Brown and Dixon Get Chance to Shine

The only good part of last week for the Bills was that they came away with the win.  Coming away with a one point win at home against Minnesota while losing your two starting running backs isn't exactly what the doctor ordered.  That's not to take anything away from Orton, Watkins, Chandler, and Hogan who all came up huge on that final game winning drive, but the Bills simply need to play better this week if they expect to win on the road.  With Spiller out for the season and Fred Jackson out at least two weeks, Anthony Dixon and Bryce Brown step into the starting roles at running back.  It is still uncertain as to how Nathaniel Hackett will distribute the carries but both will probably be a big part of the game plan for this sunday.  Both Dixon and Brown were added in the offseason (Dixon from San Francisco and Brown from Philadelphia).  Bryce Brown is more of a speed guy who likes to get to the edge while Dixon prefers to go straight through defenders and try to get tough yards.  They complement each other very well and against a stout New York defense, the Bills will need big games out of both guys.  

The big story of the NFL from last week was star wide receiver Percy Harvin getting traded from the Seahawks to the Jets.  Today is Harvin's debut for the green and white and he should be someone Buffalo keeps an eye on.  New York is his third different team in as many seasons for the very talented, but troubled wide receiver.  He figures to bring a lot of help to a young quarterback in Geno Smith with one of the worst receiving cores in the league. Eric Decker, the Jets offseason acquisition from Denver, has put together a solid season and figures to be the number two receiver with the addition of Harvin.  The identity of the Jets is running the football behind Chris Ivory and Chris Johnson.  New York averages 135 yards on the ground per game and should be the toughest matchup for the Bills run defense up to this point in the season.  

Three keys to the game:

1. Turnover Battle: The Bills were extremely fortunate to come away with a win last week after turning the ball over four times.  Kyle Orton has brought more life to the passing game, but his turnover problems need to change if Buffalo wants to get a division win today.  

2.  Force the Jets to beat you with Geno: Since the Jets have two very capable running backs who can go off, it is important for the Bills to take that away.  The Vikings ran for over 150 last week so if Buffalo can keep New York under 100 for the game that gives them a good chance.  Geno Smith has been known to make big mistakes so the more he throws the ball, the better for the Bills defense.  

3.  Red Zone: The Buffalo Bills are one of the worst red zone offenses in the league, although things have improved under Kyle Orton.  Field goals will not be enough in this game as the Bills will have to punch in a few touchdowns against a very good Jets defense.  

My Prediction: It's a lot to ask out of Boobie Dixon and Bryce Brown to just jump in and fix an already struggling running game. Buffalo will struggle to move the ball consistently, while I question the Bills ability to stop the Jets on the ground.  The Bills have more flaws than we all thought and the Jets will expose those today.  Also, playing in the meadowlands has never been fun for the Bills.  

New York Jets 23   Buffalo Bills 16