For some more immediate "reactions," check Nick's in-game posts at Twitter. Also, he'll be on the air following Mike Schopp's post-game antics. Six p.m. See you there.

For those like me hoping for some sort of hope-filled reprieve from the ruthless tradition that is November/December Buffalo Bills football of the 21st century, you're forgiven for your naivete. Just think, if your team had any semblance of offensive function, we could be talking unlikely playoff scenarios for two weeks. We could be discussing how you could possibly take out a quarterback who was 3-0 as a Bill. We could be imagining which of the Bills' incredibly-difficult final three contests of the season could be the upset that puts us back in the playoffs.

We could have, but we can't.

-- How many minutes did the Bills offense have the ball? Ten? Twelve? Twenty? This team was all sorts of inefficient, and only scored when the defense put them in a wonderful spot via turnovers. This line is brutal. Both quarterbacks have been ineffective, but for some reason Ryan Fitzpatrick's struggles against Houston stung a little more.

The great Fitzpatrick hope is over, and we can all be sated by the news that Miami, New York and New England all have a better hold on their future at quarterback. If I may note that they went to Michigan, Southern Cal and Michigan. Not Stanford, Harvard, Tulane, Indiana, Middle Tennessee State...

-- Ryan Moats: fantasy stud.

-- The signs were there early. As advantageous as this defense has been, to only get 10 points out of that first half was a sign of impending Sunday doom. Twenty-two fourth-quarter Houston points later... get out of here.

-- Truth hurts, I guess, but please, please, please refrain from the ultra-annoying "we should've lost for the last few weeks just for a better draft pick" talk. It grates on me on the most primal of levels.

-- Bills fans' emotions could be properly summed up by one camera shot going to break late in the fourth quarter, as sterling rookie Jairus Byrd was heading down the tunnel, his day over early. The team's best player out, taking our hope with him. Seven interceptions in four weeks. Now, if he could only learn to tackle.

-- The Bills have lost eight of their last nine home games. It's a horrible embarrassment, but big ups to the fans for cheering Ralph Wilson's reception of his Hall of Fame ring.

-- Marcus Stroud continues to perform well under the radar for a large, large human being. His 35 tackles and 2.5 sacks project to numbers that would've finished second in the NFL last season (70 and five). Entering this week, Stroud lead all NFL defensive tackles in solo take-downs this year. Fight those numbers.

-- Buffalo's linebackers were annihilated at the second level by Houston fullback Vonta Leach. On one play, he sent Paul Posluszny back to Happy Valley.

-- You know what's extra pathetic? If the Bills could play football at all... at all... they'd be one game out, or on top of the AFC East. Buffalo is probably blowing a cherry opportunity to hold sway for a year (or even a week). My goodness, is this team pathetic right now.

-- Is there a more symbolic or telling show of the Bills ills than running "fake Owens reverse" at least four times after it went for the touchdown? My goodness. This offense needs an entirely new coaching staff. The defense probably does, too, but I'm not interesting in harping on that today. They are missing -- what? -- five opening day starters? Six, if you count Aaron Schobel being pulled.

-- I am never interested in what Rich Gannon has to say. He didn't do much in his career -- save four late years with Tim Brown in Oakland -- and he kow-tows to his friends in the league. As much as Fitzpatrick deserves all the criticism in the world, chastising him for Marshawn Lynch dropping a check down pass late in the goings was silly. The guy dropped an almost-sure first down.

-- I did a nice interview with linebacker Chris Draft a couple weeks back, and in lieu of saying something else about the trash performance on the field, check out his "family first" foundation. It's one of the best causes I've seen from athletes doing charity.

-- I kinda wish I could come down with the swine flu again so I could not listen to the raw Whiner Line tomorrow. Aiy-yie-yie.

Stat line I enjoyed:
Lynch, 9 carries, 43 yards
-- Lynch's 4.8 yards-per-carry was the first time he or Jackson carried for more than 4.0 since the Cleveland game, when he went for 4.1. This line can't block for anyone right now, which explains why the more explosive pure talent is the one getting better yards. He may not be as smart, decent or football-witty as Jackson, but he's the Bills' best hope for positive yards in the run game behind this line.

Stat line I didn't enjoy:
Fitzpatrick, 15-of-23, 117 yards, two sacks, two interceptions
-- As it turns out, your completion percentage can be much, much higher when you don't try many throws of consequence. Fitzpatrick struggled on a lot of levels, and when he had the chance to make a big throw -- like he did to Lee Evans last week -- he poorly floats a ball to the corner for Owens. At least he made it easier for his coaches to re-install Trent Edwards after the bye.

Game ball:
Byrd. Two interceptions, five tackles.
-- Kid needs a lot of work in tackling, but he's a rookie and I'm going to enjoy his play for a little while, provided he's not hurt.

Lastly...
What do we even say anymore? I missed my niece and nephew's Christening reception to make sure I saw this entire game via DVR. What a trainwreck. I could've been in South Buffalo eating a lot of food and celebrating something meaningful.

EDIT NOTE: I saw the actual Christening at St. Gabriel's in Elma. Congrats to the Austin and Olivia Milewski, and their parents and Godparents!

Next week:
Bye week.

Email: nick@wgr550.com