| January 01, 2004 | « Previous Story | HOME | Next Story » | Posted at 06:05 PM |
The Buffalo Bills of 2001 collapsed under the weight of veteran losses and injuries to key components. Adding to the woes were an overwhelmed and inexperienced coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Mike Sheppard was axed and long time NFL offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride was brought aboard.
More long time fixtures on the Bills were lost in salary cap moves and retirement. 12 year veteran DE Phil Hansen called it quits, as well as guard Jerry Ostroski. John Fina was a salary cap casualty. Another major loss was the departure of Sam Cowart, who signed with the New York Jets after missing the previous season with a torn Achilles tendon. The Houston Texans expansion draft was held, and the Bills lost WR Avion Black. After the draft, more cap casualties were announced. "Buffalo's Vietnam" came to an official end as QB Rob Johnson was released. Other casualties included former #1 pick DE Eric Flowers. Bills GM Tom Donahoe pulled the trigger on a deal, getting K/P return man Charlie Rogers from the Texans for LB Jay Foreman.
Buffalo was also active in free agency, having some salary cap space to play with for the first time in a long time. The biggest acquisition was LB London Fletcher from the St Louis Rams. Others brought in were LB Eddie Robinson from the Titans, S Billy Jenkins, DE Chidi Ahanotu, K Mike Hollis, TE Dave Moore, WR Charles Johnson, C Trey Teague, and OL Marcus Price.
Draft day was one of the most memorable in Bills history. For weeks leading up to the draft, Tom Donahoe and New England Patriots negotiated to acquire the Patriot's Pro-Bowl quarterback, Drew Bledsoe. Bledsoe was knocked out of action in week two against the Jets with internal injuries and did not return for nearly 3 months. While healing, the Patriots found a new hero in QB Tom Brady, who turned around the struggling club and led them to an improbable upset against the heavily favored Rams in the Super Bowl. To clear cap space ands to avoid the pitfalls of a QB controversy (see Flutie/Johnson) the Patriots were looking to deal. The Bills refused to budge off the stance that their 4th overall pick in the draft was untouchable. It will never be known what the Bills were going to do had QBs Joey Harrington or David Carr fell to them, but it became a moot point when Carr was the top pick by Houston, and the Lions grabbed Harrington with the #3.
Buffalo took the plunge and drafted massive OT Mike Williams, a 375 lb, 6'7" behemoth from Texas with their top pick. In round 2, Buffalo shocked the experts in selecting WR Josh Reed. Buffalo traded up into round 2 to select DE Ryan Denney. S Coy Wire was picked in Rd 3 to close out the first day. Without the QB they needed, and with the Pats not getting the top 10 pick for Bledsoe they coveted, the two clubs struck a deal early the next day sending the Buffalo Bills' top pick in the 2003 draft for Bledsoe. It was one of the biggest trades in team history, rivaling the blockbuster deal of 1987 that brought Cornelius Bennett and the 1978 trade that dealt off OJ Simpson. Buffalo concluded the draft picking DT Justin Bannan (5), CB Kevin Thomas (6), and in the fianl round , G -Mike Pucillo, WR Rodney Wright, LB Dominique Stevenson, and FB Jarrett Ferguson.
Bledsoe's introduction to Bills fans rivaled the party thrown for Jim Kelly's arrival to Buffalo 16 years previous. Thousands of fans turned out to witness the event at a rally at the stadium. An outcast in the town he dominated for a decade, he found a new home in Buffalo.
One of the greatest moments in team history occurred on July 15th. A rag-tag fugitive group of die-hard fans put together BillsZone.com, a web site dedicated to the past, present, and future of Bills football.
The Buffalo Bills dropped all four of their preseason games, despite the very good showing of their first string offense. The Bills opened with a 24-20 loss to the Bengals and a 24-17 loss to the Vikings at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The Bills took the show on the road with a 19-7 loss to the Colts. They concluded the offseason with a 20-13 loss to the Detroit Lions in brand new Ford Field.
Chad Morton stole the spotlight from Drew Bledsoe. Morton returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, the second a 96-yarder 14 seconds into overtime, to lead the New York Jets to a scintillating 37-31 victory over the Buffalo Bills.
