New Orleans Saints vs. Buffalo Bills XBOX Simulation

New Orleans Saints vs. Buffalo Bills 4:05 ET FOX

Weather: Highs in the lower 70s. Chance of rain   80%, winds out of the West at 14 mph

The red hot New Orleans Saints (2-0, 2-0 ATS) look to move to 2-0 on the year when they invade Ralph Wilson Stadium to lock horns with the Buffalo Bills (1-1, 2-0 ATS) in an AFC/NFC football betting battle.

New Orleans is 3-1 SU & ATS as a road favorite of 3.5 to 7-points the L/3 seasons, and a perfect 7-0 ATS the L/7 times they were installed a favorite. Buffalo is 4-5 SU but 6-3 ATS in its L/9 non-conference games, and 7-3 ATS the L/10 times they were installed an underdog at home. These teams have played to the ‘under in 3 of their L/4 overall meetings.

1st QUARTER:

KR/DB Leodis McKelvin set QB Trent Edwards and the offense up with solid field position to start the game when he returned the opening kick to the Bills 34-yard line. RB Fred Jackson picked up 2-yards on BUF’s first play from scrimmage, and then Edwards connected with WR Terrell Owens for an 7-yard gain.

The games first turnover occurred on the next play when Saints MLB Jonathan Vilma stepped in front of a play action pass intended for TE Derek Fine.

QB Drew Brees and the powerful Saints offense set up shop at their own 48-yard line. He overthrew WR Marques Colston on 1 st down, and then botched the center exchange on the next play that saw the pigskin squirt out to a waiting CB McKelvin who pounced on it. The Bills took over at midfield.

Edwards tried to hit WR Lee Evans on a slant, but threw it in back of him on 1 st down. Jackson then picked up 15-yards on 2 nd down to move the chain, but the drive stalled at the Saints 19-yard line. HC Dick Jauron called upon K Rian Lindell who split the uprights on the 36-yarder to give the Bills the lead heading into the 2 nd quarter.

NEW ORLEANS 0 BUFFALO 3

2nd QUARTER

The Saints had already gotten to midfield as the 1 st quarter came to a close. RB Pierre Thomas gained two yards on the next two plays to set up a 3 rd and 7. Brees hit Colston for an 8-yard gain to move the chains, but then hit him for a 28-yard gain to set the Saints up 1 st and goal at the Bills 10-yard line. After a 3-yard gain by Thomas, Brees slung one into a wide open WR Devery Henderson for the games first TD; Brees’ 10 th of the year!

The Saints lead was very short lived; Leodis McKelvin took the kick-off back 95 yards to give the Bills the 3-point lead they had just surrendered right back.

New Orleans managed to get out to the Bills 47-yard line before the drive stalled. P Glenn Pakulak’s punt sailed into the end zone for a touchback.

RB Jackson picked up 21 yards on the Bills next three plays from scrimmage, and then Edwards connected with WR Josh Reed for the first time in the game for a huge 19-yard gain to set them up 1 st and 10 at the Saints 29-yard line. After another 6-yard gain from RB Jackson, Edwards threw his second career TD pass to T.O. from 24-yards out. Lindell hit the xp as the rain came pouring down. Ralph Wilson Stadium was hopping!!!

NEW ORLEANS 7 BUFFALO 17

3rd QUARTER

The Saints moved the chains once on their opening drive of the 3 rd quarter, but was then forced to punt.

Buffalo took over and proceeded to move right down the field like they did throughout the first half. Edwards hit WR Lee Evans for 29-yards on their very first play, and then followed it up with a 19-yard pass and catch to TE Fine. After a holding call, Edwards hit Evans for 8-yards and then RB Jackson bolted for a 17-yard gain to move the sticks.

Jackson then got them down to the 3-yard line on a 5-yard gain, and then Edwards threw his second TD pass of the game to FB Corey McIntyre on a little dump-off for 3-yards. Buffalo was rocking and rolling, but saw this occur Week 1 vs. NE and choked the lead away….

