Two Bills Drive

‘Sharper sprained the medial collateral ligament in his right knee after returning an interception from 5 yards deep in the end zone. Instead of kneeling down and taking a touchback, Sharper took the ball out and paid the price when Buffalo fullback Larry Centers drove into the side of the safety’s legs at the Packers’ 14.’

‘Price dropped one pass that could have been a game-breaker. It occurred in the third quarter with the Bills facing third and 12 on the Packers’ 42-yard line. Bledsoe put it right in Price’s hands, but he dropped it.’

‘3.9 — Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe’s quarterback rating after the first half.’

‘PLAY OF THE GAME: The Packers were ahead, 3-0, and driving for another score when running back Ahman Green was stripped of the ball and cornerback Nate Clements took off running with it in the open field. He probably would have scored if the play had not been ruled an incomplete pass. The officials blew the whistle because they thought Green never had control of the ball before defensive tackle Pat Williams reached in and poked the ball free. The Bills were unable to use instant replay to challenge the call because the whistle had blown. Bills coach Gregg Williams said the officials should have let it go and put the onus on Sherman to decide whether to review it. “That’s what instant replay is for, to have that play ruled a fumble,” Williams said. The Packers scored on the next play to take a 10-0 lead with 7 minutes 23 seconds to go.’

‘Sacks are very important. We all know that third down is the most crucial down in this game. If you can get the quarterback on the ground on third down, then it’s pretty safe to say you’re going to get off the field. They’re very important that way. In key situations, such as the situations where Vonnie had his sacks today, they were crucial. On third down, this is when Buffalo was trying to come back. These were crucial sacks. They just weren’t run out of bounds, you’re the closest man to him so you get a sack. These were sacks where in the time of need, they were coming up with the big play.’

‘Buffalo began the game turning the ball over and ended the game turning the ball over. Wild it never became.’

‘”I don’t care what the weather conditions are, when you’re able to shut out the Buffalo Bills with Bledsoe and Henry and Price and Moulds … they did a fantastic job,” Packers coach Mike Sherman said. “You lose Sharper, your best player, right there at the beginning of the game, obviously I can’t say enough about the guys who stepped in.”‘

‘In fact, it’s the only way to win games in Green Bay in December. You run, you stop the run and you win the turnover battle. Sunday, the Packers did all three.’

‘Only three of the Bills’ 12 drives went for more than 17 yards.’

‘A win here would have kept Buffalo’s wild-card scenario intact, given Miami’s loss Saturday.’

‘Green Bay’s offense and defense played better than Buffalo’s. Certainly, the Bills’ defense played well, holding the Packers to 223 total yards and just 104 yards passing. But it didn’t force the six turnovers or six sacks that the Packers did.’

‘”We needed to come up with one of those. Better throw, better catch, better route, whatever. But we needed to execute a few of those, take some people out around the line of scrimmage so that we can run the ball more effectively.”‘

‘Besides the Driver TD, the offensive fireworks can be summed up in a sentence: There weren’t any.’

‘On defense: “Both offenses were struggling and defenses had to step up and our defense rose to the occasion. I don’t care what the weather conditions are, when you are able to shut out the Buffalo Bills with Bledsoe, and Henry, and Price, and Moulds and those receivers and tight ends, and Centers at fullback…this was as talented a group as we have faced this year.”‘

‘The Bills gained just 53 yards in the first half and turned the ball over three times in Packers territory.’