Two Bills Drive

‘The way they defensed the Buffalo Bills and Doug Flutie, they should have won going away. It didn’t happen, simply because Bledsoe missed most of the game, and Friesz just wasn’t up to the challenge of replacing him.’

‘All he does is win football games. Pro football experts like to say that about Bills quarterback Doug Flutie. They should be saying it about Buffalo kicker Steve Christie.’

‘Bishop had been the No. 2 quarterback in recent weeks, but Friesz has been getting most of the work in practice in recent weeks, the coach said.’

‘Just when it seemed like Flutie Fever might be a thing of the past, Doug was Doug.’

‘"We had a chance at the end," Damien Woody said, "but we just couldn’t finish it." They likely finished it several weeks ago.’

‘Drew Bledsoe was hurt and Sunday’s game with the Buffalo Bills was in the balance. But instead of turning to the young quarterback with the alleged future, Coach Bill Belichick beckoned to the veteran passer with no real past.’

‘"Doug didn’t play his best game today, and the conditions had a lot to do with it," added Bills head coach Wade Phillips. "But he came through for us on those last two drives. He just finds a way to win."’

‘In a game like this, it’s just a shame that someone had to win. And you knew it wouldn’t be the Patriots.’

‘Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: The Patriots almost won but lost, though their 16-13 overtime loss to the Bills in the rain and swears of Foxboro gave Bill Belichick — coach of the best 2-7 team ever slapped together — fresh material to ulcerate over.’

‘Christie has developed a winning habit when it comes to late field goals. He kicked a 34-yarder last week to beat the Jets and has two other game-winning kicks to his credit this season.’

‘Marcellus Wiley has a nickname for Steve Christie. He calls him Bacon, as in Canadian Bacon. Sunday in Foxboro Stadium, Christie was the Saver of the Bacon for the Buffalo Bills.’

‘"Best clutch kicker in the NFL," Wilson said proudly. General Manager John Butler did Wilson one better. "He’s one of the greatest of all time."’

‘Doug Flutie’s Magic Show has run its course. If that was supposed to be a rabbit Flutie pulled out of his helmet in a game that meant the survival of the Bills’ season, it more closely resembled a field mouse.’

‘There are goal-line stands, and then there is the one the Buffalo Bills produced in the third quarter of Sunday’s 16-13 victory over the New England Patriots. The Patriots had four plays inside the 1-yard line, including three first-and-goal situations on the same possession. However, they failed to score against the Bills’ stout defense as linebacker John Holecek intercepted a John Friesz pass in the end zone.’

‘Big Picture: It was messy, and not just a little lucky, but the Bills are alive – barely – in the AFC East.’