Football is back

　　ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- A postgame stroll through Ralph Wilson Stadium revealed a mix of shock and uncontrollable excitement.
"Oh my God!" one Buffalo Bills fan said with his hands up. "Oh ... my ... God!"
Fans were jumping and hugging each other following Buffalo's 34-31 upset win over the New England Patriots, the Bills' first win over New England since 2003. Chants of "Let's go Buffalo" and "3-and-0" could be heard throughout the stadium.
"We have a football team again!" another Bills fan screamed.
It's official: The Bills are a factor again in the AFC East. Buffalo is in sole possession of first after the Patriots and New York Jets lost for the first time in Week 3.
Buffalo hasn't had a winning season since 2004. The Bills haven't won double-digit games since 1999. It appears all that could change this season.
This Bills team is different from previous seasons'. The 2011 Bills have heart and are fun to watch. Buffalo, which broke a 15-game losing streak against New England (2-1), has overcome deficits of 18 points or more the past two weeks.
Many Bills fans stayed in the stadium Sunday to celebrate with the players after their huge upset.
"There’s such a great connection between this franchise and this community," Bills safety George Wilson explained afterward. “We’re a blue-collar team in a blue-collar city. These fans have been with us through the ups and downs. They come out and support us even when we aren’t winning. ... I'm just happy they’re able to go to work on a Monday for a third consecutive week [with a win]."
The Bills are a young team that bottomed out during last season's 0-8 start. Buffalo is 7-4 since and heading in the right direction. It's a team filled with outcasts and overlooked players, starting with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and running back Fred Jackson (74 yards rushing, 87 yards receiving). This group doesn't have much name recognition nationally, but it's easy for Buffalo fans to root for.
Former Bills star running back Thurman Thomas, one of the links to Buffalo's four Super Bowl teams of the 1990s, congratulated players in the locker room after Sunday's game. He likes the new-look Bills but said there are differences from his Buffalo teams.
"The group we had, we had a lot of first-round draft picks and a lot of second-round draft picks," Thomas said. "This group, gosh, they're seventh-round picks. They're free agents, undrafted guys, but they're hungry. When you have that philosophy and that way of wanting to do things and make a name for themselves, it seems to come together."

Buffalo was the first team this season to solve the Tom Brady puzzle.
Brady entered the game on a record pace and had another solid output in terms of yards (386) and touchdowns (four). He threw for three touchdowns to give the Patriots a 21-0 lead, but Buffalo held New England to just 10 points in the second half and picked off Brady four times.
How did Buffalo do it? Route recognition and timing.
Brady made six or seven poor throws the entire game, but Buffalo got its hands on four of them. Two of Brady's four interceptions weren't his fault. Patriots running back Danny Woodhead dropped a ball near the end zone in the second quarter that was picked off by Bills safety Bryan Scott. Bills first-round pick Marcell Dareus also tipped a pass at the line of scrimmage that led to Drayton Florence's 27-yard touchdown return that put the Bills ahead for the first time in the fourth quarter. Florence, a nine-year veteran, called it the biggest interception of his career.
Offensively, the Bills won the battles at the end of the half and at the end of the game.
Fitzpatrick -- who threw for 369 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions -- led Buffalo to 10 points in the final two minutes of the second quarter. Fitzpatrick also drove the Bills 70 yards in the final 3:25 to set up Rian Lindell's 26-yard field goal.
I asked Lindell in the locker room about the pressure of making that chip shot, perhaps the biggest kick in the last decade for Buffalo.
"I'll tell you what," Lindell said with a smile. "I would have just ran up that tunnel and kept on running if I missed."
Maybe that would have happened to the 2000-2010 Bills. But this is a new era in Buffalo. The breaks are starting to fall the Bills' way, as evidenced by Patriots receiver Chad Ochocinco's drop of a sure touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Bills receiver Steve Johnson did the same thing last season in a Week 12 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Bills linebacker Nick Barnett, who played for the Packers' Super Bowl championship team last season, has been around a lot of good teams. He thinks Buffalo is on to something.
"This can be one of the best teams. It just depends on how we continue to grow," Barnett said. "It’s too early to talk about we're going to the Super Bowl or this and that. We still got some growth to do. But I think we're playing [well]. If the offense keeps putting up 30 points, there’s no way we should lose, ever."

