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Bills special in rout of Seahawks

Sep 7, 2008 - 9:57 PM ORCHARD PARK, New York (Ticker) -- The Buffalo Bills expect to contend for a playoff this year. So far, so good.

The Bills scored a pair of touchdowns on special teams Sunday, opening the season with an impressive 34-10 romp over the Seattle Seahawks, who are bidding for a fifth straight NFC West title.

It was a disappointing way for Seattle (0-1) to begin its final campaign under coach Mike Holmgren, who has announced that he will retire at the end of the season.

Before stepping away from the game, he may need to work on special teams. The Seahawks surrendered a 63-yard touchdown to Roscoe Parrish on a punt return and also allowed punter Brian Moorman to complete a 19-yard TD pass to defensive end Ryan Denney on a fake field goal.

"It went as well as could have expected in all phases of the game: offense, defense and special teams," Buffalo coach Dick Jauron said. "I can't say enough about the preparation of our staff."

"I never caught a pass before so it was pretty exciting," Denney added. "We practiced that six or seen times before."

Buffalo (1-0) never trailed in the game as Trent Edwards overcame a slow start. After completing just one of his first six passes, Edwards finished 19-of-30 for 215 yards and a touchdown.

The Bills grabbed a 7-0 lead on Marshawn Lynch's 21-yard TD run with 2:44 remaining in the first quarter and never looked back. Lynch rushed for 76 yards on 18 carries.

Lynch, who ran for 1,115 yards and seven touchdowns last season, is hoping to build on a strong finish to last year. He only had three 100-yard games in 2007, but all three came in the second half.

Hit hard by injuries in the preseason, the Seahawks sputtered early, gaining just 71 yards on their first seven possessions, which all ended in punts.

"We have a lot of work to do," Holmgren said. "I thought we were sloppy, particularly on offense, the special teams clearly.

"We'll get better. We've got to get back home, roll up our sleeves and get going."

Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who missed a month with tightness in his back, looked rusty, completing just 17-of-41 passes for 190 yards with a touchdown and interceptions. Hasselbeck was without injured receivers Bobby Engram and Deion Branch.

"We were playing with a lot of young people," Holmgren added. "It might take us a little while to look as smooth as I would like. Clearly our inexperience in certain areas showed."

After Parrish's punt return made it 14-0, the Seahawks got on the board on Hasselbeck's 20-yard TD pass to Nate Burleson, but Rian Lindell converted field goals of 38 and 35 yards late in the second quarter to give the Bills a 20-7 halftime lead.

Parrish amassed 120 returns yards, setting a Bills' single-game record.

"When he touches the ball, you can sense it in the stadium," Jauron said. "They start to buzz, they expect him to do it. I guess electrifying is the right word for him."

"You have to have that swag," Parrish added. "When I return punts, I just try to have fun and trust the guys in front of me."

Buffalo put away the contest with a pair of scores in a 20-second span late in the third quarter, when the Seahawks unraveled.

Following Denney's touchdown, things got worse for the Seahawks, who fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, and that led to Edwards' 30-yard TD strike to Robert Royal and a 34-10 cushion.

Seattle was just 3-for-16 on third-down conversions, finishing with only 252 total yards.

The Bills also shut down Seattle's running game as Julius Jones, who was acquired in the offseason to replace Shaun Alexander, rushed for only 45 on 13 carries in his Seahawks' debut.