Buffalo Bills
By Ronan Khalsa
The Buffalo Bills (4-2) are the most surprising team in the NFL this year, and the change can be credited to second year head coach, Rex Ryan. Before this season, Buffalo was known for, well, not a whole lot. Now, their defense is one of the toughest in the league with running back LeSean McCoy having one of his best seasons of his career.
McCoy isn’t the only one wreaking havoc on offense. Receivers Marquise Goodwin, Charles Clay and Robert Woods have been solid targets for quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who is having a great sophomore season. To date, Taylor has completed 62.4% of his passes while contributing to the running game. He also has the second most rushing yards after McCoy, who is coming off arguably his best week as a professional after scoring three times and rushing 140 yards.
The Bills’ defense is tied for first in forced fumbles in the league, second in sacks and tied for sixth in interceptions, which proves their defensive toughness. Their quick defense shut down likely playoff lock-ins in the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals.
The Buffalo Bills have shown they can play with the best of them, second only to the Patriots in the East. Buffalo knows how to deal with natural and physiological elements. Expect to see the Bills playing in January.
Atlanta Falcons
By Kevin Lindgren
One of the biggest surprises this NFL season has been the Atlanta Falcons. Matt Ryan has played at MVP level, Julio Jones leads the league in receiving yards and a two-headed monster attack has emerged at running back.
Ryan’s career passer rating sits at 92.1. This season, his 15:3 touchdown to interception ratio has led to a sublime 117.9 QB rating. In addition, Atlanta’s running game has been a revelation thus far.
Devonta Freeman is sixth in the NFL with 450 rushing yards, while Tevin Coleman leads all running backs with 320 receiving yards. This combination has lead to the dirty birds averaging 112 rushing yards per game, eighth in the NFL.
Second-year linebacker Vic Beasley has compiled 4.5 sacks through six games, and cornerback Robert Alford has 2 picks on the season. Although their defense is by no means elite, the Falcons have held explosive teams like the Raiders, Saints, Broncos and Panthers at bay.
Although the Buffalo Bills may have a good defense and strong running game, they lack elite receivers and quarterback for a truly explosive offense.
So far, no one has been able to stop Atlanta’s offense. The Falcons’ versatile attack and improving defense show that this team is definitely a force to be reckoned with.
