surrendering an embarrassing 30 per game — only Jacksonville and Dallas are worse — while giving up the most yards (456) and passing yards (362) in the league.
If defense, as the cliche goes, wins championships, Seattle (6-2) might just start planning for the 2021 season because it already has the look of a one-and-done playoff team this year.
AND WHILE letting some air out of the Seahawks’ balloon, Buffalo’s path over the final seven games brightened considerably.
Next Sunday, the Bills travel to Arizona, where two days ago the Cardinals lost to a Miami team Buffalo beat on the road.
The Chargers, who play at Orchard Park the following week, are a hard-luck 2-6. After that comes a game at San Francisco, where the 49ers have not only lost their starting quarterback, but also the Pro Bowl tight end and their best running back to injury.
To be sure, unbeaten Pittsburgh visits Bills Stadium in December, but the 8-0 Steelers nearly lost on Sunday in Dallas to a 2-7 Cowboys team down to its third-string quarterback.
Rounding out the season are trips to Denver and New England, both 3-5, and the season finale at home against Miami.
That’s not to say the path is easy. The Bills could go 2-5 during that stretch, but the closing schedule isn’t nearly as daunting as it was two or three weeks ago.
THERE’S also reason for optimism as Buffalo’s season rounds toward the home stretch.
National Football League coaches are famous for preferring to stick with their identity, although with adjustments.
McDermott’s pedigree is defense, and this hasn’t been a good year for that unit as, nine games in the season, it ranks 19th in points surrendered (26 per game) and 18th in yards given up (365).
Yet when facing the league’s most potent offense, knowing his defensive shortcomings, he opted to prepare for a shootout and let offensive coordinator Brian Daboll implement a pass-heavy game plan.
Sure enough, 31 of Buffalo’s first 35 plays were passes, partly because the Bills had only two healthy running backs, but mostly because Seattle is the league’s worst team covering the thrown ball. And quarterback Josh Allen emerged from a tough four-game stretch hitting 31-of-38 throws for a career-high-tying 415 yards with three touchdown passes, no interceptions, a rushing TD and a gaudy 138.5 passer rating.
His speed receivers — Stefon Diggs (9 catches for 118 yards), John Brown (8 for 99) and rookie Gabe Davis (4 for 70, TD) — all had big days and eight different Bills logged receptions.
“WE WANT to be responsible in what we’re doing,” McDermott said of the pass-happy plan, “but we also know we want to try to win.
“I really thought we did a good job of establishing the line of scrimmage a week ago in the run game (190 rushing yards in beating New England) and, this week, we just felt like the recipe, the right formula, was to go out through the air a little bit.”
Actually, more than a little bit, and there were no complaints from Allen.
“I loved it, personally, and I know the receivers loved it,” he said. “Whatever it takes to win is what we’re willing to do.
“Whatever the situation is, I trust in Coach Daboll and in our offensive staff to develop a game plan. The guys have got to go out there and execute it and I think we did that.”
In “signature” fashion.
(Chuck Pollock, a Times Herald senior sports columnist, can be reached at pollock@oleantimesherald.com)
