The Bills come into the game on Sunday looking to avoid losing two in a row for the first time this season when they travel to Jerryworld to square off with the Cowboys who are trying to keep pace with the Giants for the NFC East. “The focus is trying to win a game. … We got everything in front of us — we hold our own destiny in our own hands, so we gotta go take care of business,” coach Chan Gailey said.

Buffalo, who sit at 5-3 tied atop the AFC East with the Patriots and the Jets, failed to take care of any business last Sunday against the Jets. They fell 27-11 and saw their high power offense, which is tied for the highest scoring in the AFC with the Patriots at 27.8 points per game, sputter as the Jets made them look like the one win Dolphins. The Bills went 3 for 11 on third down and turned it over three times.

Ryan Fitzpatrick threw two interceptions and had his worst game of the year going 15 of 31 for 191 yards and a touchdown. ”It was a bad game,” said Fitzpatrick. “We certainly didn’t have our best effort out there, and I think that’s where a lot of disappointment and frustration comes in.”

Fitzpatrick will look to bounce back facing a Cowboys pass defense that’s right in the middle of the pack ranked 16^th giving up 232.5 yards per game. The Bills are led by running back Fred Jackson who is having a career year leading the AFC at 100.4 yards per game and helping the Bills to the 7^th ranked rushing attack with 135 yards per game.

However, the Jets held the team to only 96 yards on the ground and forced Jackson’s first fumble of the year. They will look to get back to the run, as Dallas has struggled lately giving up 401 yards on the ground the past two weeks. Dallas will get Sean Lee back who is their leading tackler and this should help them somewhat.

For Buffalo to keep pace for the AFC East title they’ll have to go at least 2-1 on their three game road trip facing Dallas, Miami, and then the Jets again before heading home to face Tennessee. ”It will be a difficult stretch, but we don’t have to play all three of them at the same time,” Jackson said. “If we go out and continue to make plays like we have been throughout the season, we feel like we’ll be OK.”

Buffalo has struggle so far on the road this year by going 1-2, but the losses came against the Giants and the Bengals, both who are in first place in their divisions. Each loss was only by three points. The Cowboys sit at 4-4, but are looking to make a push in the second half of the season as they benefit from an easy schedule. They also benefit from the first place Giants having a tough stretch over the next few weeks.

After the Bills the Cowboys face Washington, Miami, and Arizona who have a combined record of 6-18. After that, the Giants come to town in what looks to be a pivotal matchup. ”We’ve done a lot of things to build on over the first eight games, a lot we can be positive about. … But we have to get better,” said Garrett

When starting running back Felix Jones got hurt, people expected the running game to take a step back, but the opposite has happened with rookie DeMarco Murray shining rushing for 466 yards in three games. They hope he can keep it up against a Bills run defense that ranks 20^th giving up 120.8 yards per game.

“We are going to have a great 1-2 punch when Felix gets healthy,” Witten said. “It’s going to put us in a great situation.” The Cowboys are a little banged up with Felix Jones still being questionable and wide receiver Miles Austin out for possibly a month after he reinjured his hamstring last week.

With no Austin, Dez Bryant figures to see a lot more targets, along with tight end Kevin Ogletree and wide receiver Laurent Robinson. Buffalo’s defense, while rich with playmaking ability, they lead the AFC with 15 interceptions, isn’t that great. They rank 25^th against the pass giving up 260.4 yards per game.

The game should be a close contest as both teams can put up a lot of points in a hurry. Both teams need to win to keep pace in their respective races, but with the Bills on the road and Dallas’ defense being run by Rob Ryan, Rex’s twin brother, they will see a dose of the same stuff they saw against the Jets. The Cowboys should be able to get a win at home. Final Prediction: Bills 17 Cowboys 27.

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The Packers are again at the top of the Power Rankings this week as they remain undefeated. The Ravens and Steelers switch spots after Joe Flacco led a late drive to win the game at Heinz Field. The Bears, Texans, and Bengals all cracked the top 10 this week with the Patriots and Bills both losing and falling out of the top ten.

