1997

New York Jets 10
Bills 20

Attendance: 47,776

Thurman Thomas made his point during the week and backed it up against the New York Jets. Thomas gained 104 yards on 18 carries and led the Buffalo Bills to a 20-10 victory over the Jets after begging his teammates not to give up on a tough season. "I've been around here long enough to know that even though our season might be over, a lot of players still play with a lot of pride," Thomas said. "There's no quit in the Buffalo Bills." It also appears there is no quit in Thomas yet. In a post-game interview with ESPN Radio, Thomas said he intends to return for the 1998 season. With the wear and tear over his career and the emergence of Smith, the return of Thomas was not a certainty.

The Bills scored a first-quarter touchdown for the first time in 17 games, and Todd Collins hit tight end Lonnie Johnson with a 62-yard scoring pass in the fourth quarter as Buffalo snapped a three-game losing streak and won its sixth straight over the Jets. Johnson, who had dropped three passes earlier in the game, caught four passes for 81 yards. His touchdown came when he caught the ball at the 40, ran over safety Victor Green and beat linebacker Dwayne Gordon to the end zone with 12:47 left. "If it's me versus the safety, I put my money on myself," Johnson said. "Every dog has his day. I might be called a dog, but I had my day."

Buffalo still has a chance to make the playoffs, but it would need to win its three remaining games and get help from other teams. New York started the day in sole possession of first place in the AFC East, but is now tied at the top with New England and Miami. "Spoiler' wasn't our term," Bills coach Marv Levy said. "We want to win every time we go out on the field. This is the beginning, not an end."

Thomas moved into ninth place on the career rushing list with 11,325 yards. It was his first 100-yard game since October 27, 1996, when he had 119 against New England. Rookie backup Antowain Smith had 78 yards rushing as the Bills rolled up 197 yards on the ground. "Thurman just went out there and led by example," Smith said. "He let the young guys know (during the week) that we're not ready to lay down yet."

Buffalo scored a first-quarter touchdown for the first time since November 24, 1996, on Collins' 22-yard pass to Andre Reed 3:49 into the game. Steve Christie kicked field goals of 49 and 34 yards for the Bills. Neil O'Donnell completed 25 of 47 passes for 292 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown to Keyshawn Johnson that tied the game at 10 with 7:19 left in the third quarter. He found a hole in the Bills secondary and beat safety Kurt Schulz in the end zone for his fifth TD this season. John Hall added a 22-yard field goal for the Jets. "We didn't want to lose this football game," Keyshawn Johnson said. "We want to control our own destiny. We struggled and now we have to go back and regroup."

Defensive end Phil Hansen helped give Buffalo a 10-3 lead when he sacked O'Donnell from behind, forcing a fumble that was recovered by safety Henry Jones with 1:22 left in the half. Christie then hit from 49 yards. Both teams had problems hanging onto the ball in a steady drizzle. The Jets, who lost starting offensive tackles Jumbo Elliot and David Williams to injuries, gained just 30 yards rushing. "I'm not going to offer any excuses," Jets coach Bill Parcells said. "We missed opportunities, but they had chances, too." Elliot is expected to miss the rest of the season with an injured right Achilles tendon. "That's too bad. I don't like to hear that," quarterback Neil O'Donnell said when he learned of Elliot's injury. He's been a warrior and I have great respect for Jumbo, especially on my back (blind) side."

The Bills made their first drive look easy. Thomas picked up 15 yards on a pass from Collins to start the drive, and Smith ran for 20 yards to set up Reed's score. Reed made a quick move to beat Jets linebacker Mo Lewis, caught Collins' short pass at the 3 and skidded into the end zone. It was Buffalo's first TD in the opening quarter since they scored in a 35-10 win over the Jets last season. "Scoring first is a big help," Levy said. "It doesn't guarantee you anything. Once it happened, there was still a lot of game left to be played."

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