ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- A few thoughts on the Buffalo Bills' 21-13 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium:
What it means: The Bills (8-6) took down the NFL's hottest team in the Packers (10-4), who fell to 0-6 all time in Buffalo. While Buffalo's offense -- especially quarterback Kyle Orton, who finished with a 54.2 quarterback rating -- was inconsistent Sunday, the Bills' defense and special teams won the day. The Bills have won eight games for the first time since 2004. Considering the strength of the AFC, they'll still need to win their final two games to have a chance at the playoffs.
Stock watch: Defense -- up. There isn't one player to single out from this unit, but they proved Sunday that they are the real deal and should be in the discussion as the NFL's best defense. After holding Peyton Manning to a 56.9 quarterback rating last week, the Bills' defense was truly stifling Sunday, limiting Aaron Rodgers to a 34.3 rating -- the worst of his career. The winning formula was tight coverage from the Bills' secondary, a slew of bad throws from the game's best quarterback and plenty of drops from his receivers. Rodgers had a 40 percent completion rate and averaged 4.4 yards per attempt, some of the worst statistics of his storied career.
Game ball: Safety Bacarri Rambo. The most unlikely of heroes for the Bills in their win, Rambo intercepted Rodgers twice in the second half after entering in the third quarter for an injured Duke Williams. It was Rambo's first extensive action with the Bills since being signed last month. Who would've guessed?
Carpenter perfect: As anemic as the Bills' offense has been, kicker Dan Carpenter has been solid. He was a perfect 4-for-4 on field goals Sunday, including 51- and 48-yard kicks. Carpenter is second in the NFL with 28 field goals.
What's next: The Bills close out their regular season with back-to-back road games. They'll travel cross-country Friday for a game Sunday against the Oakland Raiders (2-12), and then finish out at New England (11-3) in Week 17.