The big winner this week is the Dallas Cowboys who jump from 21^st to 15^th, with a win over Seattle to stay within striking distance of the Giants who have a tough schedule coming up. Another big move was the Jets who while only moving from 13^th to 11^th with their win over Buffalo, have jumped both the Patriots and Bills to be the highest ranked AFC East team.

The big losers this week are the New England Patriots who fell from 6^th to 13^th after their second straight loss. The Bills also saw themselves fall from 14^th to 8^th after getting beat at home by the Jets. The Chiefs dropped from 21^st to 16^th after their four game win streak was snapped by the winless Miami Dolphins in a big way.

The Cardinals, who last week fell behind the Rams, switched with the Rams again this week after beating St. Louis in OT on an amazing punt return by rookie Patrick Peterson. Rounding out the bottom of the rankings again this week are the Indianapolis Colts who lost again this week and look like they’ll be the front runners for Andrew Luck in next year’s draft.

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Besides the Packers which are again atop the Power Rankings this week, there is some shake up near the top of this week’s rankings with some big losses and gains. The 49ers move up into the number 2 spot sitting at 6-1 atop the NFC West. The Steelers, after their big win over the Patriots, move up to number 3 and are the top team in the AFC just ahead of division rivals Baltimore who moved from 8^th to 5^th.

The Patriots and Saints saw themselves drop four spots from 2^nd and 3^rd to 6^th and 7^th respectively after bad losses this week. The Chargers are the big losers this week dropping all the way from 7^th down 15^th after a loss for the 2^nd straight week this time coming at the hands of division rivals the Chiefs.

The Eagles saw themselves jump four spots from 22^nd to 18^th after an impressive victory over the Cowboys. The Vikings also saw themselves making a jump from 28^th to 23^rd behind a second impressive game from rookie QB Christian Ponder and another stud performance from Adrian Peterson.

The Rams who got their first win of the season against the Saints saw themselves leapfrog the Cardinals who blew a 23-6 halftime lead against the Ravens. Bringing up the rear of the rankings again this week are the Dolphins at 31 and the Colts at 32 as both teams failed to get a win again and don’t look very good.

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The Packers top the Power Rankings again this week with another impressive performance from Aaron Rodgers. The Steelers make a push for the top jumping up to 5^th, and with a win over number 2 New England can jump up next week. The Texans, Falcons, and Chiefs all jumped up 5 spots to 12^th, 14^th, and 19^th respectively.

The Ravens saw themselves drop from 3^rd to 8^th after a horrible loss to the Jaguars. The Raiders dropped 7 spots from 9th to 16th after trouble at the QB position post Carson Palmer trade gave them a loss going into their bye week. The Bucs also dropped 5 spots from 12^th to 17^th after getting whooped in London by the Bears.

The Colts again round out the bottom of the rankings this week after getting obliterated by the Saints 62-7 and they don’t look poised to move anytime soon.

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The NFL trade deadline isn’t like that of baseball and basketball where we see names and players flying everywhere for team’s attempts to either dump salaries or gear up for the playoffs. Being that football is so much more of a team and system sport, it’s very hard for players, especially key position players, to join a new team and get integrated in the system quickly.

However, that didn’t stop the Oakland Raiders, who sit at 4-2 in a race for the AFC West, from trading for a quarterback to replace the injured Jason Campbell who’s out 6-8 weeks with a broken collarbone. The QB they landed is Carson Palmer from the Bengals. Palmer, who was once the Bengals franchise quarterback, has been “retired” this season.

He wanted to be traded but the Bengals said no, forcing Palmer to opt for retirement rather than finish out his contract. This was an ugly PR battle between the Bengals owner Mike Brown and Palmer, who were taking jabs at each other in the media at the beginning of the season.

Brown said they wouldn’t trade Palmer and agreed to let him sit at home as the Bengals went and drafted TCU’s Andy Dalton. Dalton has been playing well as the Bengals also sit at 4-2 and it might have factored into Brown’s decision to let Palmer go. However, the main reason was probably that Oakland made an offer he couldn’t refuse.

