Two Bills Drive

‘From that point on, the already sketchy officiating went down hill. Example – the final Bill’s TD, a result of a hail Mary pass by Johnson to the left corner of the endzone, was pulled in only after three players from each of the two teams committed every possible interference foul possible before anyone touched the ball.’

‘The comparisons to the St. Louis Rams and Minnesota Vikings of 1999 are already flying about like Manning-thrown footballs through the air. And they’re just as on target.’

‘Manning conducted a clinic titled "How to Attack a Blitzing Defense" in the Colts’ 42-26 victory over the Buffalo Bills at the RCA Dome. The Colts’ QB did more skewering, slicing and dicing in three hours than Emeril Lagasse does in a week. In one dizzying nine-minute span of the first half, Manning produced three touchdowns on six offensive plays. In dropping to 0-2, the Bills were filleted for 555 yards, the third-most yards allowed in team history. Manning hit 23 of 29 passes for 421 yards.’

‘Wide receiver Eric Moulds suffered a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder in the first half of a 42-26 loss and did not return. "I took a little shot on it and it started swelling my chest up a little bit," said Moulds, who had a sling on to stabilize his heavily wrapped shoulder. "I couldn’t raise my arm up. I was going to play back on it in the second half, but I couldn’t raise my arm."’

‘It was only one play, but it was enough to show why the Buffalo Bills made cornerback Nate Clements their first-round selection in the April draft. Clements gave the Bills an early 7-0 lead when he intercepted a Peyton Manning pass intended for Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown.’

‘Most yards allowed by the Bills: 598 at San Francisco W, 34-31 Sept. 13, 1992…559 at Seattle L, 17-56 Oct. 30, 1977…555 at Indianapolis L, 26-42 Sept. 23, 2001…’

‘And boy, did Jerry Gray have a bad day Sunday. The Colts made him look like a Pee Wee coach, like the rookie coordinator that he is.’

‘Armed with a lucrative new contract, the regular NFL officials returned Sunday. They made sure everyone noticed, calling 27 penalties for 192 yards. The Bills tied a team record with 19 penalties, and they deserved most of them.’

‘Indianapolis’ 42-26 victory was an exercise in offensive excess. The Colts piled up 555 yards. They averaged 9.3 yards a play. Aside from the first down of every series, they never huddled. They never punted.’

‘The Indianapolis Colts running back knew Buffalo would crowd the line of scrimmage with defensive manpower Sunday in the RCA Dome. "They weren’t going to let me run the ball if they could help it," he said, referring to the Bills’ tendency to crowd the line with safety support. And James knew one of the by-products of that pick-your-poison approach would be significant one-on-one opportunities for wide receiver Marvin Harrison. "Can’t play Marv one-on-one," said James. "Give him one-on-one, and Marv is dangerous. Today just showed it."’

‘"They hit us in the mouth. We hit them in the mouth," said Peterson.’

‘"I shook my head a lot," Winfield said. "A few of those plays were on me. I was real frustrated. We just couldn’t stop them from moving. I don’t think they punted one time this game."’

‘For now, at least, defenses have to be concerned with Pathon. When Sunday’s game began, Buffalo was focused on stopping Harrison, who didn’t catch a pass until 2:27 remained in the first quarter. By then, Pathon had caught four.’

‘"I’ve never heard or felt anything like that," said Colts cornerback Jeff Burris. "There was so much emotion from the teams, from the fans. In eight years (four as a visiting player and four with the Colts), I’ve never heard it so loud in here. The noise was just piercing. It was as if everybody wanted to show their pride as a country. Everybody, from the players to the fans, they wanted to show what we’re about."’

‘Three plays after Clements’ interception, linebacker Kenyatta Wright covered a fumble by tight end Ken Dilger at the Colts 35. Three plays later, Bills punter Brian Moorman trotted onto the field. The Colts defense held — two Rob Johnson incompletions, a 1-yard toss to running back Travis Henry — and the lead remained 7-0. "It was really big for us to come out and not even let them have a field goal," said strong safety Chad Cota. Given a reprieve, the Colts’ offense responded by scoring touchdowns on its next six possessions.’