Two Bills Drive

‘Buffalo quarterback Drew Bledsoe proved you don’t always have to be at your best to win a game; you just have be your best when it counts.’

‘Buffalo won the turnover battle, 2-0.’

‘"It was one of those balls you thought you could get to, but Bledsoe is just one of those guys who can get the ball into places where you think you’ve got him but you don’t."’

‘The team had opportunities to win and didn’t capitalize on them. That has to fall back on the coaches.’

‘Shayne Graham made three of four field-goal attempts — his only miss coming from 54 yards.’

‘The running game managed only 2.5 yards a carry, the passing game couldn’t complete anything downfield and only one touchdown was scored in four red-zone opportunities.’

‘When a big play was needed at crunch time, there was none to be found.’

‘Their last three losses have come by margins of three, seven and six points.’

‘Spikes also chatted briefly with at least four other former teammates. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis went out of his way, jogging about 25 yards, to shake Spikes’ hand. "He kind of surprised me," Spikes said of Lewis. "I know he doesn’t dislike me. We never had any dislikes. He wished me good luck."’

‘The hit Sunday knocked him out cold. "All I remember is seeing Sam come out" of the backfield, Burris said. "I was trying to get a shot at him. The last thing I remember was holding up my thumb. The next thing I knew, I was in" the dressing room.’

‘Until it mattered, Drew Bledsoe’s offense ran like a Bl-Edsel. Until they had to have the win, the Buffalo Bills played as if they were afraid to lose, and maybe they were. Because the NFL’s perception of the Bengals hasn’t caught up to reality, even the possibility of losing to the erstwhile Bungles can cause throats to tighten.’

‘The Bengals doubled their season sack total Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, and with three coming in the second half, they helped maintain a field-position edge.’

‘”I don’t care about the elements,” said safety Lawyer Milloy. “I’m not the type of guy who’s going to go to midfield and throw up the grass to see which way the wind was blowing. I attack the ball.”‘

‘”We want the chance to show what we can do with the run,” offensive guard Ruben Brown said. “That’s what we got today, the opportunity, and how fitting that last score was on a run.”‘

‘Had the Bills dropped this one, Gregg Williams and his strategically challenged coaching staff would have felt as if they were sitting on a tailgater’s grill.’