Mike Hollis' 52-yard field goal and a five-yard touchdown run by Henry 2:35 into the second quarter built a 10-0 lead for the Bills. But Morton's 98-yard return on the ensuing kickoff put the Jets on the board and changed the momentum of the game. On Buffalo's next possession, cornerback Donnie Abraham picked off a pass by Bledsoe and returned it 13 yards to the Buffalo 19. Three plays later, Testaverde hit Becht with a one-yard TD to give the Jets a 14-10 lead with 9:12 left in the half. The Bills responded with an 11-play, 74 yard drive in which Bledsoe completed 4-of-5 for 48 yards. Henry capped it with a three-yard touchdown to put Buffalo back on top, 17-14 with 2:37 left in the half. Testaverde marched the Jets 59 yards in 12 plays, hitting Martin with passes of 12 and 16 yards, before Hall kicked a 34-yard field goal with five seconds remaining in the half to tie the game. Curtis Martin suffered a sprained left ankle late in the second quarter after rushing for just six yards on four carries. Martin did not play in the second half.
The Jets opened the second half with a seven-play, 42-yard drive which resulted in another field goal by Hall - a 45-yarder - 4:10 into the third quarter. The key plays in the drive were a 17-yard catch by Santana Moss and a 14-yard run by LaMont Jordan. But a fumble by Jordan was recovered by linebacker Keith Newman at the New York 29 and that led to a two-yard TD run by Henry, giving the Bills a 24-20 lead with 58 seconds left in the third quarter. After Glenn blocked a punt at the Buffalo 24, the Bills defense held and the Jets had to settle for a 33-yard field goal by Hall with 9:25 left in the fourth quarter. Chrebet beat cornerback Nate Clements for an 18-yard touchdown and Becht caught the two-point conversion, giving the Jets a 31-24 lead with 4:47 remaining. Bledsoe marched the Bills 76 yards in 14 plays, capped by his scoring strike over the middle to Eric Moulds with a 29-yard touchdown pass with 26 seconds left in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 31-31. But Morton spoiled Bledsoe's debut when he caught the overtime kickoff along the right sideline, broke a tackle at his own 30, cut to the middle of the field, blew by kicker Mike Hollis at midfield and outraced Shawn Bryson into the end zone.
Chad Morton was not in the building and the Buffalo Bills had better luck in their second overtime game of the season. Peerless Price hauled in a 48-yard touchdown from Drew Bledsoe with 4:48 left in overtime as the Bills rallied for a 45-39 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Drew Bledsoe had a big day as he completed 35-of-49 yards for a career-high 463 yards, a franchise record.
A 61-yard punt return by D'Wayne Bates led to Culpepper's two-yard TD to Randy Moss that opened the scoring in the second half, gave Minnesota a 20-13 lead and set off a wild flurry of points. Charlie Rogers returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown to tie the game for Buffalo. Hollis booted a short field goal to give Buffalo the lead before Culpepper led an eight-play 63-yard drive that culminated in a 29-yard TD to Bates for a 26-23 lead. Brien missed the extra point. The Bills came back when defensive end Aaron Schobel sacked Culpepper, who fumbled and tackle Ron Edwards came up with the ball in the zone for a 30-26 advantage. Culpepper led another long drive of 82 yards that included four carries by Williams for 41 yards. On 4th-and-2 on the Bills' 5-yard-line, Culpepper found Derrick Alexander for a touchdown and a 32-30 advantage. Brien was wide on the extra point for his second miss in the game. Bledsoe came right back and needed just 4:13 to put Buffalo back on top. Reed had a pair of catches for 44 yards in the drive and Price scored on a three-yard reception for a 36-32 edge.
The Vikings appeared to have the game won in regulation when Moe Williams scored on a two-yard run with 26 seconds left for a 39-36 lead. But Bledsoe moved the Bills 29 yards in 18 seconds and Mike Hollis kicked a career-high 54-yard field goal that hit the crossbar and bounced through as time expired. The Bills started on their own 35 and Bledsoe had completions of 13 yards to running back Larry Centers, eight yards to rookie Josh Reed and eight yards to Price before Hollis' tying field goal.
