1997

Minnesota 34
Bills 13

Attendance: 79,139

ORCHARD PARK (AP) -- The Todd Collins era began Sunday the same way Jim Kelly's did 11 years ago -- with a loss for the Buffalo Bills.

Robert Smith ran for a career-high 169 yards on 16 carries and broke loose on a 78-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter as the Minnesota Vikings beat the Bills 34-13 in a season opener. "I can make the difference in games. I don't think anybody's disputing that," said Smith, who enjoyed the best day of his injury-plagued career. "They've been disputing whether I can do it for a whole year. I haven't given any evidence to prove otherwise yet, but I certainly will this year."

Minnesota linebacker Jeff Brady put Buffalo away when he picked up a fumbled snap and ran 30 yards for a touchdown with 11:03 left in the game. "We had a blitz called. I stepped up to take one of the backs man-to-man," Brady said. "The ball happened to bounce down and hit my leg; it took a nice bounce, jumped into my hand, and I was really happy to get in the end zone."

"We were in the game until those disastrous few minutes," Bills coach Marv Levy said. "We weren't bombing in any area until they had the long run and the fumble for the touchdown. Then the roof fell in."

Minnesota's Brad Johnson completed 17 of 30 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns to Cris Carter, who had eight catches for 119 yards. Greg Davis kicked field goals of 21 and 43 yards.

Buffalo came into the game with Collins at quarterback, marking the first time since 1985 someone other than Kelly started the season running the offense. Kelly retired in February, capping a career that included four Super Bowl appearances. The Bills lost to the New York Jets in Kelly's debut in 1986.

Collins was solid but not spectacular in completing 25 of 39 passes for 299 yards and a 19-yard touchdown to Jay Riemersma. "Obviously, confidence comes with success," Collins said. "I'm disappointed that we lost, but there were some key things we did pretty well. We moved the ball but couldn't put points up." Andre Reed had seven catches for 142 yards, and Steve Christie kicked field goals of 28 and 46 yards for the Bills.

Minnesota had a 13-10 lead in the fourth quarter when Smith found a huge hole off left tackle and whizzed past Buffalo defenders Bryce Paup and Bruce Smith before going untouched into the end zone. "The hole was bigger than any one I saw in college," Robert Smith said. "It was amazing. I've never seen anything like that where you just don't have to beat anybody. I was laughing at about the 20-yard line." The 78-yard run was the second-longest in club history. Clinton Jones ran 80 yards for a touchdown against Chicago on Nov. 2, 1969. Last year, Smith was on pace for 1,584 yards before tearing up his knee against Chicago. "Robert has looked fabulous," Vikings coach Dennis Green said. "From the first practice, he has been raring to go. This guy can run. He's really a dynamic player for us."

Backup quarterback Randall Cunningham handled the punting for the Vikings, who were without Mitch Berger because of an injured hip. Cunningham, who punted in college and various times in his 12-year career, averaged 42.5 yards yards on four punts.

Johnson found holes in the middle of Buffalo's defense early, connecting on 13 of his first 17 passes and leading the Vikings to a 10-7 lead in the second quarter. After Davis opened the scoring with a 21-yarder in the second quarter, Minnesota went ahead when Johnson hit Carter for a 6-yard touchdown on the next series. Davis added a 42-yard field goal in the third quarter. Carter closed the scoring with a 35-yard TD catch with 2:30 left in the game. Buffalo closed to 13-10 early in the fourth quarter on Christie's 28-yarder. Collins completed seven straight passes before throwing consecutive incompletions in Minnesota territory.

The Bills scored their first touchdown in the second quarter when Collins found Riemersma wide open, and the tight end made a sliding catch for his first career reception.

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