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Tale of the tape

Week 6: Buffalo Bills At Arizona Cardinals

Bills

Cardinals

The Bills expect Ryan Fitzpatrick to make them a respectable team. Through the first 3 1Ž2 games, the Bills were on their way. They were 2-1 and leading New England by two touchdowns at the half. Then the roof fell in. While this seems like a defensive issue, a quarterback has to find a way to slow down the avalanche once it happens. Fitzpatrick does not have an idea of how to do this.	Quarterback	Kevin Kolb got his break in the first game of the season when came in for injured John Skelton and led the Cardinals to a fourth-quarter comeback. Kolb did more of the same through the fourth game of the season, but in Week Five at St. Louis, the magic ran out. Kolb has a decent arm and good size, but he lacks touch and he doesn’t read defenses well.
The Bills are trying to balance out their offense with Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller handling the running chores. That part of the game was invisible against the Niners. Big-play wideout Stevie Johnson is not consistent enough. He will drop passes that he should catch.	Offense	The Cardinals have one of the most consistent receivers in the NFL in Larry Fitzgerald. He has excellent moves, gets open in all clutch situations and he almost never drops the ball. Ryan Williams wasn’t a star, but he played with effort and the Cardinals will miss him as a result of the shoulder injury he suffered against St. Louis. Williams will miss the rest of the season.
The Bills defense has fallen apart over the last six quarters. They have given up 90 points to the Patriots and 49ers over that span. They have many faults, but the biggest issue may be the inability to stop the run. A week after allowing two Patriots to exceed the 100-yard mark, Frank Gore of the Niners pummeled them as well. The signing of Mario Williams has not helped this team.	Defense	ILB Daryl Washington is going to come after opposing running backs and the quarterback and hit them hard. Washington had 5 tackles and 1.0 sack in the loss to the Rams. Defensive back Patrick Peterson is probably the best all-around player on the team – offense or defense.
The Bills feel reasonably good about their special teams. Rian Lindell is healthy again and he has made his only two FG attempts this season. Shawn Powell has a strong leg and the Bills gave him the punting job and released Brian Moorman. Return specialist Leodis McKelvin has speed and quickness.	Special Teams	Jay Feely has made 8-of-9 FG attempts through the first five games of the season. He has yet to attempt a field goal from 50 yards or further. Dave Zastudil is a dependable directional punter. Peterson is one of the most explosive return men in the league.

The winner is

Cardinals

3 out of 4

The Cardinals were lucky to start the season with a 4-0 record because Kevin Kolb is not the kind of quarterback you can constantly win with. The offensive line is suspect. The Bills have been atrocious on defense and the Cardinals should be able to bounce back in this game.

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