Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills began the 2014 NFL season with an overtime victory on the road against the Chicago Bears last weekend, defeating the Bears 23-20 in a game that surprised many.

In the game at Soldier Field, the Bills and the Bears each scored a touchdown in the 1st quarter. The 1st Bills TD was scored by QB EJ Manuel. A 2nd quarter pass from Manuel to RB C.J. Spiller and a 50 yard field goal by kicker Dan Carpenter, led the Bills to be up 17-7 at halftime. Chicago went on to score 10 in the 3rd quarter and with each team making a field goal in the 4th quarter, overtime was required. RB Fred Jackson set up Carpenter, whose field goal in OT sealed the win for the Bills.

In addition to Manuel and Spiller, Buffalo signed rookie WR Sammy Watkins. Watkins was the 4th pick in the 2014 NFL draft and played football at Clemson University. He signed a 4 year guaranteed contract with the Bills for just under $20M.

Earlier this week, it was announced that Terry and Kim Pegulas reached an agreement to buy the Buffalo Bills. They also own the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. Donald Trump and a Toronto based buying group which included Bon Jovi, were also said to be bidding on the team. Pegulas will be just the 2nd team owner after founder, Ralph Wilson, who passed away in March 2014. The sale is still pending league approval, although reactions on various social media outlets by fans are for the majority, quite positive.

The Bills have not made the playoffs since 1999 and currently have the longest active losing streak – the team has not finished a season with a winning record since 2004. Will 2014 be the year that ends this decade long drought? With Manuel, Spiller and Watkins, and a 1-0 record to start the season, anything is possible! The Bills are also known for having one of the most loyal and dedicated fan bases across the league.

Buffalo’s next opponent is the Miami Dolphins, who they will face at home in Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday, September 14.

New Orleans Saints

ESPN’s NFL Nation reporters predicted records for all teams in the upcoming NFL season and predicted that the New Orleans Saints will finish the 2014-2015 regular season with a record of 11-5 and are likely to win the NFC South division title. The Saints began regular season play by losing on the road to division rivals, the Atlanta Falcons.

The Saints roster boasts plenty of talent including QB Drew Brees, WR Marques Colston, TE Jimmy Graham and RB Pierre Thomas. Brees has been nothing but great news for the Saints since arriving in 2006 from the San Diego Chargers. He has won numerous accolades including MVP and Offensive Player of the Year and led the team to its Super Bowl XLIV victory. The Saints have been well known for finding talent in the undrafted rookie free-agent pool, which is where they found Thomas in 2007, beating out a 4th round draft pick. Colston has established himself throughout the league as a difficult-to-defend target and Graham is considered an NFL elite tight end and rising star, becoming a favorite target of Brees. In the Saints’ preseason victory over the Tennessee Titans, NOLA fans voted Graham as the offensive MVP.

As well as defeating the Titans in preseason play, the Saints were also able to grab victories over the St. Louis Rams and Indianapolis Colts although they were defeated in the final preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, losing 22-13. 

In addition to facing their NFL South division rivals each twice this season, the Saints will also face off against the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears among other squads. The Saints only have 2 back-to-back road games, at the very start of the season and have a midseason stint of 3 home games in a row. Fans and analysts have high expectations for the team and they have rarely disappointed in the past several years. The Saints are definitely a squad for other teams to watch out for.