In return for Palmer, the Bengals get a first round draft pick in 2012 and a conditional second round pick in 2013 that could become a first round pick if the Raiders make it to the AFC title game this season. To many, this seems like a very steep price to play for a QB who many deem to be past his prime and who has been sitting at home, thus far this season.

However, given the Raiders options — either using backup Kyle Boller or sign a free-agent QB — none of whom are very good, they decided to go with the ‘win now’ approach. The Raiders are excited to get Palmer and he represents a dramatic upgrade from Campbell. The question now becomes how quickly he can get up to speed.

“I just know if I was on the streets for a while I’d need about, myself personally to knock the rust off as a defensive lineman, I’d need personally about three weeks to get back into form,” Richard Seymour said. Palmer has been named the starter for their game this weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Coach Hue Jackson worked with Palmer in Cincinnati and said much of the terminology is similar which should help speed up Palmer’s ability to learn the playbook. Palmer and receivers Darrius Heyward-Bey and Jacoby Ford have been staying after practice to get extra reps, in an attempt to have some sort of chemistry when they hit the field this Sunday.

“It’s just a matter of the timing, he has to get that down and get used to the offense and has to get used to new receivers,” Ford said. “Whenever we can do that we’ll be clicking on all cylinders.

The Raiders paid a high price to get Palmer, but if you ask anyone in the Raiders organization or their fans, I’m sure they will tell you that for a team who hasn’t made the playoffs since 2002, when they lost in the Super Bowl, they’d take a trip to the AFC Championship or Super Bowl over a few draft picks any day.

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As we enter week four of the NFL regular season, teams look to prove if they are contenders or pretenders. This week does not feature a divisional game, like in week two, because of fear of the lockout. Still, there are intriguing match-ups to be played in week four.

Carolina Panthers @ Chicago Bears: Cam Newton came away with his first career win last week despite the horrible weather conditions. Bears look to confuse the rookie with their cover 2 schemes. Bears 24-17

Buffalo Bills @ Cincinnati Bengals: Ryan Fitzpatrick leads the Bills into Cincinnati after another amazing comeback, this time coming against the New England Patriots. They are 3-0 but this game might be a must-win. They still have to play the Jets twice, the Patriots in New England, a game in San Diego and the NFC East Division. Bills 28-24

Washington Redskins @ St. Louis Rams: Redskins let one get away at Dallas Monday night. They stay on the road to play a Rams team in the lower echelon in total defense. Washington is looking to bounce back. Redskins 23-14

San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles: Michael Vick left last week against the Giants with a broken right (non-throwing) hand. The CT scan on Monday reported it was just a contusion. Vick should be able to make the start. 49ers have to travel from east to west — not good. Eagles 26-17

Minnesota Vikings @ Kansas City Chiefs: For the third straight game, the Vikings blew a double-digit lead and lost the game. The Chiefs competed for the first time this season last week against the Chargers, but fell short. McNabb’s job is in jeopardy. Vikings 27-14

New Orleans Saints @ Jacksonville Jaguars: Blaine Gabbert looks to capture his first win of his career. He’ll have to do it against the high-powered Saints who hung up 40 points on the Texans and 30 in the second half. Saints 28-14

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Houston Texans: Big Ben looks to stay upright against Mario Williams and the Texans’ improved defense. Texans defense failed their first test against an Elite quarterback last week. Ben Roethlisberger is of that caliber. Steelers 27-24

Detroit Lions @ Dallas Cowboys: Lions have not run the ball well this season and are using their TEs to get yardage. Detroit plays back to back games on the road. Dallas looks to win the time of possession battle. Dallas 23-17

Tennessee Titans @ Cleveland Browns: Titans are taking a huge hit after losing WR Kenny Britt for the season. He tore both his ACL and MCL. There is cause for concern as RB Chris Johnson is yet to get it going. The signing of Matt Hasselbeck has looked good thus far. Titans 20-17

Atlanta Falcons @ Seattle Seahawks: Falcons always struggle on the road, while Seattle plays better at home. Falcons are the better team. They’ll get it done. 21-13

