Pre-Game Recon: Five Questions With Buffalo Rumblings

In order to get a better understanding of the current state of affairs on the Buffalo Bills before this weekend’s contest, Battle Red Blog spoke with Buffalo Rumblings contributor Corey Giacovelli.

Thanks to Corey for participating in the conversation!

You can check out what I had to say on Buffalo Rumblings here.

1) Is it Super Bowl or bust this season for the Bills?

The Bills are at the point where I agree that it is Super Bowl or bust with this team. After reaching the AFC Championship game last season and bringing back almost everyone on that football team, there is no reason why the team can not make it back to that game and make it over the hump. Buffalo is in their Super Bowl window after the extension of Josh Allen so it is now or never. Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott have crossed off many things off their list since coming to Buffalo. Step 1 was to break the playoff drought. Step 2 was to win the division again and win a playoff game. Now we have come to the final step which is making it to the big game and coming away with that trophy.

2) Stefon Diggs won the receiving yards title last year, but the team added Emmanuel Sanders in the offseason. What has the Sanders addition done for Diggs and the rest of the Bills’ offense?

Sanders has given Buffalo that second go to option opposite of Stefon Diggs and has given Buffalo a down the field option over the top. We saw the missed opportunity against Pittsburgh when Sanders got behind the defense but now we have seen Allen and Sanders start connecting on some of these plays and developing chemistry. By pulling the defense down the field, it allows Diggs to have his way in the middle of the field to work his magic. It makes it difficult to double team Diggs because Sanders can just blow by almost any corner in the league 1 on 1. We saw the potential of Sanders after his double touchdown performance on Sunday and we expect more of that to come in Buffalo.

3) Which defensive players have stood out the most in the first month of the season?

That would easily be rookie Gregory Rosseau who has already passed expectations. He was a monster in the game against the Dolphins, tallying his first two sacks of his career. His snap counts have been very high so far this season and I expect him to make an impact in the game on Sunday. His unique combination of strength and speed could put him in the conversation for Defensive Rookie of the Year if he continues to play on this level. One of the offseason goals for Buffalo was to get better on the defensive line, especially in regards to getting to the quarterback. Rosseau is definitely helping with that in his young career.

4) If you hosted a Bills Mafia tailgate and you could invite three Houston Texans, who would they be and why?

The first would be Tyrod Taylor due to all of his time in Buffalo. He poured his heart and soul out to this football team every week he was out there. He will always have a special place in Buffalo’s heart for breaking the playoff drought. It is unfortunate what he went through at the end with the whole Nathan Peterman situation. Andrew Roberts can come hang out because of the special teams value he brought to Buffalo the past couple of seasons. Also, we may need to bribe him to come back after a couple special teams fiascos the Bills have had this season. Lastly as a shocker I would invite Danny Amendola. Someone has to go through a flaming table and as a former Patriot with a smaller stature, Amendola would be the perfect candidate. I would also feel only slightly bad if he got hurt as well.

5) Predictions for the game Sunday?

This team should be focused to take care of business, even with a showdown against the Chiefs on the horizon. The defense has been playing great this year and there is no reason to believe they will slow down going against a rookie quarterback. As for the offense, they should that they got back their rhythm last week which should translate over to this week as well. Buckle up because this one could get ugly. 40-14 Buffalo.