Two Bills Drive

‘Through three quarters, the Bills had hogged the ball for 29 minutes and 56 seconds leaving it to the Colts for just 15:04. "It was tough early, but we hung in there," said Manning, who keyed a last-minute drive to set up Mike Vanderjagt’s 45-yard field goal for a 18-16 win as time expired. "We made just enough plays to win the game."’

‘The Bills were the better team throughout most of the game, which was far more entertaining than the low score would suggest. They fell short in the most crucial area — finishing off drives. The only time they managed to find the end zone was when they absolutely needed to.’

‘Bills center Jerry Ostroski spoke as though he were ready to apologize to his defensive mates. "I feel bad," Ostroski said. "I don’t even want to look our defense in the eye. It’s a damn joke. Our defense held that team to 18 points. That’s the second week in a row that our defense played lights out."’

‘You guys (the media) cloud the issues all the time," Ostroski said. "All that matters is that we have more wins, that’s it. If you win in this league, you’re successful; if you don’t win, you’re not, you’re yesterday’s news. "Personally, I don’t give a damn about the running game. We didn’t run it a lick in the first two games and we won both. I felt a hell of a lot better after those two games than I do right now."’

‘”They made more plays than we did, it’s as simple as that,” free safety Keion Carpenter said. “You can say it’s a good day holding them to whatever points, but obviously it wasn’t enough. We lost.” The Bills’ won the numbers game, but the Colts won the game because of more big plays. They were 2-for-2 in the red zone (inside the 20), with Manning firing two touchdown passes.’

‘In order to win, teams have to score touchdowns, not field goals, in the Red Zone.’

‘Phillips eschewing the field goal in the third quarter might have been one of his most dubious decisions in his Bills’ tenure. The Bills were leading 9-7 and Christie — who had already made three field goals — would have had about a 47-yarder to make it 12-7. Maybe Christie would have missed, but maybe he would have made it and those three points could have been the difference.’

‘With time winding down and no room for error, the Manning-led offense turned preparation into production. It needed just seven plays and less than a minute to maneuver into position for Mike Vanderjagt’s 45-yard field goal as time expired.’

‘Really, this one should count double. Because it wasn’t enough for the Indianapolis Colts to beat the Buffalo Bills once Sunday. They had to do it twice. With 2 minutes to play, they had them beat. And when that was wiped away, they went out and beat them again in the final seconds.’

‘Vanderjagt meandered up to Jim Mora in the locker room and informed the Colts’ coach it would be a good idea for the team to kick into the wind in the third quarter. " . . . So in the fourth quarter when I kick a game-winner, we’ll have the wind," Vanderjagt said, retelling his brief dialogue with Mora. So, in the fourth quarter, with the wind at his back, Vanderjagt did precisely that. His 45-yard field goal as time expired lifted the Colts to an 18-16 victory over the Bills.’

‘Though the new wave of quarterbacks — led by Daunte Culpepper, Cade McNown, Donovan McNabb, Shaun King and Akili Smith — all are superior runners, none even approaches Manning as a quarterback. Even so, Manning has added a little mobility to his game. He’ll run when he must. Only then does he resemble a dinosaur.’

‘Though Buffalo came out hot, racking up 164 total yards on its first three offensive possessions, the Colts kept the Bills out of the end zone. In the process, they prevented the Bills from building a more sizable lead than 9-0, and made life that much more bearable for the offense, which recovered from a sloppy start to post an 18-16 victory on Sunday.’

‘All week long the Buffalo Bills talked about the importance of putting pressure on the passer. Come Sunday, most of it was on theirs. For the second consecutive game, the Indianapolis defensive front came hard and often. It sacked Rob Johnson four times and helped the Colts to an 18-16 victory. Often as not, it was rookie linebacker Marcus Washington chasing Johnson around Ralph Wilson Stadium.’

‘"Things could happen. Could’ve, should’ve, would’ve," Moulds said with a grimace. "We can’t live like that. We’ve got to go down there and score points."’

‘Buffalo fans are among the most avid tailgaters in the NFL, and have been for more than two decades. A parking lot adjacent to Ralph Wilson Stadium starts filling up with motor homes on Friday night and is packed hours before the game starts.’