Looking for a spark, HC Sean Payton inserted Reggie Bush into the KO return team. Unbelievably, the move paid off immediately as Bush returned the kick 98-yards to silence what had turned into a very raucous Buffalo crowd.

The quarter closed with Buffalo on the march at midfield.

NEW ORLEANS 14 BUFFALO 24

4TH QUARTER

Staring at a 3 rd and 6 from the Saints 31, Edwards hit WR Owens for a huge 17-yard gainer to set the offense up 1 st and 10 from NO’s 15-yard line. Freddy Jackson did the rest and put his mark on the drive with a 4-yard plunge to give his squad a commanding 17-point lead.

Like clockwork though, the Saints special teams struck like another bolt of lightning when Courtney Roby bobbed and weaved through the Bills first line of defense and then dashed 96-yards for another special teams score. You’d think STC Bobby April would’ve made some kind of adjustment after Bush already gouged his unit. Wishful thinking…

Looking to milk some clock with 9+ minutes remaining in the game, Edwards and the offense hit the field. Jackson ripped off a pair of 6-yard gains on the first two plays, so you would’ve figured OC Alex Van Pelt would’ve stuck to the ground. He got cocky and called for play action – LB Scott Fujita had him scratching his head after that call when he intercepted it and got tacked at BUF’s 43-yard line.

It took Brees and the offense just three plays to punch it into the end zone – He hit WR Lance Moore for 17, Colston for 18, and then Henderson for a TD from 8-yards out. The Stadium was nowhere near as loud as it was just a short four minutes ago.

With all their timeouts and 2:45 left in the game, HC Payton elected to kick it deep. The move paid off as the Bills failed to move the chains. Brees and company got possession of the ball back down three at their own 39 with 1:55 left. He hit Moore for 13-yards on 1 st down, and moved the chains again by hitting TE Jeremy Shockey for 5-yards and WR Robert Meachem for 12 yards to set them up 1 st and 10 at BUF’s 33-yard line.

DE Aaron Schobel came up with a huge play on the very next play when he dropped Brees for an 8-yard loss. The Saints rushed back to the LOS to get the next play off, but Brees’ pass fell incomplete. With just 17 seconds left, the Saints snuck a draw into Reggie Bush who got dropped after a 4-yard gain.

John Carney lined up to attempt the game tying 54-yard FG. Just before he started his motion, Bills HC Jauron called his final TO. Carney’s attempt landed well short of the mark – like 8-yards short as the wind played a major role. This forced Payton to bring his offense back on the field and try to pull off the miracle.

The Saints tried to run the hook and ladder, but CB Terrence McGee snuffed it out and blew Reggie Bush up immediately once he took the lateral. He then pounced on the live pigskin, and the Bills held on in dramatic fashion. What a game!!!!

FINAL SCORE: CAROLINA 27 DALLAS 30

This game simulation calls for a BUFFALO outright win and for the game to go OVER the posted Total. You can get the Bills (+6) -110 and the Over 52 –110 at BetOnline.com right now!!!

  1 2 3 4 FINAL New Orleans 0 7 7 14 28 DALLAS 3 14 7 7 31

QB Drew Brees: 18/33 235 yards 2 TD 0 INT
QB Trent Edwards: 15/28 168 yards 2 TD 2 INT

RB Pierre Thomas: 15 carries for 44 yards 0 TD Long of 9
RB Fred Jackson: 26 carries for 129 yards 1 TD Long of 17

WR Lance Moore: 6 receptions for 108 yards 0 TD Long of 30
WR Terrell Owens: 5 receptions for 67 yards 1 TD Long of 30

  NO BUF TOTAL OFFENSE 317 329 RUSHING YARDS 82 161 PASSING YARDS 235 168 1ST DOWNS 10 13 TOTAL YARDS 531 539 TURNOVERS 0 2 3RD DOWN CONV 4/9 44% 5/11 55% PENALTIES 6-60 3-35 TIME OF POSSESSION 24:29 35:31