Defensive end Mario Williams returned to Houston a much richer man on Sunday after signing a six-year, $100 million contract during the offseason with the Buffalo Bills.

The Houston Texans, off to their best start in franchise history, showed their #1 overall pick of the 2006 draft first hand that they’re doing fine without him.

Matt Schaub threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns, Arian Foster racked up 111 yards on the ground, Andre Johnson totaled 118 yards on eight receptions, and the Texans (7-1) notched another one in the win column with a 21-9 victory over Williams and the Bills (3-5).

“We’re happy to be 7-1 at the halfway mark,” said Schaub. “But we’re not finished. We’ve got to go into a tough environment against a very good team next Sunday night.”

The Texans never made Williams any type of offer once he hit the free agent market, but their defense hasn’t missed a single beat in their first season without him since ‘06, as they’re ranked fourth in the league in points allowed, surrendering an average of just 17.1 per game.

He finished the game with five tackles and one sack.

Leading 14-9 early in the fourth quarter, Houston capped off an 11-play, 68-yard drive when Schaub tossed a five-yard touchdown pass to tight end Garrett Graham on 3^rd and 5 with 11:25 remaining to extend the lead to two possessions at 21-9.

Their defense closed out from there. They imposed their will on Houston all day long, specifically in the run game. Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick had 239 yards through the air on 25 completions, but running backs C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson combined for just 60 yards on 12 rushes.

“We didn’t want to let them run the football,” said Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. “We had to stop the running game and I thought we did that.”

A 39-yard touchdown grab by tight end Owen Daniels gave the Texans the first score of the game with less than a minute left in the first quarter. Buffalo knocked through two field goals for the only other points of the first half.

Taking advantage of a short field following a 26yard punt return by receiver and special teams extraordinaire Brad Smith, Houston had to go just 43 yards to get into the end zone with a three-yard Foster run and push their lead to 14-9. Foster had four carries and nine yards on the drive, and was set up by a 34-yard catch by Johnson.

Texans head coach Gary Kubiak wasn’t thrilled with his team’s performance, given that it wasn’t at its most dominating offensively or in the defensive passing game. Nonetheless, he’ll take it.

“We did a lot of things that are not good enough for us to win consistently,” Kubiak said. “But yet we found a way to survive.”

Houston will travel north for what would appear to be one of the most intriguing games of the year thus far: a battle with another 7-1 heavyweight, The Chicago Bears.

Image Courtesy : Houston Texans

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The AFC East’s week one results didn’t prove much for fans of the New England Patriots or the Miami Dolphins. The Patriots systematically dismantled an inferior Tennessee Titans team on the way to a 34-13 rout. Tom Brady looked on point, and starting running back Stevan Ridley turned some heads with 125 rushing yards. Defensive rookies Chandler Jones and Dont’a Hightower made an immediate impact, collaborating on a strip sack touchdown. Overall, no surprises at New England, and the Patriots remain one of the favorites to represent the AFC in the Superbowl yet again.

At the bottom of the division lay the Miami Dolphins, who were highlighted on this season of HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’ and endured some hard knocks of their own in a Week 1 loss to the Houston Texans. Rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill struggled with his accuracy, and made some prototypical rookie mistakes as the veteran Texans capitalized. Rookie Head Coach Joe Philbin has his hands full with an inexperienced offensive line and a green quarterback behind center. The Dolphins are in for a long season if they continue to commit turnovers at the rate they did on Sunday.

The real surprise of the NFL’s kickoff weekend came in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where the New York Jets put up 48 points on route to a decisive victory over their divisional rival, the Buffalo Bills. An offensive unit that seemed inept for the entirety of the preseason came out firing against the supposedly new and improved Buffalo defense. Mark Sanchez had one of his best games as a pro, tossing three touchdowns to only one interception and completing over 70 percent of his passes. Rookie wide receiver Stephen Hill and second-year standout Jeremy Kerley contributed for two touchdowns each, including one by punt return for Kerley. Tim Tebow was virtually irrelevant for the Jets, contributing five carries for eleven yards.

Ryan Fitzpatrick of Buffalo looked shaky, tossing three interceptions, one of which was returned easily for a touchdown by Antonio Cromartie. Starting running back Fred Jackson left with a knee injury, and while C.J. Spiller handled the load admirably, Buffalo will sorely miss Jackson’s versatility and experience alongside Fitzpatrick.

Prized free agent signee Mario Williams was a virtual no-show for Buffalo, as was the rest of the Bills defense. Buffalo fans are left scratching their head as to the promise of this season, whereas Jets supporters are already talking about a return to AFC glory. After one week this talk may be premature, but the Jets certainly proved that they can perform on both sides of the football.

For week two, the Jets travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers, Miami hosts Oakland, Buffalo is at home against Kansas City, and New England takes on Arizona in Foxboro.

Image Courtesy of   New England Patriots

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The Buffalo Bills, despite being in the midst of a thirteen year playoff drought, continue to prove one thing on a consistent basis season after season: they are one of the most unpredictable teams in the NFL.

Last season it appeared as if the Bills had finally made the jump to playoff contention after an impressive 5-2 start with victories against the eventual AFC champion New England Patriots and the star-studded Philadelphia Eagles. Talk of starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick earning every bit of his recent contract extension and running back Fred Jackson becoming one of the best in the league seemed a bit premature, but warranted after the hot start. However, in typical Buffalo Bills fashion, their playoff hopes steadily evaporated after losing eight of their next nine games and finishing a lowly 6-10, good for a last place tie in the AFC East.

