Bills analysts Chris Brown and Donald Jones breakdown what has impressed them the most through the first four weeks of the season.
Moment you'll never forget …
Chris Brown: I'm going with Tre'Davious White's fumble return for a touchdown. Not everyone on the field or in the stands was as alert as to what was going on as the rookie, but White never stopped running on his way to the end zone in Atlanta.
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Donald Jones:** The one thing that I have learned playing football was sometimes you are good, and other times you are lucky. A wise man once said good teams create their own luck. In Week 3 the Bills got a little lucky with a questionable call when Von Miller stuck his hand out as if to help Tyrod up off the ground. He then pulled his hand away like the old 'too slow' move which my son does to me all the time. The ref threw the flag for a personal foul. It was a huge call because it kept a drive going which helped the Bills put the game away. I will never forget that call.
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The biggest 'wow' moment …**
Brown: Probably the ease with which Stephen Hauschka bombed his 55-yard field goal at New Era Field in Week 3 at the end of the half against the Broncos. Sure, it was a warm day and the ball was carrying, but the kick would've been good from 60.
Jones: Stephen Hauschka has made four field goals over 50 yards. He has been named the "AFC Special Teams" player of the week two weeks in a row. It has gotten to the point where every time they get across the 50-yard line I don't think that they are afraid to kick it. Every time he kicks it over 50 yards is a wow moment for me because he is making them with room to spare.
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Top Shady McCoy play …**
Brown: It would have to be the 3rd-and-6 conversion he made at the Denver 27 in Week 3. Up a touchdown the Bills were trying to run clock on a long drive. McCoy leaked out of the backfield and caught a pass in the left flat. He shook the safety in coverage leaving him on the ground, then cut inside a pursuing linebacker leaving him grasping at air before he lunged forward to get the first down.
Jones: Early in the game against the Falcons, LeSean McCoy did what bills fans are so used to seeing him do. The Bills offense found themselves in a 3rd-and-17 and usually teams call a screen or draw to get yards and then punt. The Bills ran a screen to Shady and he picked up the first down.
Best offensive drive …
Brown:A 19-play drive that takes more than 11 minutes off the game clock when your team is nursing a four-point lead is about as good as it gets. Yes, they only got a field goal at the end of it, but it's the longest drive in the league through the four weeks.
Jones: Leading up to the game against the Falcons, one of my keys to the game was to sustain long drives. They needed to do that so that they could keep Matt Ryan and the Falcons high-powered offense off the field. In the third quarter, they did just that with a 19-play 11-minute drive which ended in a field goal. Of course, they would've wanted a touchdown but to come away with points was huge.
Best play from Tyrod …
Brown: While I was impressed with his ability to out run his spy last week in Atlanta's Deion Jones for third down conversions, his best play is probably his touchdown pass to Jordan Matthews last week. The reason why is because of how patient he was in the pocket. He waited almost four seconds for Matthews to come free as the third progression on the play and delivered a perfect ball in the back-left corner of the end zone.
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Jones:** Tyrod Taylor is a big play waiting to happen. I think his biggest play this year was a 44-yard throw to Charles Clay in the second quarter of the Falcons game. He went play action and rolled to the left, then he scrambled to the right and threw a 44-yard strike, which set up a touchdown pass to Jordan Mathews shortly after.
Best defensive drive …
Brown: It's probably the three-and-out against Atlanta last week in the fourth quarter. After taking a 20-17 lead on a Stephen Hauschka 56-yard field goal, Buffalo's defense goes three and out after Micah Hyde intercepted the tipped pass at the Bills 28-yard line. It led to another field goal to make it a six-point game.
Jones:In Week 3 the Bills defense played great against one of the best offenses in the game in the Denver Broncos. The Broncos came into the game riding high off the win the week before in Dallas. The Bills needed to make a statement against the Broncos and they did that on the first play of the drive. They forced the Denver offense into a three-and-out to get the ball back to the Bills offense. I think that set the tone for the entire game.
Most encouraging performance from a player 25-and-under …
Brown: It's got to be White, who is performing like a seasoned veteran at cornerback. He's among the league leaders in pass breakups and he's only going to get better.
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Jones:** I know that I talk about Tre'Davious White quite often, but he has been very good. In his first month in the NFL he already has one interception and a fumble recovery for touchdown. He has been tested often, but I think teams will start to think twice about testing him soon. The Denver game impressed me the most. He was having a tough first half but he bounced back like a true pro. He came up with some huge plays to help the team win a big game.
Sign of encouragement for the rest of the season …
Brown:That the defense plays consistent football from one week to the next. As long as they can continue to hold opponents down in terms of points, the Bills will have a chance every week.
Jones: The defense is the biggest sign of encouragement for the rest of the season. This team has gotten off to the best start since I played on the Bills in 2011. I think the biggest difference in this team verses the team I played on is the very good defense. In 2011, we outscored teams. The winning formula in the NFL is having a strong defense that can shut teams down and create turnovers. That's what this team is doing right now.
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Area where the team must make the biggest improvement …**
Brown: Getting off to a faster start. Through the first four games the Bills have not scored a single point in the first quarter. Granted, they haven't fallen behind by more than a touchdown at any point thus far this season, but getting an early lead could certainly go a long way in letting their run game settle in and not put as much pressure on their defense to hold their opponent off the scoreboard.
Jones: Right now, the Bills are trying to figure out who can step up at wide receiver with Jordan Matthews injured. The Bills are last in the league in receiver targets with 98 through three weeks. Tyrod is doing a good job getting the running backs and tight ends involved in the passing game. As the season goes on, teams will try to shut down Charles Clay and someone else will have to step up in order for the passing game to flourish.
