It wasn't 60 minutes of a dominating defensive performance by any stretch of the imagination for the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, but it was just enough and that has seemed to work for them in their last two wins.
The Bills forced Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback Michael Vick into four interceptions Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium - a career high for the reigning NFL Comeback Player of the Year. They also forced a key fumble.
Three of the interceptions came in the first half. The first came on Philadelphia's opening drive of the game as Reggie Corner got his second interception of the season.
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Buffalo Bills' George Wilson (37) celebrates his interception against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park on Sunday.
George Wilson had his best game of the season with 11 tackles, including four in a row on the opening drive. He also had a hit on Vick, a deflected pass and an interception.
"We always talk about starting fast," Wilson said. "Our coaches did a great job of game planning and making them as one dimensional as possible. We wanted to force them to make quick decisions. The guys up front did a great job of containing the pocket early on. Against Vick, all you can do is hope to contain him."
Buffalo linebacker Nick Barnett finally made his presence felt in a Bills uniform as he got two interceptions - one of which he returned for a touchdown.
"I jumped into zone," Barnett said, describing his pick-six. "We had seen that play on film. I was just hoping he would go right to the spot where he had been going."
With the pick-six, it marked the third straight game the Bills returned an interception for a touchdown. They had not done that since 1960.
Though Barnett returned his first interception for a touchdown, it was the second interception that was the most important.
Jairus Byrd had a key fumble recovery in the third quarter. With the Eagles pinned inside their own 5-yard line, Vick found Jason Avant for a 35-yard pass. However, Byrd was able to knock the ball out of Avant's hand and recover the fumble.
Leading by a touchdown and the Eagles' offense moving the chains without any problems, Avant once again could not hang onto the ball as Drayton Florance ripped it out of his hands and Barnett was able to catch it in the air to essentially end the game.
"We knew we could go in there and try to get the ball out," Bills coach Chan Gailey said. "We talked about it. We worked on it. We have a turnover drill. It's fundamentals."
Luckily the Bills forced five turnovers because if they didn't, the focal point this week would be the fact the defense gave up 489 total net yards.
"We gave up too many yards, but the one plus about it is we are causing a lot of turnovers," Barnett said. "We are going to continue to work and fix our mistakes. When we keep pulling out that ball, we are going to win some games, The guys are doing a great job getting after the ball."
With the win, the Bills matched last season's win total. They are also 3-0 at home. The Bills only won two home games all of last season.