The Bills took over for its third possession of the extra session at their own 25 and Bledsoe immediately found tight end Jay Riemersma for a 28-yard gain into Minnesota territory. On the next play, he found a wide-open Price on the left side and Price cut back and ran untouched into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game.
Brian Griese passed for two touchdowns and rookie Clinton Portis rushed for 103 yards and a score as the Denver Broncos posted a 28-23 victory over the Buffalo Bills.
Defensive tackle Chester McGlockton picked a up a fumble by Travis Henry and scored on a 24-yard return in the first quarter for the unbeaten Broncos. Griese got the Broncos offense moving to start the second quarter when he took them 85 yards in 10 plays. Griese had a 17-yard completion to Smith to move the ball into Buffalo territory and found Ed McCaffrey for 24 yards to the 3. Two plays later, Portis banged in from one yard, making it 14-0 with 9:51 left before intermission. The Bills answered later in the quarter, going 80 yards in nine plays. Bledsoe found Eric Moulds for a 44-yard pass on a 3rd-and-5 play to the Denver 16. Henry capped the drive with 2:50 left before the half with a one-yard run, pulling the Bills within 14-7.
Bledsoe again went long on the Bills first possession of the third quarter, connecting with Peerless Price for 42 yards to the Denver 26. But that drive stalled and Mike Hollis kicked a 38-yard field goal. Griese capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive with under a minute left in the third with a one-yard toss to tight end Dwayne Carswell, extending the lead to 21-10. Maligned for their play on special teams, the Bills got a big play from that unit early in the fourth when punter Tom Rouen dropped a snap and Buffalo took over at the Denver 12. Bledsoe came through on 3rd-and-2, finding rookie Josh Reed over the middle for a four-yard touchdown. The conversion failed, leaving Buffalo behind, 21-16. But the Broncos answered that score as they went 80 yards in 10 plays. Griese made a huge play on the march, finding Smith for six yards on a 4th-and-5 play to the Buffalo 31. After an offsides penalty, Griese caught the Bills in a blitz and found Smith over the middle with a 26-yard TD with 2:39 remaining. With the Broncos in a prevent defense, Bledsoe threw a two-yard TD pass to Eric Moulds with 1:27 remaining. Moulds had nine catches for 96 yards.
Drew Bledsoe set an NFL record with his fourth career overtime touchdown pass, throwing a 26-yarder to running back Travis Henry as the Buffalo Bills defeated the Chicago Bears, 33-27. Bledsoe held a share of the record with Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw before finding Henry as a safety valve 1:58 into overtime, giving the Bills (2-2) their second victory in three overtime games this season.
After Bledsoe threw his first TD pass to Price to open the scoring in the first quarter, Henry fumbled late in the period and the Bears turned it into a score as linebacker Rosevelt Colvin lateraled to safety Mike Brown for a 62-yard return. Henry had fumbled for the fourth time in as many. The Bills scored the next 10 points for a 17-7 lead as Hollis kicked a 48-yard field goal and Bledsoe found Moulds for a four-yard touchdown. Miller got Chicago within a field goal when he found David Terrell from five yards.
The teams exchanged field goals in the third quarter before Paul Edinger's 24-yarder tied it at 20-20 with 12:30 remaining in regulation. Officials had ruled a touchdown after Terrell came down with the ball on the left side of the end zone. But the Bills challenged and the call was overturned when officials ruled Terrell had only one foot inbounds. Bledsoe later capped a 78-yard drive with a one-yard TD pass to Moore, but Miller erased Chicago's third deficit with a three-yarder to John Davis, tying it at 27-27 with 2:46 left in the fourth quarter. Mike Hollis had a chance to win it for Buffalo in regulation but had a 39-yard field goal blocked by offensive tackle James Williams with 25 seconds remaining.
The winning drive took just two plays. Bledsoe started it with a 30-yard pass to Moulds, who leaped over the back of a defender for one of his eight catches. On the next play, Travis Henry caught a dump off pass from Bledsoe and turned it up field for 26 yards for the win.
