Battle of Good and Evil in Buffalo

On Sunday night, the 9-0 New England Patriots travel to Buffalo to play the 5-4 Bills. I have grown fond of these Bills, who have won four straight games to put themselves in playoff contention after a disastrous start to the season. Following an 0-3 start and week five’s stomach-punch home loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football, the Bills’ playoff aspirations appeared more dubious than Andy Dufresne’s chances of getting out of Shawshank.

But like the esteemed Mr. Dufresne, the Bills never lost hope. After a much-needed bye week, Buffalo has peeled off four straight wins (albeit against teams with a combined record of 8-28).

The Bills have not had a 300 yard passer all season, and just once had a 100 yard rusher. They have a full-fledged quarterback controversy between J.P. Losman and rookie Trent Edwards, but no one, including the two QBs, seems to care or mind which one starts. From my vantage point, it appears the Bills don’t care about anything this season but winning.

The Bills are ranked 31^st out of 32 teams in total offense so far this season, and 28^th in total defense. Knowing those stats, it is hard to imagine how they have managed to compile a winning record. But they are 6^th in the NFL in turnover differential, and in the top 10 in both sides of the kick return game. Their kicker has missed just two field goals this season (neither shorter than 40 yards). The Bills are eighth in the league in net punting and first in punt returns.

Their opponent this weekend is the mighty New England Patriots, a brutally powerful, efficient, star-studded machine that has set its sights on not only an undefeated season, but on being the undisputed Greatest Team in the history of the game. These Patriots may well be the greatest ever. They have won just one game by less than 17 points, and that was on the road against the defending Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts – themselves winners of twelve straight at the time.

This Patriots team is not just good though – it is malicious. Never before have I seen a team this cold-blooded, pissed-off, arrogant, and mean-spirited. The Patriots have deliberately run up the score in every game they have had the chance. With a 38-0 fourth quarter lead during a week eight home game against the Washington Redskins, the Patriots twice went for it on fourth down in Redskins territory. The second time they ran a Tom Brady sneak directly into the pile.

There is no reason for Brady to play late in a blowout win. Along with Peyton Manning, he is the most indispensable player in the NFL. The consequences of a Brady injury would likely be more devastating to his team than those of an injury to any other player in the NFL. Belichick keeps him on the field late in these games, and tries to score as many touchdowns as possible, because he is pompous, insane, and egotistical. The repercussions of “Cameragate” appear to have driven him over the edge, and now he’s out for blood.

Bill Belichick is the NFL’s resident mad scientist villain. Like the best villains, he is cold, cruel, and smarter than the good guys. It appears to me that this season is all about Legacy. He has three Super Bowls. He is undisputed as the greatest coach in the NFL, if not all of American sports. But that’s not enough for Belichick – he wants more. Should the Patriots win the rest of their games, they will be deservingly declared as the greatest team in football history.

Perhaps the strongest rationale on how I choose my favorite teams is the current emotional state of that team’s fan base. The Boston fan base is currently experiencing almost unprecedented bliss. The Patriots have been this decade’s premier NFL franchise. The Red Sox have won two of the last four World Series. The Boston Celtics recently mortgaged their future for a shot at short-term salvation – and appear to have found it as they are currently the NBA’s only undefeated team. It’s important to note that each of these teams has employed consumptive, slash and burn team-building techniques to achieve short-term success. The Red Sox have the second-highest bankroll in baseball (almost three times as large as that of the Rockies) and the Celtics have to pay luxury tax because they are over the NBA’s salary cap. The Patriots manage to keep things under control using the NFL’s time-honored tradition of cutting players (such as Corey Dillon) and forgetting about their non-guaranteed contracts. These are teams built on high-priced free agent acquisitions, not patient farming of home-grown talent.

Four hundred miles to the west live the most tortured sports fans in the United States. Buffalo has two major sports franchises, the Bills and the NHL’s Sabres. SUNY Buffalo, a large state school, features two of the weaker programs in Division I college football and basketball. The Sabres have never won a championship in 37 frustrating seasons in the NHL. The Buffalo Bills have never won the Super Bowl, but they did lose it four straight times between 1991 and 1994. Since those Super Bowls, the Bills have not found consistency, have not played in the AFC Championship, and suffered one of the most devastating losses in sports history.

Since 2001, the Bills have won just one of thirteen matchups against the Patriots. They are sixteen point underdogs this time. Worse, they will likely be without their top (some would say only) offensive asset, rookie running back Marshawn Lynch. Even Andy Dusfrene had a rock hammer.

The one advantage the Bills will have is a raucous, bloodthirsty crowd. Buffalo has hosted few meaningful games the last few years, and only one (the tragic Dallas loss earlier this season) in its own time slot on national television. Like Duke in basketball, the Patriots will get the best effort from every team and home crowd they travel to the rest of the year. They have brought this villainy upon themselves, and I hope they pay for their sins.