Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Starting off slow is Fitzpatrick's only negative

If Ryan Fitzpatrick can learn to start like he finishes, the Buffalo Bills' offense will really be in business.

The Bills' signal-caller gets better as the game progresses. His first-quarter quarterback rating is a 75.3 and improves to 82.3 in the second quarter. Fitz’s rating jumps to 120.7 in the third quarter, and his fourth-quarter rating is 131.1. His completion percentage is 12 percent higher in the fourth quarter than in the first.

Fitzpatrick completes passes at a 60-percent rate on his first 10 attempts in a given game, tossing two touchdowns to three interceptions in that span for a 67.1 quarterback rating. However, he has seven touchdowns and no picks on passing attempts 11-and-up.

Buffalo has made comebacks of 18 and 21 points, respectively, in its last two games, as a higher level of defensive success and Fitzpatrick’s settling into the game by halftime has allowed the Bills to overcome early holes. Obviously, Fred Jackson and the running game have been huge for Buffalo, as well.

With that said, Fitzpatrick has been outstanding overall, and his early-game struggles are minor in the grand scheme of things. However, he would probably be the first one to say that getting off to a better start will be crucial if the Bills want to keep up this pace.

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