"Progress came slowly for the Buffalo Bills in 2011.

They won two more games than the year before. Their offense improved from 25th to 14th in yards gained. Their first three home wins -- over Oakland, New England and Philadelphia -- each were more exciting than any Bills games since the 2003 opener.

They also lost seven straight games. They saw their rebuilt defense actually get worse -- dropping from 24th to 26th in yards allowed and yielding 27.1 points, second worst in team history. They finished last again in the AFC East.

Here's a capsule review of the 6-10 campaign:

Top 3 Developments

1. Running back duo was great. In Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller, the Bills have what might be the best one-two backfield punch in the league, as good as New Orleans had in 2006 with Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush. (That was the quintessential thunder-and-lightning tandem of recent years.) Jackson was second in the NFL in yards from scrimmage when he got hurt in the season's 10th game. Spiller gained 105.5 scrimmage yards a game the last six weeks.

2. Offensive line looks good. The Bills got bigger and tougher on the offensive line. Buffalo allowed the fewest sacks in the NFL (23) and ranked tied for fourth in the NFL in yards per rush, at 4.9 a carry. The Bills gave up very little pressure up the middle.

3. Marcell Dareus led promising rookie class. Dareus justified his selection as the third overall pick. Cornerback Aaron Williams and linebacker Kelvin Sheppard should be assets next year. Chris Hairston started seven games at left tackle. Justin Rogers played about 33 snaps a game the last six weeks at corner and looked good on kick returns. Tight end Lee Smith, picked up from the Pats, is a snot-disturbing blocker.

Bottom 3 Developments

1. The pass rush was a disaster. It's the biggest weakness of the team. The interior rush is fine going forward with Dareus and Kyle Williams. But the Bills had nobody on the outside who consistently could harass the quarterback. Buffalo was 27th in sacks per pass attempt. Deposed defensive coordinator George Edwards simply refused to blitz much."