Gannon connected with Jerry Porter for a 29-yard score in the first quarter. Trailing 7-0 after one quarter, Buffalo opened the second with an 11-play, 80-yard drive culminating in a two-yard touchdown reception by Price to even the score. Oakland regained the lead on the next series as Gannon capped a 70-yard drive with a one-yard run into the left corner of the end zone. But the Bills answered right back with a two-yard TD pass from Bledsoe to tight end Dave Moore, helped by a 41-yard pass interference penalty against Buchanon. The Raiders scored 2:04 later on Charlie Garner's 36-yard. After the teams traded punts, Bledsoe found Price for a 54-yard gain to the Oakland 30 before running back Larry Centers scampered five yards around the right guard to send the game to halftime tied at 21-21.
Mike Hollis booted a 30-yard field goal early in the third to give the Bills their first lead of the game, but Crockett found the end zone from one yard out after James' interception to give Oakland a 28-24 advantage. The four-point lead lasted just under four minutes as Travis Henry ran for a two-yard score to put the Bills in front, 31-28. Four plays after the ensuing kickoff, Gannon found RB Charlie Garner over the middle at the Buffalo 47 and the 30-year-old eight-year veteran raced into the end zone for the winning score. With the Bills driving on the next series, Buchanon stepped in front of Price to make his second interception of the season and sprinted down the sideline to give the Raiders a 42-31 cushion. Gannon capped the scoring with a 20-yard TD pass to WR Jerry Rice with 4:20 to go.
Buffalo scored on another 80 yard drive midway through the 3rd, with Henry's second TD on the day, a 23 yard scamper down the sidelines. Houston had taken a 24-17 lead with 14:10 left when running back James Allen tossed a five-yard option pass to tight end Billy Miller for a touchdown.
Buffalo tied the score with 10:39 left in the fourth quarter when Bledsoe fired a pass to Eric Moulds in the middle of the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown. The play was set up by a pair of 15-yard penalties against Houston linebacker Jay Foreman, a former Bill. Bledsoe completed a 26-yard touchdown pass to Peerless Price with 3:55 left in the fourth quarter to give the Bills a 31-24 lead. On the winning touchdown, Price received the ball in the flat and had a clear path up the sideline after some quick footwork to evade safety Matt Stevens.
Carr almost sent the Bills to their fourth overtime of the year, but could not complete a game-tying drive in the final minutes. On 4th-and-8 from the Buffalo 12 with 30 seconds left, Carr intended to hit Jermaine Lewis in the end zone, but the pass fell incomplete in double coverage.
Miami backup QB Ray Lucas threw four interceptions in place of the injured Jay Fiedler and the Dolphins suffered a 23-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills, who got big games from Travis Henry and a newfound defense led by Nate Clements. Lucas had a hand in all six of Miami's turnovers, also making poor exchanges on a pair of handoffs that resulted in fumbles. Three of the interceptions were made by Clements, who returned one 29 yards for a touchdown late in the second quarter, giving the Bills the lead for good at 17-10.
Lucas looked fine in the first quarter, directing a 57-yard drive that was capped by his four-yard TD pass to rookie tight end Randy McMichael. But he mishandled the exchange on a reverse, giving Buffalo the ball. Henry's 25-yard run positioned Hollis for a 46-yard kick with 1:39 left in the opening period. Early in the second quarter, Clements picked off Lucas at the Bills 14, squelching a drive. Two plays later, Eric Moulds got loose for a 70-yard TD catch that gave Buffalo a 10-7 lead. Some hard running by Ricky Williams, who had 97 yards on 25 carries, set up Olindo Mare's 42-yard tying field goal with 4:57 left in the first half.
The Dolphins got back the ball, but Clements, who had 3 picks on the day, returned one 29 yards for a touchdown late in the second quarter, giving the Bills the lead for good at 17-10. Clements stepped in front of Lucas' weak pass to the left flat and raced untouched to the end zone. A 34-yard romp by Henry led to a 26-yard field goal by Hollis that widened the lead to 20-10 with 4:16 remaining in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Lucas finally put together a drive that ended when he stumbled and botched a handoff to Williams, resulting in a fumble recovered by Buffalo. Hollis kicked a 44-yard field goal with 1:12 to go, and linebacker Eddie Robinson's interception off a deflection sealed matters.
The high-powered Bills won with defense for the second straight week, stopping a fourth-down run in the final two minutes and holding on for a 24-17 victory over the Detroit Lions.
