ESPN AFC East Blog

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

The Buffalo Bills are withering away. Their quarterback, Trent Edwards, is in a bad place.

	Paul Jasienski/Getty Images
	Trent Edwards has thrown three TD passes and eight interceptions in the past four games.

They're in last place in the AFC East at 5-5. They are 0-3 against the rest of the division, so they can pretty much kiss an automatic playoff berth goodbye.

A wild-card spot seems remote. Tiebreakers aren't favorable, and they'll need to leapfrog two teams in their division, the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens to get in the mix. They'll also need to pray nobody else behind them gets hot.

Buffalo, to make matters worse, is trucking in the wrong direction with four consecutive losses.

In those games Edwards has thrown three touchdowns and eight interceptions. His passer rating in that span is 52.6. He has fumbled three times, losing two. The one that was recovered was a safety. He has been sacked nine times.

Thankfully for Bills fans, they'll visit the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

What a perfect time for Edwards to rediscover himself.

Or for J.P. Losman to ease his way back into the offense.

Edwards will be a fine quarterback, but he's in a crisis period and clearly needs to regroup. His teammates don't have the luxury of allowing him to work through his problems on the game field.

Buffalo is entering do-or-die time. Their playoff hopes are already dim. They need a spark, and Edwards has shown no indication he's ready to provide one.

Bills coach Dick Jauron lauded Edwards for driving them into field-goal range for the potential winning field goal against the Cleveland Browns on Monday night. In reality, he completed one pass. Granted, it was a nice pass for 22 yards, but he didn't exactly march the Bills, who started on their own 44-yard line.

Edwards didn't find No. 1 receiver Lee Evans once all night -- against the 21st-ranked pass defense, no less.

Losman's name is met with shrieks throughout Western New York. He's maddening to watch, and there's a general perception in the weathered, blue-collar region that Losman has been a pouter since losing his job to Edwards.

To insert Losman now would be daring. He's an unrestricted free agent after this season and almost certain to split on an organization he feels jilted by.

The Bills are investing in Edwards as the quarterback of the future. But if they don't have him on a short leash against the Chiefs, then they're already working on 2009.