Bills at Chiefs - Week 8 - Record: 5-2

Throughout the entire game I was sure this was going to be another one of those typically stupid losses we'd have to suffer at the hands of the Bills. Remember the latest ones? Last year when we couldn't get just one more touchdown and lost 16-10? The year before when the Bills put up a 50+ spot on us? A few years before that, in 2005, when we were true contenders and had one of the most wretched games we could ever play, flopping 14-3?

This was shaping into yet another one. Late in the 4th quarter Mike Vrabel misses getting a clutch fumble by the partially removed mole on his elbow. Then the Bills receiver gets a slant pass and he does get into endzone by what was left of his mostly removed mole on the elbow. Aaaaaagh!

And how many times did we come up a yard short to get a first down. I have truly lost the remaining hair I had in my head.

Amazingly the Bills-game stupidness that has so ravenously infected us went in our favor when the Bills kicker lined a long game-winning field goal through in overtime, but he did it just after the Chiefs called a timeout. He missed his next try.

Now, let me ask you. Is Todd Haley driving you as crazy as he is me? I think I am now officially sick of his vaunted four-down play calling strategy. He really really really really should have been kicking a field goal waaaaaaaaay earlier in the game when it would've been a chip-shot for Succop but instead, well, he didn't go for the FG. You know what happened. He went for it. We failed. We had to sweat out a full overtime before we could win it.

I'm also wondering where the heck our passing game was today. Yes, I know Charles and Jones continue to run over everyone. Our offensive line with a young Jon Asamoah replacing the injured Ryan Lilja was terrific today. But if we are that good with our running game which should open things up big-time for the passing game, then, ahem...

Where is the passing game?

Tony Moeaki caught three big passes, two of them to set up the game-winning FG, but he had only three. Bowe caught three for a grand total of 16 yards. Our leading receiver was Jamaal Charles yet even then Cassel woefully missed him on a long pass when he had his guy beat. Come on, guys, where are all our receivers? You know, the guys who spread out at the far ends of the line and jet out on the snap and run crisp routes and get open kind of down the field a bit? Oh, and yes, for the Chiefs especially: and they securely draw the passed ball gently into their sure hands?

And so yes, I'm back to being really concerned about Matt Cassel. In overtime we were at midfield on third down and Cassel had decent pass protection when he just didn't throw the ball. He then slipped out of the pocket with plenty of time to throw it again--and still didn't throw it. He tucked it in and ran in an obviously futile attempt to get to the first down hash.

So yeah, both Haley and Cassel have already made me lose all my hair. That we did end up winning with some very-late-in-overtime clutch play may enable me to grow some of it back before the next game, but what'll happen next week when we play in Oakland. The Raiders are a much improved team and we've won seven straight there.

If we don't find our passing game, do you really think we're going to keep that up?
_