Bledsoe's 42-yard strike to Moulds set up Henry's five-yard TD run that opened the scoring with 3:40 left in the first quarter. Detroit's two touchdowns came in a 2:03 span of the second quarter. Harrington put together an 80-yard drive, throwing passes of 17 yards to Mikhael Ricks, 14 to Crowell and 22 to Bill Schroeder before finding Az Hakim for a 23-yard TD that tied it with 5:03 left before halftime.
Charlie Rogers failed to field the ensuing short kickoff. It took a funny bounce before Chris Cash recovered for Detroit on the Buffalo 22. Five players later, Stewart went in from the 2. Buffalo responded before the end of the half. Bledsoe scrambled out of trouble and right up to the line of scrimmage before zipping a pass over the middle to Peerless Price, who caught it in stride and took it up the left sideline for a 59-yard TD.
The Bills dominated the third quarter. They stopped Detroit, then got a 33-yard field goal from Mike Hollis to take the lead for good. Later in the period, Bledsoe kept alive a drive with a four-yard run on 4th-and-1, setting up Henry's second five-yard TD run that made it 24-14 with 2:02 to go. Detroit rallied in the 4th. Jason Hanson drew the Lions within a TD with a 35 yard FG with 3:07 left. On the next Bills possession, Travis Henry's untimely fumble was recovered by linebacker Chris Claiborne at the Bills 29, Buffalo's defense came through. On 3rd-and-3 from the 22, rookie Joey Harrington threw a receiver screen to Germane Crowell, but cornerback Jason Bostic tripped him up short of the first down, setting up 4th-and-1. After the two-minute warning, the Lions handed to James Stewart, who was stacked up for no gain by Fletcher, who made his team-leading 10th tackle of the game. The Bills took over, and Bledsoe found Moulds for a first down that killed the clock.
Once again, Drew Bledsoe took a back seat to Tom Brady and Antowain Smith haunted his former team. Brady completed 23-of-27 passes for 310 yards and matched a career-high with four touchdown passes, including a pair to Smith, to lead the New England Patriots to a 38-7 rout of the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park in an AFC East battle.
Bledsoe completed two passes for 21 yards on Buffalo's first drive and Henry broke off a 22-yard run. However, linebacker Ted Johnson sacked Bledsoe for a 14-yard loss on a third-down play and Hollis was short on a 50-yard field goal attempt. Brady was 4-for-4 for 48 yards on New England's second scoring drive, starting it with a 17-yarder to Patten over the middle and capping it with a 13-yard touchdown to Smith on a screen pass with 12:54 left in the half. Bledsoe responded with a 64-yard drive, connecting with Moulds on a 22-yard pass and Price on a 20-yard play. However, Hollis was wide right on a 25-yard field goal attempt. Two runs for 26 yards by Smith and a 24-yard pass interference penalty on Chris Watson set up a 46-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri, increasing New England's lead to 17-0 with 3:49 remaining in the half. But Bledsoe engineered a 16-play, 80-yard scoring drive, gaining two yards on a 4th-and-1 play and connecting with Josh Reed on a 21-yard pass. Price caught a one-yard touchdown with 10 seconds left in the half.
On the opening possession of the second half, the Bills reached the New England 32. But Williams passed up a field goal attempt on a 4th-and-2 and Brian Moorman managed just a 15-yard punt. Running back Kevin Faulk turned a screen pass into a 45-yard scoring play down the left sideline with 7:33 left in the third quarter to increase New England's lead to 24-7. And then Brady and Smith virtually sealed the win later in the quarter. Facing a 4th-and-3 at the Buffalo 34, Belichick elected to go for the first down and Brady hit Smith with a four-yard pass. Brady followed with passes of 19 and nine yards to David Patten to the Buffalo 2. Three plays later, Smith went off left tackle for a two-yard touchdown with 54 seconds left in the third quarter. Brady still flexed his hot hand, hitting Patten with a 19-yard pass and Troy Brown with a 12-yarder before Faulk turned a short pass into a 45-yard touchdown. Hollis missed FG attempt #3 on the day, a 45-yard field goal attempt with 12:07 left before New England went on its final scoring drive - 64 yards in nine plays capped by Smith's 14-yard touchdown on a screen pass.
