Two Bills Drive

‘The Broncos were supposed to whip the Buffalo Bills as game favorites for the first time this season, and that is what they did Sunday. According to the Broncos and the impartial truth, it was not pretty. But in a tense fourth quarter, the Invesco pilgrims, loud and anxious, did not agree. Beauty in football is a scoreboard thing, and for the third time the scoreboard preferred the Broncos.’

‘Bills cornerback Chris Watson was making his first trip to Denver since being traded for a fourth-round draft choice in 2000. Watson had a rough day primarily matching up with Rod Smith most of the game. He was called for two defensive penalties.’

‘Denver’s defense allowed too many big plays, its special teams botched too many of them and its offense did not produce enough. The Broncos knew it, too. When the players walked into the locker room, they were pleased with the victory, but disappointed with their performance.’

‘It’s what Portis didn’t do. He didn’t fumble.’

‘"We wanted to force Bledsoe to throw the ball," said linebacker John Mobley, who got his first sack of the season. "We got burned a couple of times, but hey, you win some, you lose some."’

‘"Going into the game we knew that if we hit (Henry) hard enough, he would fumble the ball at some point," Reagor said.’

‘With this irresistible force and immovable object anchoring the middle of the Denver defensive line, nobody ever has any offense against the Broncos.’

‘"It wasn’t pretty," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said.’

‘Bills defensive end Aaron Schobel had one of four sacks on Griese in the game and forced Salaam into a couple of false starts and a holding penalty. But the play he won’t soon forget was an end-around by Broncos wideout Scottie Montgomery that went for 28 yards and led to Denver’s touchdown in the third quarter. "I thought the pass rush was all right, but I got beat on a reverse for the third week in a row," Schobel said.’

‘Drew Bledsoe, even when he gets sacked four times as he did on Sunday, never loses his confidence. And after his offense abandoned the run he kept Buffalo in the game with big plays.’

‘As a second-round pick out of Miami, Portis looked good in the preseason, except for a three-fumble game at Arizona. In the first two games of the season, he only had 45 yards on nine carries. He doubled that and didn’t put the ball on the ground once.’

‘To be fair, Sunday’s game was one the Broncos would have lost a year ago. Instead of a game-clinching touchdown drive, they would have turned the ball over to Drew Bledsoe and allowed him to take the Bills to a game-winning touchdown.’

‘Former Colorado defensive tackle Justin Bannan returned to Invesco Field for the first time since his Big 12 championship team’s victory over Colorado State a little over a year ago. Bannan, who was shaken up twice battling Nalen and Co. in the trenches, was not credited with a tackle.’

‘After Smith’s clutch catch on fourth down, Griese rewarded him two plays later with a 26-yard touchdown pass to give the Broncos a 28-16 cushion with 2:39 remaining.’

‘That is why depth is so important – and it is something the Denver Broncos have in abundance.’