N.Y. Giants @ Arizona Cardinals: Giants could be in for a letdown, coming off a huge divisional road win last week. The Cardinals secondary has been horrible so far in the first three weeks. Giants 31-24

Miami Dolphins @ San Diego Chargers: Dolphins are still searching for their first win this season. Phillip Rivers looks to pick apart their secondary. Chargers 27-14

New England Patriots @ Oakland Raiders: Patriots almost never lose back to back games. Raiders looked impressive against the Jets and look to take advantage of one of the worst defenses in the league. Tom Brady finds a way to win. 28-27

Denver Broncos @ Green Bay Packers: Denver has had trouble stopping anybody. It might be time to see Tim Tebow. Packers look ready to repeat. Packers 31-20

N.Y. Jets @ Baltimore Ravens: Jets were embarrassed last week and they know it. Rex Ryan and his old team meet again. This game could be a shootout. Jets 28-24

Indianapolis Colts @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Colts played well last week but can they take it with them on the road. Tampa is back after a tough week one loss. Tampa 17-10
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With three weeks of the preseason finished and the starters sitting for the entire fourth game this week against the Philadelphia Eagles it’s time to look ahead to the regular season. The Jets are on a Super Bowl or bust mission this season, but can they really make it there or are they all talk.

Going into this season the Jets have a lot of question marks, but they have a ton of upside and the results could culminate in winning it all. Some of the big questions for the team are: How much depth do they have on the O-line?

Will Mark Sanchez continue to improve in his third season and take the steps he is expected to take and become the leader the team needs? How will Sanchez and his new look receiving core gel and how quickly?

Will Shonn Greene be able to perform at a high level as the feature back all season? Can they generate any QB pressure without a prolific pass rusher? Will the two rookies Mohammad Wilkerson and Kendrick Ellis be able to contribute in their rookie years?

While this may seem like a lot of questions as well as key ones, and most of them having to do with the offense, the Jets looked good overall in their preseason campaign. It seemed like what the team needed was just more time as with every game a different problem would arise. Against the Texans the line couldn’t protect Sanchez, against the Bengals they couldn’t run the ball, and against the Giants they couldn’t pass.

The one thing that has been consistent for the Jets in the preseason is their defense. The starting unit has only allowed 10 points in the 3 preseason games.

Rex Ryan, who usually doesn’t hesitate to gush about his defense said on Tuesday, “”Will we end up being the best defense in football? I think so. I challenge everybody: Put your negatives comments out there and we’ll see what happens in the end, because I think our defense is going to be outstanding.”

“I wouldn’t trade this defense for anybody’s in the league.”

The Jets defense is definitely poised to be a top 3 if not best defense in the league with 10 returning starters and 9 of the 10 having 2 years under Rex Ryan’s defense which should mean less communication breakdowns than there have been. The Jets also have 10 defensive backs who have played in the system which should help the continuity of the secondary.

For the first time in his tenure with the Jets OLB Calvin Pace will play in the first game. He missed the first month of 2009 due to suspension and 2010 due to a broken foot. Pace is the teams best pass rusher and having him from the start should help the defense overall.

Another big difference from last year is the status of CB Darrelle Revis. He’s participated fully in training camp and is in top shape this year as opposed to last year having held out all of the preseason. That probably led to his slow start and the hamstring injury he suffered in Week 2.

With the defense looking to be in top form and help carry the Jets there season really comes down to the continued development of Mark Sanchez. He showed how good there offense can be against the Bengals, but also how inconsistent as we saw against the Giants.

If Mark Sanchez continues to take steps forward, Shonn Greene steps up to the challenge of being a featured back in the NFL, and the Jets D can dominate like they have the past two years the Jets look to be on their way to a potential Superbowl title.

So the big question on all Jets fans minds and many people around the NFL this season is this: Will the Jets be flying high or crashing and burning when its all said and done with?

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The perennial position on any NFL team is the man under center, the quarterback of course. With the draft approaching and a lack of elite quarterback prospects, teams will have to decide whether they should go for broke, drafting a quarterback high, or play it safe and take a position where busts are less likely. Virtually every team in the top five has a need at quarterback but exactly what type of talents are they looking at and how urgent are their needs?