The Kansas City Chiefs have had a powerful ground attack this season, but got their nine biggest yards from an unexpected source. Quarterback Trent Green scored his first rushing touchdown in two years with 4:53 left in the fourth quarter to lift the Chiefs to a 17-16 victory over the Buffalo Bills.
The Chiefs drew first blood with a Priest Holmes 4 yard TD run. The key play on the drive was Trent Green's 44 yard completion to Eddie Kennison to the Buffalo 18 yard line. Mike Hollis answered with back to back FGs in the second. Morten Anderson put KC up 10-6 with a 38 yard FG with 6:40 left in the half, aided by a Pat Williams face mask penalty. Bledsoe responded on the Bills next drive with a 15 play 85 yard drive capped off with a 7 yard Eric Moulds TD pass wit :32 in the half.
The Bills pushed their lead to 16-10 on another 15 play drive eating 8 minutes off the clock. The drive resulted in Hollis' 3rd FG on the day. Trent Green rallied the Chiefs with an improbable 9 yard run for a score with 4:53 left in the game. A Pass interference penalty on Bills CB Chris Watson kept the drive alive. Holmes ran for 50 yards on the Chiefs' final, clock-killing drive after cornerback Eric Warfield picked off a pass by Drew Bledsoe at the Kansas City 2. Bledsoe's interception with 4:26 left killed the Bills' chance at victory.
With the game tied at 3-3, Jets safety Sam Garnes made a diving interception at midfield of a pass that deflected off the right arm of tight end Jay Riemersma. Pennington connected with tight end Anthony Becht on a 19-yard pass on the next play. After four runs for 22 yards by Martin, the Jets stalled at the Buffalo 9. John Hall drilled a 27-yard field goal to give the Jets the lead, but Buffalo's Chris Watson was called for roughing the kicker. Watson committed a 36-yard pass interference penalty that led to Kansas City's go-ahead touchdown in Buffalo's 17-16 loss last week. With a 1st-and-goal at the 4, the Jets took the penalty and handed the ball to LaMont Jordan, who gained three yards off right tackle before sneaking behind left guard for a one-yard touchdown run with 11:09 left in the second quarter. New York's defense came up with its second big play when cornerback Aaron Beasley cut in front of Price on a slant pattern and returned the interception five yards to the New York 42. The Jets needed just seven plays to reach the end zone, converting a pair of third-down conversions. On a 3rd-and-2 play, Martin gained four yards off right tackle, and on a 3rd-and-1, Pennington froze the Buffalo defense with play action and lofted a 28-yard pass to Laveranues Coles, who beat Watson down the right side. On the next play, Martin scored on a nine-yard run to give the Jets a 17-3 lead with 2:54 left in the half.
New York opened the third quarter with a four-play, 65-yard scoring drive in which Martin was prominently featured. He broke off a 17-yard run to start it and another 15 yards was tacked on for a facemask penalty on Robinson. Martin turned a screen pass into an 18-yard gain and rushed for four yards on the next two plays before Pennington capped the drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Laveranues Coles 2:07 into the half. The Bills responded with a nine-play, 69-yard drive. Moulds made his first catch of the day, an 18-yard reception on a 4th-and-1 play to the New York 7, to keep the drive alive. Henry gained six yards on the next play before scoring on a one-yard run with 7:53 left in the third quarter. Henry rushed four times for 38 yards on Buffalo's next possession, but the Bills had to settle for a 40-yard field goal by Mike Hollis, pulling them within 24-13 with 1:36 left in the third. But the Jets did not let this lead get away. On the final play of the third quarter, Pennington connected with Wayne Chrebet on a 15-yard pass to the Buffalo 48. Two plays later, Pennington hit Santana Moss with a 22-yard pass. Following a three-yard run by Martin, Pennington connected with Coles for 15 yards to the 8. Edwards passed on the chance of kicking a field goal with a 4th-and-goal at the 1. Pennington made it the right decision when he danced his way into the end zone. On a 4th-and-goal play at the Buffalo 1, Pennington faked a handoff to his right and ran a rollout to the left. While looking for a receiver, Pennington was being pursued by Bills linebacker Eddie Robinson. Taking a page out of Martin's book, Pennington juked Robinson with an inside fake and trotted into the end zone, giving the Jets a 31-13 lead with 9:44 left in the fourth quarter.
