BRONCOS FALL TO BUFFALO, 31-21 Grossman Stars in Defeat The Broncos fell behind Buffalo, 10-0 in the second quarter, but played them even the rest of the way, losing by ten points, 31-21. The loss was Denver's fifth this season against no wins, while Buffalo raised its record to 4-1. Denver is last in the AFC East, while Buffalo is second behind the undefeated (4-0) New York Jets as of this writing. But the story of the game isn't who won or lost, it's who played the game and how well. The story of this game is Rex Grossman, the forgotten man. The third string journeyman quarterback who was supposedly hanging by a fingernail to an ISFL roster spot. Grossman got the start for the second week in a row and sparkled, and the good Rex showed up. completing 16 of 19 for 164 yards and one touchdown, and no picks. He also scored once on a quarterback sneak. His 120.2 passer rating was the best by a Bronco QB since week 14 last year. He scrambled when his receivers were covered, didn't force passes into coverage, and was content to take the short pass instead of airing it out. In short, the Bills may ask the league to check Grossman's urine sample for performance-enhancing agents. Hell, the Broncos may ask. The Bills built a 17-7 halftime lead on the strength of Tom Brady's two touchdown passes, 14 yards to Mike Thomas in the first quarter, and six yards to Davone Bess late in the second quarter. The first touchdown came at the end of the Bills first possession, a fine drive of 80 yards in nine plays, with Brady connecting on four of five for 64 yards and the score. The second touchdown came via the same route, with Brady hitting all five of his passes for 71 yards and the touchdown. A field goal of 54 yards with the wind by Buffalo's Robbie Gould midway through the second quarter gave the Bills a 10-0 lead after the Broncos missed a 45-yarder into the wind earlier in the quarter. But it was not all Buffalo in the first half, although the Bills owned the stats at that break - 15 first downs to three, 240 yards from scrimmage to 84, and nearly 20 minutes time of possession. The Broncos did move the ball at times, although only in spurts in the first half, unable to put together a scoring drive. The Broncos only score in the first half came via the interception route, with Tracy Porter picking off Brady and returning it 42 yards for a touchdown. It was Porter's second interception and second touchdown on the season. He has more touchdowns than any Bronco offensive player at this point in the season. In the second half, the Broncos twice cut the Bills lead to three points, but could not get over the hump. They scored a touchdown on their first possession of the second half on an eight play, 80-yard drive. Seven of the plays were runs, but the only pass went to Louis Murphy, the Bears latest acquisition, and Murphy's first catch in a Bear uniform went for 53 yards down to the Bills seven yard line. From there, it took the Broncos three plays to score, with Delanie Walker taking it for six yards to the one, and then Rex Grossman sneaking twice and scoring on his second attempt. The touchdown cut the Bills lead to 17-14. But the Bills came right back with a touchdown of their own, going 59 yards in five plays, with Cedric Benson going 16 yards off left tackle for the touchdown to take their lead back to ten at 24-14. But the Broncos weren't done either. Behind Rex Grossman, the Broncos patiently moved the ball 80 yards in 14 plays to score on Grossman's fourth and inches 11-yard pass to Louis Murphy, cutting the score to 24-21. The drive took nearly eight minutes off the clock and left just over 12 minutes left in the game. Grossman completed all eight of his passes on the possession for 56 yards, opting to take the short safe pass instead of airing it out. Murphy had a 13-yard gain on a reverse on the drive to contribute in the running game as well. All in all, Murphy's first game for the Broncos was a success, as he gained 80 yards from scrimmage and scored once. But the Bills scored again, answering the Broncos score in kind, with Benson taking a trap off the left side for the touchdown to finish off the scoring after a 12-play, 87-yard drive at 31-21 with six minutes remaining. Brady completed five of six for 61 yards on the march. But the Broncos had time to score, and tried mightily. Denver moved from their own 24 to the Bills 29, but with a second down and one at that spot the Broncos opted to try the 46 yard field goal instead of taking a shot or two at the end zone. Crosby's kick with the wind was hooked, his fifth miss in eight tries this year. The Bills successfully ran out the clock after the miss, sealing their 31-21 win. Game Notes: Brady was equally as good as Grossman, but his 120.4 rating isn't a shocker like Grossman's. Brady completed 21 of 26 for 275 and two touchdowns, with one pick. Cedric Benson led the Bills in rushing with 95 yards, but the team got only 121 total on the ground and was actually outgained by the Broncos, who had 128 on the ground, with Lendale White picking up 45 on 8 rushes to lead the Broncos. Mike Thomas caught six for 73 and scored once to lead the Bills in receptions and receiving yards. Nate Washington caught four for 47 for the Broncos, but Louis Murphy's 67 yards receiving led the Broncos. Ray Lewis led both teams in tackles with 12, but second-year Bronco cornerback Tracy Porter really stood out. In addition to his pick six, he had nine tackles, a forced fumble, a stuff and a pass defensed. Rookie DE Connor Barwin got the only sack in the game, his first of the season, in the Bills first possession of the second half. Bronco head coach Hank Sienzant explained the field goal try in the final two minutes this way, "We needed two scores to tie, and we didn't care which order we got them in. We lost a time out on a challenge earlier in the quarter, so we only had two. If we take too much time to score the first time, there isn't enough time left to get the second score. With only two timeouts, they could take about 40 seconds off the clock on one play, so we had to take that into account and keep enough time on the clock after the first score to allow us to get the ball back." Injuries and a look ahead: The Bills came out injury-free, but the Broncos were hit hard. They lost three players who have played well for the Broncos this year. Sinorice Moss, signed a few weeks ago to replace the injured Dwayne Bowe, will be lost for the next month or two with a high ankle sprain. Eric Wood, the Broncos starting guard drafted in the third round this year, suffered a compound fracture of his leg, but he's tough, he'll be back before the end of this season. And Ernie Sims went down with a hamstring injury which could take him a month or so to recover from. The Broncos host the winless (0-4) Cleveland Browns in their next game, and might be favored to win one against an AFC East opponent. 4-1 Buffalo gets a big non-conference game, as they host the 4-0 Saints in Buffalo.