The Teams

The Panthers at No. 1 took a chance on Jimmy Clausen last season but it looks as if they have lost interest in the young quarterback. The problem though is that this is one of the weaker quarterback classes when it comes to star power. Giving Clausen another season to develop may be the best option for the Panthers who could draft a beast like Auburn Defensive Lineman Nick Fairley instead. If the Panthers do decide to draft a quarterback though to try to make a splash and please the fans the decision of who may, not be an easy one to make. In years past the No. 1 pick overall was already known well before the draft began, but not this year.

The Broncos at No. 2 might be glancing at the quarterback position out of the corner of their eye, but John Elway realizes no one in this draft will replicate him and the Broncos could stay pat with Kyle Orton and their investment in Tim Tebow. It wouldn’t be shocking though to see a quarterback taken especially if Elway likes a quarterback enough to develop behind Orton, trusting Tebow is not the long-term solution.

The Bills seem to be a favorite every year to take a quarterback in the first round to build their franchise around, but every pick has seemed to falter. As the third pick, the Bills will have to see what happens in front of them as to whether another quarterback gamble will pay off or not. Ryan Fitzpatrick did prove to be capable last season and seems like he could hold down this position for now.

The Bengals are on the verge of rebuilding or staying competitive. It looks like Carson Palmer will not be their quarterback next season and, with no replacement in sight, the Bengals will likely look to fill the void through the draft. Carson’s brother Jordan and Dan LeFevour are the only other options for the Bengals, and the Bengals likely won’t put their future behind either of their arms.

The Cardinals hold the fifth pick in the draft and they too have needs at the quarterback position. Matt Leinart never panned out and John Skelton started their last four games of the season but was unimpressive, totaling only two touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 62.3. Their other quarterbacks Max Hall and Derek Anderson, who played the bulk of the games, also had miserable seasons and are not the future for the Cardinals.

The Players

Blaine Gabbert: This quarterback from Missouri has skyrocketed up the draft board for most experts. He has great size at 6-5, and NFL-ready accuracy and arm strength. Gabbert is described as a great leader with the intangibles and his toughness is unmatched. He did however play in a spread offense, and could have difficulty adjusting to being under center for the majority of his NFL snaps.

Cam Newton: The reigning Heisman Trophy winner from Auburn has a dynamic combination of speed and arm strength. He also has great size at 6-5, and with a 250 lb. frame he makes it difficult for defenders to bring him down. Newton, like Gabbert, played in a spread offense in college and the adjustment to an NFL system may be a difficult transition. There have also been questions about what type of a person Newton is, and the fact that he has only played at a high level for one year could scare some potential drafters away.

Ryan Mallett: Another quarterback who decided to leave early for the draft, Mallett, from Arkansas, has great size at 6-7, and can make all the NFL throws. He is more suited to make the transition to an NFL offense, and does a good job reading defenses. Mallett lacks mobility and is strictly a pocket-passer which could scare teams who are trying to revamp or rebuild their offensive lines. His mental toughness and attitude are two of the things that have lowered his draft stock, but his potential is through the roof.

Jake Locker: A senior from Washington, Locker is smaller than the other top prospects at his position. Locker, at 6-2, has worked in an NFL-style offense and has a ton of experience. He has an NFL-capable arm, good speed, and leadership abilities. The knock on Locker has been his steady decline in performance, his accuracy problems, and problems with his mechanics. He did have a shaky line at Washington though, and as a top prospect in 2010, he does have all the capabilities for an NFL team willing to give him a shot.

Christian Ponder: This senior quarterback from Florida State has decent size at 6-3, and is an accurate passer and intelligent player. He has the ability to run with the ball and does a good job of reading his progressions. He doesn’t have a great arm though, which is something that really awes teams. Ponder is a solid quarterback, however, and could be a good, safe pick for a team that needs a franchise quarterback.

The potential is there, although unlikely that all of the top five teams could take a quarterback to fulfill their needs. With so many teams in need, this could be an interesting draft full of tough decisions for NFL teams already facing a difficult future.

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