Abby Wambach and the Women's National Team in Portland

　　The U.S. Women's National Team made quite the impression on Portland Thursday in the conclusion of their "Celebration Series." Check out our complete coverage of the U.S. victory over Canada in the international exhibition from Jeld-Wen Field.

• U.S. 3, Canada 0 -- The fans came to see Abby Wambach score a goal. Particularly with a trademark header. Wambach didn't disappoint. She scored two second-half goals -- one a header -- to lead the United States women's national team to a 3-0 win against Canada's national team in an exhibition game in front of 18,570 at Jeld-Wen Field Thursday night.
• Video: U.S. WNT defeats Canada -- Video highlights and postgame interviews with forward Abby Wambach, head coach Pia Sundhage and University of Portland alumnae and U.S. midfielder Megan Rapinoe.
• Photos: U.S. women's team wins 3-0 over Canada -- 28 photos of the match courtesy of The Oregonian's Bruce Ely, Thomas Boyd and Doug Beghtel.
• Photos: Fans celebrate the U.S. Women's National Team -- Photos from OregonLive.com's Nick Hernandez that capture the scene at Jeld-Wen Field.
• Audio: Megan Rapinoe back in Portland with U.S. women's soccer team -- Megan Rapinoe, former Portland Pilots star, talks with The Oregonian's John Canzano about Portland and what it's like to be back.
• Video: Hope Solo happy to play soccer after dancing -- Star goalkeeper for U.S. Women's National team says performing on "Dancing With the Stars" was nearly as difficult as playing in a World Cup game.

Week 3 in Fantasy Football: Favorable and Unfavorable Matchups

Dear Minnesota Vikings: Your quarterback, Donovan McNabb, needs all the help he can get. So why are you limiting the role of your best receiver, Percy Harvin?

While we wait for a hand-written letter from the Vikings’ coaching staff explaining this madness, you should probably avoid starting both players in Week 3. Their opponents this week, the Detroit Lions, have proved to be a tough matchup for quarterbacks in the first two weeks, allowing the second-fewest points to the position. You know you can find a better matchup, and we’re here to help.
Matt Hasselbeck (TEN) vs. Denver – If you’re in a bind at quarterback, Hasselbeck may offer some relief, at least this week. The Ravens dared the Titans to beat them through the air in Week 2 by focusing on Chris Johnson. Hasselbeck responded with great poise and accuracy, going 30 of 42 for 358 yards and a touchdown. The Bengals rookie Andy Dalton, who was playing through an injured wrist, took advantage of a Champ Bailey-less Denver secondary to the tune of 332 yards and 2 touchdowns, and the star cornerback could be missing again in Week 3.

Ryan Fitzpatrick (BUF) vs. New England – The Amish Rifle is off to a hot start, having thrown just as many touchdown passes as Mathew Stafford and Tom Brady (7) through the first two weeks. Odds are favorable that he stays sharp, as New England’s secondary has looked a lot like last year’s version, allowing an eye-opening 35 fantasy points a game on average to the position.

Cam Newton (CAR) vs. Jacksonville – O.K., we didn’t see 400-plus yards coming against the Packers last week, but neither did you, so we’re off the hook for now. Play Newton against a Jacksonville defense allowing 21 fantasy points a game to quarterbacks.

Rex Grossman (WAS) vs. Dallas — A third straight week for Grossman on our favorable matchups list. We know, it’s getting predictable, but Dallas has given up 22 points to the position on average and the Redskins’ ground game will have a tough go against the second-best run defense in the league.