BILLS EDGE BRONCOS ON LATE TD, 17-16 

The Broncos kept the Bills at bay for 58 minutes, but after the Broncos
punted the ball away with 2:01 remaining, Jamarcus Russell led Buffalo's
final 64-yard drive for the go-ahead and eventual winning touchdown in just
1:14. Russell completed four of five passes on the drive for 58 yards and
scrambled for another 8 on the possession.  

The Broncos got the ball back at their own 20 after the kickoff, and could
nothing in four plays. Brian Griese was sacked twice and picked off  by
Andre' Goodman on his final heave, a fourth and 24 Hail Mail down the right
sideline. The pick ended the game.  

Until the final two minutes, however, we were looking at a different Bronco
team than had played the first three games. The Broncos had shut out the
Bills in the first half, dominating the game action in rolling to a 10-0
lead. Newest acquisition Craig Stevens, just signed this week as a injury
replacement, scored the Broncos lone touchdown on a five yard reception from
Griese to culminate a five-play, 61-yard drive that gave the Broncos a 7-0
lead late in the first quarter.  

In the second quarter, the Broncos scored again, this time off the foot of
Mason Crosby, who booted home a 31-yard kick to up the Broncos lead to 10-0.
The Broncos at that point had held the Bills offense to three consecutive
three-and-outs, and had 11 first downs to none for the Bills. 

Although the Bills offense started to show some life in the second quarter,
picking up three first downs before the curtain fell on the first half, it
was the Broncos who got on the board first in the second half, getting
another three points on a Crosby 39-yarder kick to up the Broncos lead to
13-0. The scoring drive was a 10-play, six-minute drive that featured the
Broncos converting two third-and-fives before failing on a third-and-six.  

That was as good as it got, as the dormant Bills offense sprang to life
thereafter. It took the Bills only three plays from scrimmage to cut the
Broncos lead to 13-7, as Russell completed three of three for 62 yards and a
touchdown, with the score coming with Reggie Bush catching a pass in the flat
and dodging three tacklers to score from 25 yards out.  

After the Broncos went three-and-out, the two QBs exchanged back-to-back
picks before the Bills came back with a field goal on the first play of the
fourth quarter to cut the Denver lead to 13-10. Scott Gould booted it through
from 36 yards out to end the short drive of 18 yards.  

But the Broncos upped their lead back to six points with a fine 11-play, six
minute drive that covered 59 yards, with the big play a Griese to Nate
Washington hookup of 27 yards on a long pass that moved the bakk to the Bills
33 yard line.  

After an exchange of punts, the Bills had their backs against the wall, and
Russell responded with perhaps his finest drive in his pro career, completing
four of five for 58 yards and scrambling once for eight more on the
possession, ultimately hitting Davone Bess from 10-yards out for the score
with 47 seconds remaining in the contest to send the Broncos to defeat.  

Post Game Notes: Russell finished with 15 of 28 for 200 yards and two TDs,
with one pick for an 85.4 rating. Reggie Bush was the leading Buffalo rusher
with 32 yards on 7 forays into the Bronco line. For Denver, Dwayne Bowe with
10 receptions for 138 yards and six first downs. Brian Griese was picked off
three times in all, as Denver outgained the Bills, held the ball for over 36
minutes, and converted 9 of 17 third first downs. But a failure to convert in
the red zone and the turnovers led to another Bronco defeat. The winless
Denver squad returns home next week to host the undefeated Houston Texans,
while 3-1 Buffalo travels to Cleveland to face the 2-2 Browns.