| December 10, 2004 | « Previous Story | HOME | Next Story » | Posted at 04:31 PM |
This weekend’s meeting between the Bills and Browns will be the first since 1995. Buffalo defeated the Browns that year, in Cleveland, on Monday Night Football 22-19 off a game-winning field goal by Steve Christie with eight seconds remaining in the game. The Browns hold a 4-8 series lead, and eight of the 12 meetings have been decided by 10 points or less. The Bills have won the last two games against the Browns, dating back to 1990. Cleveland has not traveled to Orchard Park since 1986 when the Browns beat the Bills 21-17 in front of 42,213 fans.
After a rare early season bye week, the Bills were in Cleveland for a Monday Night Football appearance against the Browns. Buffalo opened with an impressive first drive, an 8 play, 48 yard march capped off with a Kelly to Justin Armour 14 yard TD pass. The Browns Tied the game 3 minutes later on a Derrick Alexander 69 yard punt return for a TD. The game them turned into a FG duel between Steve Christy and Browns kicker Matt Stover. Trailing 16-13 into the 4th, Kelly hit WR Andre Reed for 41 yards and the score. A missed extra point gave the Browns a chance to tie. With 3:49 in the game, Stover connected from 38 yards out to tie it at 19-19. Kelly then used the final 3:30 of the game to move Buffalo 60 yards in 8 plays- highlighted by a 20 yard catch by Russell Copeland. From the 14 yard line of the Browns, Christie booted the winning FG as time expired. Bills WR Andre Reed injured his hamstring and would be out for 10 weeks.
Buffalo scored on their first possession when RB Thurman Thomas ran in from three yards out. With 13:06 left in the second quarter, Thomas hit pay dirt again as he bolted in from 11 yards out. LB Shane Conlan blocked Cleveland's first FG attempt and the second attempt was foiled by a bad snap. One the second half's opening drive, the Bills drove 80 yards in only 6 plays, scoring on a 10-yard scamper by FB Jamie Mueller. Thomas scored his third six-pointer of the day when he hauled in a 11-yard pass from QB Jim Kelly. Buffalo continued their scoring spree early in the fourth quarter when RB Kenneth Davis exploded on a 3-yard jaunt, to run the score to 35-0. LB Darryl Talley recorded his very first NFL Touchdown late in the 4th Quarter, intercepting a pass and returning it 60 yards. He would end the day recording 2 interceptions.
Buffalo drew first blood in dramatic fashion. Opening the game with a new look- 3 wide receiver shotgun formation, the Bills came out with all guns blazing. Two plays after a missed Browns FG, Kelly hit Andre Reed for a 72 yard scoring strike. Cleveland responded, with closing out the first period with a 45 yard Matt Bahr FG. On the Cleveland’s next possession, Browns QB Bernie Kosar hit Webster Slaughter with his own big play, a 52 yard TD pass that put the Browns up 10-7. In this see-saw scoring battle, Kelly then answered again, capping a 5 play Bills drive with a 33 yard TD pass to James Lofton. Late in the half, Kelly was intercepted giving thre Browns the Ball at midfield. Kosar drove the Browns to the end zone on a great play fake and pass to a wide open Ron Middleton in the End Zone.
Cleveland’s offense opened the third quarter much like it did in the second. Webster Slaughter struck again with a 44 yard TD catch putting Buffalo down 24-14. Midway through the 3rd quarter, offensive coordinator Ted Marchibroda went with a modified 2 minute drill, having Kelly call his own plays at the line of scrimmage. The Bills went with 3 wides in Lofton, Reed, and Don Beebe, with Thomas in the backfield. Thomas came into his own as a receiving threat this afternoon, finishing with an astounding 13 receptions for 150 receiving yards.
Kelly rallied Buffalo again, after Mark Kelso recovered a fumble giving Buffalo the ball at the Cleveland 21. Thurman Thomas’ 6 yard TD catch pulled Buffalo within a FG at 24-21. A rare special teams mistake cost the Bills dearly. On the ensuing kickoff, Eric Metcalf sliced his way throught the Buffalo return team for an electrifying 90 yard TD return.
The Buffalo Bills refused to quit. After an exchange of FGs in the 4th , Kelly completed 7 of 8 passes and moved his team 77 yards. Kelly’s 4th TD of the day was a toss of 3 yards to Thomas. Again, a rare special teams breakdown killed the Bills. Norwood missed the extra point that would have drawn the Bills within a game tying FG. The blown extra point left the score 34-30 with 4 minutes left.
The Buffalo defense came alive and forced the Browns to punt after only 3 plays, the key play being Darryl Talley’s sack of Kosar. Kelly’s final drive was full of drama. Taking over at the Bill’s 26, he hit Ronnie Harmon for a pair of passes. Facing 4th and 10 after 3 straight misfires, Kelly found Don Beebe for 17 to sustain the momentum. Kelly was forced to convert on 4th down a second time on the drive, hitting Reed for 10 yards on 4th and 1. After an 11 yard strike to Thomas put the ball on the Cleveland 11 yard line, Kelly spiked the ball to kill the clock at 14 seconds remaining. On the next play, Kelly had Ronnie Harmon wide open in the corner of the end zone and floated a pass right into the RB’s hands. Harmon had the ball bounce off his fingertips, dropping the winning score. On the Bills last play, a desperate heave by a pressured Jim Kelly fell into the hands of LB Clay Matthews, killing the Bills hopes. Buffalo was eliminated 34-30. Kelly’s heroics in defeat produced club playoff records for attempts (54) completions (28) and yards (404).