However, the Bills are bringing a new look defense to compliment the impressive offensive trio of Fitzpatrick, Jackson, and fiery wide receiver Stevie Johnson. Buffalo signed the former number one overall pick Mario Williams and fellow pass rusher Mark Anderson to force some much needed pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Rookies Stephen Gilmore at cornerback and left tackle Cordy Glenn are expected to come in and make an immediate impact on the starting lineup, something the Bills have lacked in their most recent drafts.

To go along with their proven talent, Buffalo has a couple of explosive weapons waiting to make their first real impact for the squad. Running back C.J. Spiller was a highly touted running back out of Clemson just a few years ago, but has yet to make the offensive impact that draft experts expected him to make. Along with wildcat weapon Brad Smith, these two athletes are expected to bring a faster pace to the Bills offense to go along with the new and improved pass rush on the defensive side of the ball.

A real subject of note from the Bills’ camp is the potential backup quarterback situation. The competition’s coverage is severely lacking compared to their downstate division rival’s backup quarterback situation (Tim Tebow, ever heard of him?), but a familiar face may be waiting in the wings behind Ryan Fitzpatrick. Former two time pro-bowler Vince Young has all but solidified his role as backup quarterback with an impressive pre-season, beating out perennial backup Tyler Thigpen. With shaky offense a staple in Buffalo, the backup quarterback position always seems to be vital for this team.

Despite playing in a division with the AFC’s juggernauts in New England, the Bills have one of the easier schedules in the NFL. With the key acquisitions in free agency and the draft added to the in-house talent, this is Buffalo’s most formidable team in over a decade. The time is now for the Buffalo Bills to move into the upper echelon of the NFL and end their playoff drought.

Image Courtesy of  Nicholas Piccillo / Shutterstock.com

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The beginning of the free agency period always sparks a frenzy of activity throughout the league, none more so than this year. Big names have moved on to unfamiliar territory and will be expected to perform instantly, in some cases providing their new teams with the tools to be able to make a run at the playoffs (Buffalo Bills fans be warned, Mario Williams is just one man).

With many of the more high profile players already signed to new deals, it is time to take a step back and look at the winners and losers of what has been a surprisingly interesting free agency thus far.

Given the relatively weak class of free agents this year, it is perhaps not surprising that many teams have swooped early and signed some of the better players to very lucrative contracts, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers showing very little restraint early on. They have helped quarterback Josh Freeman immensely with the signings of Carl Nicks and Vincent Jackson.

Freeman’s development seemed to stall last year, Tampa Bay will be hoping for a return to form with the added protection of Nicks and the top receiving target of Jackson. They have also strengthened a fairly weak secondary with Eric Wright, formerly of the Detroit Lions, as they look for the secondary to match up with their formidable defensive line.

The Buccaneers can be fairly pleased with their moves in free agency so far, spending big (and with their cap space and poor form last season, why wouldn’t they?) but acquiring key pieces which have helped strengthen a very young team.

Another team who has spent well so far, but gone under the radar in comparison to Tampa Bay, has been the San Diego Chargers. They have brought in Le’Ron McClain (the injury prone Ryan Matthews will be eternally grateful) to help shore up their running game, whilst the arrival of wide receivers Eddie Royal and Robert Meachem should help to make up for the loss of Jackson to Tampa Bay.

Perhaps their most useful signing so far will be on the other side of the ball, with former Baltimore Raven linebacker Jarret Johnson making the move to San Diego, a signing which will surely aid the Chargers’ poor run defense. Given that both Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs have labeled Johnson as the key to the Ravens unforgiving defense, he could be exactly the man the Chargers need to take the next step on their way to becoming Super Bowl contenders.

The biggest signing of the Free Agency thus far has arguably been Mario Williams’ move to the Bills. He singlehandedly improves their defense immeasurably and will give Tom Brady something to fear when his Bills meet the Patriots next season. This will of course be trumped by the signing of Peyton Manning once the quarterback decides whether his future lies in Denver, Tennessee or San Francisco as he not only singlehandedly improves a teams’ offense, but makes them a Super Bowl contender, such is the talent he brings to a team.

Not every time has been so active in the early stages however, with the likes of the Ravens, Steelers and Patriots all biding their time given that their limited cap space means they cannot compete with the Buccaneers and Bills of the league in terms of lucrative contracts.

While the Patriots will retain the nucleus of their team next season, the Ravens have already lost starters in the forms of Ben Grubbs, Corey Redding and Johnson, whilst the Steelers have had to cut several key players in order to stay under the cap and face the challenging task of trying to sign star wide receiver Mike Wallace to a new contract. Both teams will need to spend wisely towards the end of free agency if they are to retain their statuses as genuine Super Bowl contenders.

Whoever ends up with Manning, whether it be the Broncos, Titans or 49ers, is a strong candidate for the team to have done best in the free agency, as are the previously mentioned Buccaneers.

However, the fairly understated signings that the Chargers have made will help them immeasurably, potentially putting them back into the playoffs and therefore could well be the best signings of the Free Agency period so far. At the other end of the spectrum are two AFC North sides, the Ravens and the Steelers.

The Ravens are noted for building through the draft and do have some cap room left to make some important moves, but the Steelers could be in genuine trouble. With little to no cap room left and the likes of Farrior and Smith already cut, there is little to celebrate in Pittsburgh this offseason and fans will be hoping for some very good prospects in the upcoming draft lest the Steelers fall below the Ravens in the battle for supremacy of the AFC North.

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