Let's take a look at the Buffalo Bills.
Hmmm, they're 31st on offense and 31st on defense, too. In other words, they don't move the ball and they don't stop if from being moved. That's not good.
They must do something well, right?
Wrong.
They're 19th in rushing, 30th in passing, 22nd against the run and 29th against the pass.
So who did they beat, Miami?
Yeah, they beat Miami. They also won four other games. That's right, the Bills are 5-5. They can't run it, pass it or stop it, but they're in the playoffs race. Imagine that. How is it possible?
It's possible because even though the Bills don't beat you, they're very good at letting their opponents beat themselves. That's always been their head coach's game, even when he was the Jaguars defensive coordinator.
Dick Jauron was never a blitz guy when he was with the Jags. He wasn't much for press coverage, pressure defense or exotic coverages. He's always been a cover-two, bend-but-don't-break guy and he still is. His teams have always played disciplined, close-to-the-vest football that scavenges wins from careless opponents, and therein lies the lesson for the Bills' opponents this week, the Jaguars:
• Don't be careless with the football. Don't be lulled to sleep by the Bills' unimpressive stats and, most of all, don't ignore the two real weapons they have, kick-returners Roscoe Parrish and Terrence McGee. They've each taken a kick back for a touchdown this season.
In short, don't take the Bills lightly. It's not as though this isn't a game the Jaguars should win comfortably, it's just that thinking that way is exactly what the Bills want you to do. They feast on their opponents failings. If you're on your game, they can't beat you.
The Jaguars pushed them around last year in Buffalo; owned the stats with more yards, more first downs and over four minutes more time of possession.
After the game, the Jaguars talked about how the Bills were playing a soft cover-two and receivers were open all over the field. The Jaguars regretted having left so many points on the field.
So how did the Jaguars lose the game? Well, they lost a fumble, committed 10 penalties for 108 yards, missed a mid-range field goal attempt, allowed an 82-yard punt return for a touchdown by Parrish, failed to successful execute a squib kickoff with 28 seconds to play and collapsed in pass-coverage with 22 seconds to play to allow the Bills to kick a game-winning 42-yard field goal.
That's classic Bills football. That's how they win. They leave you beating yourself up about all the dumb things you did. Hey, who's the dummy, huh?
The Jaguars should've learned a good lesson last year. Don't be a dummy. The Bills can beat you if you beat yourself.