2002

Bills 23
Denver 28

Attendance:  75,359

RICK ANDERSON -- There weren't as many fireworks as the previous two weeks, but the Buffalo Bills kept their game with the Denver Broncos entertaining right up until
the end. The Bills scored with around a minute left in the game and tried
unsuccessfully to recover an onside kick. The Broncos ran the clock out and
beat the never-say-die Bills 28-23. 

The Bills had plenty of chances to gain the momentum of this game, but
crucial mistakes cost them dearly. A fumble by Travis Henry at the Bills 24
yard line was recovered by Chester McGlockton and turned into the first
Broncos touchdown. The defense had stood tall all day until the last two
Denver drives resulted in 14 points. This was a case of a young upstart team
taking on an NFL powerhouse. Goliath won over David on this day.

The biggest play of the game was when the Broncos were driving late in the
3rd quarter. The play calling of the Broncos had caught the Bills defense
off guard on several plays and this one topped them all. From the Bills 47,
Brian Griese faked a handoff and then gave it to wide receiver Scottie Montgomery running to the left. The Bills D bit on it and Montgomery ran all the way to the Bills 19. From there, it took Griese 4 plays to make it 21-10 and Denver coach Mike Shanahan knew that he could pull another trick play out of his hat if needed.

The Bills offense with Drew Bledsoe at the controls could not keep up the
30+ points a game pace they had the first two games. In order to beat the
Broncos, they needed to establish a solid running game similar to the one
they had against the Jets. That never materialized. Instead, Travis Henry
not only gave up that horrendous fumble that resulted in the Broncos' first
TD, but he never could get close to the form he displayed in the opening
game against the Jets.

Bledsoe, who completed 27 out of 41 for 283 yards for two TDs, was hurried
the entire game and got sacked 4 times. He also missed crucial passes that
could have turned the tide. However, Bledsoe finally hit Eric Moulds for a
2-yard touchdown on the Bills last drive to give Buffalo a chance if they
could convert the onside kick. That never happened.

Moulds dropped several passes and Josh Reed wasn't even a Bledsoe target
until his 4-yard TD reception in the 4th quarter. Moulds caught 9 passes for
96 yards and one touchdown. He had one catch for  44 yards. Peerless Price
continued his good play with a 5 reception day for 87 yards, which included
a 42 yard reception from Bledsoe.

The Bills defense played a respectable game until the last two Bronco
scoring drives. They contained the powerful Bronco running attack the best
they could and Griese had to go to the air to open the game up.

This game came down to coaching and Shanahan made Gregg Williams look like
sophomore coach. A high school sophomore football coach that is. Shanahan's
superb play calling was the key factor in this game, giving the Broncos a
3-0 record.

The Bills showed plenty of heart against the superior Broncos, but they
still have a long ways to go. The elements are starting to come into place,
with the defense starting to show sings of jelling. The offense can make
most games exciting if they keep their mistakes down. This is definitely a
team on the rise, but Bills fans will have to have patience. Bledsoe has the
heart and desire to lead the Bills to the Promised Land just like Jim Kelly
did. But like Kelly, it will take a few years to get there.

Copyright ©2002 WGBB