The Miami Dolphins were snowed under by Drew Bledsoe and the Buffalo Bills. Bledsoe threw for 306 yards and three touchdowns as the Bills knocked out quarterback Ray Lucas and kept their sagging playoff hopes alive with a 38-21 victory over the Dolphins. Buffalo survived despite a huge game from Ricky Williams, who carried 27 times for 228 yards and two scores.
The day started positively for the Dolphins when Williams raced up the sidelines for a 45-yard touchdown run and Weaver caught his TD pass for a 14-3 lead. Bledsoe collected just his third career rushing touchdown when he went in from two yards out to cut the lead to 14-10. The tone of the game changed dramatically in the second quarter when Miami gambled on a 4th-and-4 at the Buffalo 36. Lucas was sacked and fumbled and end Chidi Ahanotu returned the ball 17 yards to the Miami 31 for the Bills' first turnover in 16 quarters. Three players later, Bledsoe hit Price on a 20-yard TD pass to put the Bills in front, 17-14.
In the 3rd, the Dolphins regained the lead on a 55-yard touchdown run by Ricky Williams, the longest of his career. Later in the quarter, Bledsoe lofted a 73-yarder to Peerless Price - the longest catch of his career - and added a 57-yarder to Eric Moulds with 3:01 left that tipped off the hands of cornerback Sam Madison, giving Buffalo a 31-21 lead. The only score of the fourth quarter was a one-yard touchdown run by Henry. Moulds caught five passes for 130 yards and a score and Price had a pair of TD catches for 93 yards. Both went over 1,000 receiving yards this season. Travis Henry also reached a milestone, carrying 35 times for 151 yards and passing the 1,000-yard barrier. It was the fifth time this season Henry ran for at least 100 yards.
It was another long day against the New England Patriots for Drew Bledsoe. Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes and Bledsoe threw four interceptions in his return to Foxboro as the New England Patriots dealt the playoff hopes of the Buffalo Bills a serious blow with a 27-17 victory.
The Patriots (8-5) built a 17-0 lead in the first 12 minutes and never looked back. Brady, who took over for Bledsoe last season and led the Patriots to a Super Bowl title, came out firing on Sunday as New England scored on all four of its first-half possessions. Brady connected on a 41-yard pass to rookie Deion Branch on the first play from scrimmage, leading to a 39-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri. New England was even more efficient on its next possession, marching 86 yards in eight plays. Brady completed a 33-yard pass to tight end Christian Fauria and receiver Troy Brown had a 21-yard run before Brady connected on a 10-yard scoring strike with David Patten. Bledsoe threw a pass that was tipped and intercepted by tackle Richard Seymour on his next attempt, giving the Patriots a first down at the Buffalo 9. Two plays later, Brady completed a nine-yard TD pass to Donald Hayes.
Bledsoe drove the Bills 90 yards in a drive that spanned the first and second quarters, but it ended with an interception by safety Tebucky Jones. The Patriots increased their halftime lead to 20-0 on a 46-yard field goal by Vinatieri late in the second quarter. A touchdown pass from Brady to running back Kevin Faulk earlier in the drive was nullified by a penalty.
Buffalo cut the lead in half in the third quarter as Mike Hollis kicked a 26-yard field goal and Bledsoe threw a 12-yard TD pass to Eric Moulds. Former Bill Antowain Smith increased the lead to 27-10 with a four-yard TD run early in the final quarter. Peerless Price of the Bills caught nine passes for 105 yards, but had a key fumble after he was stripped of the ball by cornerback Otis Smith, leading to the TD run by former Bill Antowain Smith. Moulds caught his second TD pass of the game with 65 seconds left, grabbing a four-yard throw from Bledsoe.
Doug Flutie had a little fun in his return to Buffalo, but not enough. Playing for the first time this season, Flutie guided his team to the tying score in the fourth quarter, but Travis Henry capped a big day with a 26-yard touchdown run, leading the Buffalo Bills to a 20-13 victory over the San Diego Chargers.
