Two Bills Drive

‘Led largely by the play of defensive tackle Pat Williams, the Bills run defense surrendered just 67 yards on 27 carries (2.5 average) and stopped the Bengals for no gain or negative yardage on one of every three rushes (9 of 27 attempts).’

‘At the end of the season, one of the weekly award winners will be named the “Coach of the Year” and will receive an additional $1,000 donation to his program from NFL Charities. The 2003 "Coach of the Year" will be honored at the Bills-NY Jets game on December 7 and at the final luncheon meeting of the Monday Quarterback Club on December 8.’

‘Really, it came down to these two throws on third down: With 3:31 left in the game and trailing 16-13, Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe is facing a do-or-die third-and-11 from his own 40. At the last possible instant in the face of a strong rush, Bledsoe drills a 14-yard line shot to wide receiver Bobby Shaw on the sideline. Rookie cornerback Terrell Roberts, in the game because of Jeff Burris’ neck injury, has decent coverage, but what are you going to do? Then, on the third play of the overtime, Bengals quarterback Jon Kitna has rookie receiver Kelley Washington over the middle on third-and-two and underthrows him. The Bengals have to punt and never get the ball back.’

‘"This was a big emotional game for us," said Spikes, who bested his former teammates. "We got the win, that’s the only thing that matters."’

‘"I knew I had to be in the game for us to win the game," he said. "I had to suck it up. I just wanted to do anything in my power to give the team a boost."’

‘"It’s really tough," cornerback Artrell Hawkins said. "We don’t get to put W’s in the moral victory column. We don’t want to. . . . Once again, we played a game that we were in and we didn’t finish like we should have. We’re going to get to that."’

‘Yes, it’s a win. But this makes three weeks in a row that a supposed Super Bowl contender has looked like a very average team.’

‘It’ll be interesting to see where Gilbride takes it from here, whether he’ll finally relent and make a true commitment to the running game. A team cannot survive by the passing game alone. Nor can it play the Bengals every week.’

‘Moulds’ injury appears to be more serious. He suffered a pulled groin muscle on a pass reception in overtime. Moulds stayed on the field for Travis Henry’s winning touchdown but appeared to be in serious pain as he was helped into the locker room by the Bills’ trainers.’

‘Play of the Game: The Bills were trailing, 16-13, and facing a fourth-and-3 situation after the two-minute warning when Eric Moulds caught a 5-yard pass from Drew Bledsoe and turned it into a 19-yard gain. It set up Rian Lindell’s 29-yard field goal, sending the game into overtime.’

‘The Bengals didn’t know what to make of themselves afterward. They didn’t play like lovable losers. They didn’t get smacked. They stood toe to toe with a playoff-caliber team. But they lost.’

‘Kitna was thoroughly outplayed down the stretch yesterday by counterpart Drew Bledsoe, and that was the major difference in the Buffalo Bills’ 22-16 victory.’

‘"I understand how they feel," Spikes said. "I totally do. Especially the guys who were there before and the guys who were there when I came in. My heart goes out to a guy like Willie Anderson . . . Corey Dillon . . . Brian Simmons . . . Adrian Ross . . . . I wish them the best. I wish them the best."’

‘A veteran defensive end in his first year with Cincinnati, Clemons recorded three sacks of Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe. It was a career high for Clemons. All three came on third down and forced Buffalo to punt.’

‘"I hate when the game is over, and the team we just played comes over and says, ‘You all have a good team.’ I hate hearing that," Warrick said.’