Boys-Bills Prediction

by Or Moyal on Oct 8, 2007 2:47 PM CDT Comment 13 comments

Hello, all. I'm a long time reader, first time poster.

Analysts have a knack for declaring every game with a line greater than 10 points a 'trap game'. My question: Why the hell is there a double digit line if you genuinely believe that there's a good chance of an upset?

Call me cocky, call me overconfident. I deserve the distinctions, but you can't blame me for claiming them. The Cowboys have been dominant to this point of the season, the Bills awful in almost every respect. They have a promising young running back and a rookie QB who's exceeded expectations-through four games. The Bills' pass defense is unspeakably bad, their run defense not much better. The Cowboys are getting healthier by the week, despite Anthony Henry and Keith Davis sitting out this one.

It's hard to foretell Jason Garrett's intentions, as his greatest single strength is unpredictability. He's daring and fearless, and his players execute in a similar fashion. I expect to see the Cowboys exploit the pitiful secondary laid before them, forcing the Bills to commit a great deal of additional help to stemming the bleeding from the gaping wound caused by Tony Romo's reckless shenanigans. This will free up our dynamic duo of runners to soften up the defense in conjunction with our massive group of blockers, and the Buffalo defense will completely crumble... if I had to estimate, I'd say sometime in the middle of the third quarter.

The Bills will lead with a balanced attack, but most of all try to exploit Jacques Reeves. The man's played beyond expectations, but is still a liability at the second corner spot. Expect Ken Hamlin to lend a hand on that side of the field with fair regularity. Mershawn Lynch will make his way through a good group of offensive linemen and probably pick up his fair share of yards, albeit not enough to make a serious dent. He may be the best Running back the Boys have faced to this point, but that's more a detraction from previous opposition than an acknowledgment of Lynch's competence.

Both teams have strong special teams units. The Bills have the one punter who might be superior to our own Mat Mcbriar, that competition should be enjoyable to view. They have a good tandem of returners, and with Keith Davis out of the picture that could be especially problematic. I may give Buffalo a slight edge in this facet of the game.

To conclude, my fellow Cowboy supporters, I don't believe we have much to fear. This team will be playing for their coach's retribution, for recognition on Monday Night Football, for the preservation of their unbeaten record, and for momentum going into next week's delicious matchup with the Bostoners.
Prediction:
Dallas: 41
Buffalo: 14

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game prediction

We're not too far apart.

Mine is Cowboys 34...Bills 14

I don't think Wade will try to "run up the score" too much. I hope he gets to play a lot of the second stringers.

Go Cowboys!

by brushpile on Oct 8, 2007 2:55 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Me too

I hope we get the score up fast. Let the second stringers come in and play. I want the starting unit, to be plenty ready for the big game next week!!

Cowboys 35
Bills 7

by DaveTroll on Oct 8, 2007 3:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm an optimist

I'll predict 44-10, Boys.

by llutherr on Oct 8, 2007 3:14 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Can't resist

I'm gonna say it's a 31-17 win, and JJ has at least 1 TD. I will now knock on wood for the next 4 hours.

by grapejoos on Oct 8, 2007 3:29 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

My Prediction:

Boys: 52
Bills: 17

Dallas forces nine turnovers. Russel maryland returns an interception for a touchdown.

You find out life's this game of inches, so is football. Because in either game - life or football - the margin for error is so small.

by Brandon Worley on Oct 8, 2007 3:47 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

mine - more of a squeaker

cowboys 24
bills 20

by billstickers on Oct 8, 2007 4:01 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

EA Prediction

ESPN has an EA predictor using Madden. They predict 3 TDs by Lynch but Dallas driving late to win it with a field goal. I find this highly unlikely since the Bills won't have enough of a passing game to stop Dallas from stacking the box to stop Lynch.

Derek

Signature! I don't need no stinking signature!!

by DerekSTheRed on Oct 8, 2007 4:42 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

How interesting

I don't think what happened last night is possible even in video games, but EA was a lot closer to reality than most.

Let's never get that cocky again, ok guys?

by grapejoos on Oct 9, 2007 10:55 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agree about the trap

If every double-digit IQ fan out here knows and understands the concept of a trap game and how and why it might happen, I think we can be reasonably sure that the professionals who do this all the dang time are reasonably up-to-speed on this. Worrying about a trap game is something Parcells trained me to do, but that's just because he could never stand knowing that I was optimistic about the Cowboys. So, I am declaring my independance from that way of thinking. Phillips, Garrett and Co. have got way too much experience to allow the team to fail to prepare.

by Incredifan on Oct 8, 2007 5:26 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

blowout city baby!!

Cowboys 41
Bills 10

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Oct 8, 2007 5:47 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Speechless

4 interceptions in one half. 2 of them before the second completion. Six overall.
A kickoff return returned for a TD.
Dropped passes galore, four from the lead wideout.
A running game that looked completely impotent for large portions of the game.
Blockers who chose to look their worst against one of the league's worst defensive units.
A defense that allowed an unheralded rookie quarterback to complete 24 of his 31 passes.
It was ugly. It was disgusting. It was an eyesore, and awful, and downright obscene. And the Dallas Cowboys came out of it 5-0.
Sometimes you look back at games and you simply can't comprehend the outcomes. The Green Bay-Chicago decision yesterday was one of these. But tonight's was a far more radical example.
How the hell did the Dallas Cowboys overcome all of the insurmountable barriers mentioned above, how did they rebound from adversity, how did they show up in rare form when all hope was lost?
Damned if I know.
Jason Witten was big tonight. Tony Romo's security blanket executed his role perfectly on a night when he was sorely needed.
Patrick Crayton has established a rapport with Tony Romo. There's plenty of reason to rip on our QB, but he creates these mental bonds between he and his receivers that I've never seen paralleled.
Demarcus Ware is an animal, Jay Ratliff is making some of us scratch our heads about the Tank's necessity, Ken Hamlin looks like a better signing every day.
Key stat: The Cowboys have gone consecutive weeks without allowing an offensive touchdown. Allow that to sink in.
All that being said, I still can't figure out how this rabbit was unhinged from its headgear. Party on, Dallas. Next week will be a blast.

http://sportsdeals.blogspot.com/

by Or Moyal on Oct 8, 2007 11:45 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Some interesting stats

The Offense had the same number to total tackles as the Special Teams (3).

The defense gave up 3 points.

The special teams gave up 7 points.

The offense scored a net of 11 points (12 of which were Nick). They were out rushed 81 yards to 76 (first time this year).

The defense had 8 quarterback hurries, 1 INT, 3 PDs, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 3 sacks, and 46 tackles. Even though the Bills rookie QB completed 23 passes of 31, he did not when it really counted. The defense were heros all the way.

The special teams also got the ball back on the onsides kick so goat to hero.

The offense scored the come-close TD and then the winning FG to also go from goat to hero.

by lee3022 on Oct 9, 2007 1:49 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs