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| BAL at NE | BUF at MIA | CIN at CLE | DAL at DEN | DET at CHI | GB at MIN | NYG at KC | NYJ at NO |
| OAK at HOU | SD at PIT | SEA at IND | STL at SF | TB at WAS | TEN at JAX | ||
Week 4 Game Recap: Buffalo Bills 10, Miami Dolphins 38
Buffalo Bills
| QB Trent Edwards, Pass: 14 - 26 - 192 - 1 TD / 3 INT |
Yes, the offensive line is in shambles. And yes, Edwards was under pressure all day (as the 6 sacks will attest). But is the Bills game plan to be boring?? Edwards spent most of the game dumping the ball off to receivers on short routes, who had no room to run. When the Bills finally did air it out in the 4th quarter -- out of necessity -- they met with some success. Why Edwards seems so afraid to move the ball downfield is simply baffling. It's as if he's afraid to make any mistake, and the result is that he plays it so safe that nothing good comes out of it either. Is that the "gameplan", or is he simply afraid to throw into coverage? Or perhaps more credit needs to go to the Dolphins secondary and pass rush. Either way, the result is the same: a bad, bad, bad game from Edwards. It's his second stinker in a row, for those who are counting. On the wide receiver front, he actually seems to have more confidence in Lee Evans than Terrell Owens.
| RB Marshawn Lynch, Rush: 8 - 4 - 0, Rec: 5 - 43 - 0 (6 targets) |
Lynch returned from his three game suspension and spent much of the game shaking off the rust. On the ground, Lynch never got anything going, but he reminded us how dangerous he can be after the short catch, with a couple of 23 yard catch and run receptions. Too often though, Edwards got him the ball in situations where he had no room to run -- he had no chance on his other receptions, which totalled a whopping -4 yards. It appeared that the Bills wanted to give Lynch the ball more, but once he proved ineffective, they went back to Jackson. Look for the 50-50 time share with Jackson to continue for now, with Lynch getting more receiving opportunities.
| RB Fred Jackson, Rush: 9 - 42 - 0, Rec: 3 - 26 - 0 (5 targets) |
Jackson was sneaky-good on his rushes, as he seems to find room even when there is no hole to run through. He got the red zone carries later in the game, but as the whole offense came up lame on this day, that didn't amount to much.
| WR Terrell Owens, Rec: 3 - 60 - 0 (7 targets) |
Bottom line here: Owens is not at all in synch with his quarterback. Two of his catches were for long first downs, but they were not even close to hooking up on any deep patterns.
| WR Lee Evans, Rec: 2 - 60 - 0 (6 targets) |
Evans had two big gains, both on identical sideline fly patterns in single coverage, in which Edwards basically lofted the ball out there for him to find. And he did. Guess that's what happens when you trust your receiver to win that battle. Of course, two of his targeted throws were also interceptions, so you win some....
| WR Josh Reed, Rec: 1 - 3 - 1 (2 targets) |
Reed was targeted late in the game, coming up with a nice 3-yard catch for a TD.
| TE Derek Fine |
The tight ends were leaned on to help stop the pass rush (not that it helped much) and were not targeted in the passing game at all.
Miami Dolphins
| QB Chad Henne, Pass: 14 - 22 - 115 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 14 - 0 |
In his first ever NFL start, Chad Henne "led" the Dolphins to a decisive victory over the Bills. That is, he committed no turnovers, and was able to lead the team to scores in the red zone. But this game was won on the ground and by the defense, as the Dolphins controlled the clock and the field position throughout. Henne seemed nervous to begin, but once he settled in, managed the game well, making good decisions and throwing with accuracy when called upon.
| QB Pat White, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 |
Now listed as the backup QB, he only entered the game in the final two minutes. He did not attempt any passes.
| RB Ronnie Brown, Rush: 20 - 115 - 2 |
In the first half, Brown had a big gain of 38 yards and a short TD, but only five carries to ten for Ricky Williams. In the second half that reversed, as he was leaned on more heavily and was a big reason the Dolphins ground game was able to control the clock in the 2nd half. He added a 26 yard run and another short TD before it was over. He was not used as a receiver, but on a day when even the receivers weren't seeing much, this is not much of a critique.
| RB Ricky Williams, Rush: 16 - 85 - 1, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (1 targets) |
Williams shouldered most of the load in the first half, and while he broke no long runs, he did fight for the all important 3 or 4 yard gains needed for first downs when it mattered. In the second half, Ronnie Brown handled the ball more often, but Williams did manage a goal-line score, and a 28 yard gain on his final carry, his longest of the day.
| RB Patrick Cobbs, Rush: 2 - 11 - 0, Rec: 1 - 10 - 0 (1 targets) |
Cobbs caught a pass for a first down in the early stages, but his rushing yards didn't come until the final minutes when the Dolphins were running out the clock. He showed some power running up the middle, however, with a 9 yard gain against a defense that knew exactly what was coming.
| RB Lousaka Polite, Rush: 2 - 5 - 0, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (1 targets) |
Polite, the fullback, converted his two runs for short first downs, and caught the only ball thrown to him.
| WR Greg Camarillo, Rec: 4 - 42 - 0 (5 targets) |
Camarillo appeared to be the most reliable receiver for the Dolphins. His line is not exactly fantasy worthy, but he does have the potential for more -- if the Dolphins ever decide to throw the ball, that is.
| WR Brian Hartline, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0, Rec: 2 - 17 - 1 (2 targets) |
All the rookie receiver did was catch a first down and his first career touchdown pass. Modest numbers, but he proved that he belongs on the field.
| WR Davone Bess, Rec: 3 - 17 - 0 (5 targets) |
Bess caught a couple of important ones for first down yardage, but had no receptions of more than six yards. He was targeted once in the red zone.
| WR Ted Ginn, Rush: 1 - 22 - 0, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (3 targets) |
Take away his 22 yard rush and Ginn was a complete non-factor. They didn't even look his way in the second half. He wasn't even on the field for many plays, with Brian Hartline in his place.
| TE Anthony Fasano, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (3 targets) |
Fasano was an afterthought, but at least was targeted once in the red zone.