There is not one table in the entire Western New York area that is safe. Why? The 2-0 Buffalo Bills have their home opener this Sunday. You read that correctly. The Bills are 2-0, and because of that, the entire city of Buffalo has bought non-refundable tickets to get on the hype train. The fans at New Era Field will be ridiculously rowdy as the Bills welcome the Cincinnati Bengals to town in Week Three. The Bengals are winless so far and are coming off of a beatdown in Week Two at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers. Despite all of that, and despite the New England Patriots looming on the horizon in Week Four, the Buffalo Bills cannot afford to look past Cincinnati in week three.
Potential Trap For The Buffalo Bills In Week Three
I cannot believe I’m writing that the Bills need to watch out for a trap game. Usually, the Bills are the trap that teams have to watch out for. They’re normally the ones overlooked and mentioned as little more than an afterthought. However, at this point in the season, the narrative has changed. And because of that narrative, Week Three is a trap for the Buffalo Bills. Fans knew what they wanted coming into this year, and so did the team. Right now, the Bills are 2-0 and face a team that looks very beatable. Then next week, they have a home matchup vs the Patriots that will serve as a litmus test of sorts. The fans know it. The team knows it. However, focusing on the Pats while playing the Bengals is a dangerous game for the Bills. As is playing with uncontrolled emotion.
A Date With the New England Patriots
Nobody outside of Buffalo really cares that the Bills are 2-0, and it’s understandable. They haven’t beaten very good teams to this point, and they still have the stigma of being a joke. Do you know what would make people care about the Bills being undefeated? If they beat the New England Patriots who by the way once again look like an unstoppable juggernaut that makes us all want to throw up. The problem is, that game against New England is one week from this coming Sunday.
The Bills cannot get so caught up in looking at New England that they forget about the game in hand this week. The back half of the Bills schedule is rough. They have to face multiple playoff teams, and several of those are on the road. Beating Cincinnati in Week Three and moving to 3-0 is something the Bills must do. They need to get as many wins as they can before they face their tough stretch come November and December. That is what the thought process needs to be. But the Patriots threaten that thought process.
Buffalo mustn’t be so focused on proving themselves vs the Pats that they forget about the Bengals. The Bengals got rocked in Week Two, yes. But they’re not a pushover. They gave the Seattle Seahawks all they could handle in Week One and almost came away with a victory. Joe Mixon appears to be healthy, and along with Tyler Boyd and John Ross the Bengals have weapons on offense. It’s hard to win games in the NFL. Looking past anyone is a quick way to get beat. The Buffalo Bills need to treat week three with importance and focus.
Emotions Will Be High
The energy and atmosphere for a Bills home opener is electric. Whether you’re a Bills fan or not, if you haven’t experienced one I suggest you do so. The reason why every Bills home opener is electric is because it usually happens during the first two weeks of the season. Meaning the season is in it’s extremely early infancy and hope and belief for the team exist. That hope and belief will be amped up exponentially for this home opener.
The Bills beat the hated New York Jets in Week One with a fourth-quarter comeback. They then handily beat the New York Giants the following week at the same venue, MetLife Stadium. Josh Allen has a completion percentage of 64.2 percent despite pundits proclaiming accuracy would always elude him at the professional level. All signs are pointing up right now and Bills fans are riding a wave of momentum and positive energy. The stadium will be alive, and you can bet the players will feel the emotion and energy on the field.
It’s good to play with emotion. Albeit as long as the emotion comes in the right doses. For the Buffalo Bills in Week Three, they need to play with controlled emotion and remain focused on the field. They can feed off the crowd’s energy but not drown themselves in it. The players themselves know the energy they’re going to be surrounded by. Harnessing it, and not allowing it to overcome them will lead to a victory over the Bengals. Using too much emotion and failing to play within themselves and with controlled energy, is page one in the trap game handbook.
What It All Means For the Buffalo Bills in Week Three
The Bills need to win vs Cincinnati and avoid the trap. It may be simplistic and straightforward but it’s a fact. Racking up as many wins in the “easy” portion of their schedule is necessary to make the playoffs this year. With a chance to prove themselves next week vs the Patriots, it can be easy to look past this Week Three contest for the Bills. Buffalo must prevent themselves from looking past the Bengals and looking towards New England. With the energy and emotion, the fans and players will have, the potential to lose focus will be there. This game has trap written all over it. Hopefully, the Bills can navigate the baited waters of Week Three and come away with another win.
