On the heels of my venture last Sunday to check out New York City's new mayor, Brett Favre, my latest road trip made a stop in Buffalo to see first-hand if the Bills really are the real deal this season.
First order of business? A pre-game feast at Ralph Wilson Stadium amongst the 80,000 fans who were recently rated the best tailgaters of their kind in the NFL. No better way to set the tone for a big afternoon of football.
That was, until the power went out.
Thanks to a few errant helium balloons from a tailgate party that became entangled with some key power lines in the parking lot across the road from the Ralph, all power was lost to the immediate area about a half-hour prior to kickoff. I imagine the Bills' No. 1 National Tailgate ranking will take a hit as a result.
When the Chargers and Bills took the field for game time at 1 p.m. ET, there was electricity in the air, but nowhere else.
Sunday's first quarter started like a surreal scene out of a '60s AFL game at War Memorial Stadium. The new state-of-the-art scoreboard was rendered useless, forcing me to guess the score and squint from my perch high up in the upper deck to the sideline marker indicating what down it was. You had luxury boxes, with no luxury.
There were referees who couldn't announce penalties over the loud speakers and challenge flags left in coaches' pockets as instant replay was temporarily turned off. CBS apparently even lost their TV feed, forcing the game to be "blacked out," even though every ticket in the stadium was sold.
When the first quarter came to a close, I fully expected one of the Buffalo Jills cheerleaders to walk across midfield with a large sign held over her head reading "2nd Quarter," emblematic of the close boxing match we were witnessing between these two AFC prizefighters.
But there was no need. When the power returned early in the second quarter, order was restored. And, in turn, Bills' QB Trent Edwards would become electrified.
Coming off a concussion in Week 5 vs. Arizona, Edwards had arguably his best performance of the season, if not most efficient, completing 25 of 30 passes for 261 yards and a touchdown in leading the Bills to victory in their biggest test of the year so far. With Edwards at the helm, the Bills have to be considered serious contenders in the AFC this year, reflected by their 5-1 record and place atop their division.
For the Bolts, no electricity proved to be a bad omen. When Kawika Mitchell intercepted Philip Rivers in the end zone in the fourth quarter, the lights were turned off for good on the Chargers' chances of a comeback. Once a pre-season favourite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, LT and San Diego's high-powered offence were shut down once again and their defense exposed as vulnerable minus Shawne Merriman.
So, after Sunday's big win, are the Bills truly for real this season? Can they legitimately challenge for Super Bowl supremacy? Have your say now.