Travis Henry scored from four yards late in the first quarter to give the Bills a 7-3 lead. He had runs of 10 and 18 yards on the drive. The Chargers helped Buffalo's first TD drive with a pair of pass interference penalties. They were whistled four times for pass interference and totaled nine penalties for 121 yards. After Mike Hollis kicked a 41-yard field goal early in the second quarter, LaDainian Tomlinson scored on a one-yard run with 3:21 left in the half to tie it at 10-10. The Bills took a 13-10 lead into the locker room following Hollis' 36-yard field goal.
The teams went scoreless in the third quarter as neither was able to move the ball through the gusts in Western New York. Charger coach Marty Schottenheimer then decided to bench Brees for the more mobile Flutie. Flutie, who was a cult figure during his three-year stint with the Bills, complete with his own cereal, was greeted by a rousing ovation from the wind-chilled crowd of 61,838 at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Let go by Buffalo after the 2000 season, Flutie took his first snap of the year in the fourth quarter and led a 53-yard drive that culminated in a 53-yard field goal by Steve Christie - another former Bill - with 6:45 left. The Chargers went three-and-out on their next possession before Henry capped a 64-yard scoring drive with his second touchdown of the day. Flutie took over with 8:23 to play and immediately threw a 47-yard completion over the middle to Curtis Conway, who juggled the ball three times before coming down with it. Four plays later, Christie kicked the tying field goal. It was the longest kick in more than five years for Christie, who also was let go by the Bills after the 2000 season. But the Chargers were unable to move the ball on their next possession or score on their final drive as they blew a chance to better their playoff position in the AFC.
Vonnie Holliday shined in the spotlight that was supposed to be reserved for Brett Favre and Drew Bledsoe. Holliday registered five sacks and forced three fumbles as the Green Bay Packers remained alive in the race for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a 10-0 victory over the Buffalo Bills, who were eliminated from postseason contention.
Holliday's big game came one day after his 16-year-old cousin died of congenital heart defect. Holliday's cousin, Marcus Warren, died in Hilton Head, South Carolina, after collapsing during a high school basketball game One of Holliday's sacks led to a fumble by Bledsoe in the fourth quarter, which helped set up Favre's 11-yard touchdown pass to Donald Driver that gave Green Bay a 10-0 lead with 7:23 remaining. In addition to losing two fumbles and getting sacked six times, Bledsoe was intercepted twice and completed just 18-of-36 passes for 179 yards. He also had four of the Bills' six turnovers.
The Packers finally produced the game's first points in the second quarter, moving 37 yards in 10 plays. Favre put the Packers in position with a 20-yard completion over the middle to the Buffalo 29. After the drive stalled at the 15, Ryan Longwell kicked a 33-yard field goal to give the Packers a 3-0 lead with 4:02 remaining before halftime. Bledsoe, who completed just 11-of-33 passes for 107 yards in last week's win over San Diego, did not look anything like a Pro Bowler in the first half when he went just 5-of-15 for 49 yards and two interceptions. It looked like the Bills would get their offense in gear to start the second half, using the first 9:42 of the third quarter to move from their own 31 to the Green Bay 5. But on third down, Bledose dropped back to pass, held the ball too long and was sacked by Holliday for a 10-yard loss. That brought on Mike Hollis, who hooked a 33-yard field goal to the left. Green busted off a 28-yard run on first down and two plays later, Favre found Driver over the middle for an 11-yard TD, making it 10-0 with 7:23 left. The score came one play after cornerback Nate Clements thought he had a long touchdown on a fumble return, but the officials ruled that Green had dropped a pass . Buffalo did not elect to challenge to the play. The loss eliminated the Bills from the post season hunt.
Drew Bledsoe threw for one touchdown and ran for another score as the Buffalo Bills handed the Bengals a franchise-record 14th defeat, 27-9. The Bills took a 13-0 lead on a seven-yard run by Bledsoe 4:35 into the second quarter, and the quarterback extended their advantage to 20-0 on a two-yard toss to Eric Moulds with 2:41 left in the half. Larry Centers' four-yard run with 1:37 left in the third quarter made it 27-3, and the Bengals capped the scoring on a six-yard run up the middle by Jon Kitna with 8:05 remaining.
The Bills sent QB Drew Bledsoe, RB Travis Henry, WR Eric Moulds, and Guard Ruben Brown to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii.
2002 Draft- 2002 Stats- 2002 Results
