Bills burst Bengals bubble!

This happens all the time in sports. A team playing at the top of its game loses to a team that has no right being on the same playing field with them. The Cincinnati Bengals, sporting an 11-3 record and having clinched their divisional crown, took the Bills a little too lightly. The Bills, meanwhile, enjoyed their role as a spoiler and beat the Bengals 37-27. It was a lot closer than the final score indicates until the last few seconds of the game.

With the Bills having kicked a field goal to take a 30-27 lead, the Bengals felt they could come back and at least tie it up. Then the inglorious moment for Bengals quarterback nailed the coffin shut for a possible second seed in the AFC playoffs. Carson Palmer's pass was picked off by Terrence McGee with just under a minute left and returned 46 yards for the insurance touchdown. This was the second highlight touchdown for McGee, who had earlier returned a kickoff 99 yards for a score.

McGee, who hadn’t returned a touchdown all year, was even happier with his game-clinching interception return.

"I can't even explain how I feel," said and exuberant McGee about his 99-yard kickoff return. "All year, the only thing we've been missing is a touchdown."

"I didn't think it was going to happen," McGee continued. "It's been so long and we've been so close. I was just trying to get good field position for the offense, even on that kick I thought I was stuck but I bounced out, got a good block and went. It came when we needed it."

Kelly Holcomb, who has been known for dismantling the Bengals defense, did it again in this one, shredding the cats secondary for 308 yards, going 24 of 31 in the process.

The Buffalo Bills finally played the type of game they are capable of and most fans expected at the start of the season. The pity is that it comes the second last game of the year when it is meaningless for the Bills.

It wasn't meaningless for the Bengals, however, as this loss may have prevented them from clinching the #2 AFC position in the playoffs. The Bengals now have lost every time they have played the Bills since they beat Buffalo during the AFC Championship game in January of 1988 to advance to the Super Bowl.

The Bills hadn’t won on the road all season and the Bengals felt they could just put on their jerseys and the Bills would bow down to them. They had a huge awakening. Holcomb, who is a Bengal killer from his days with the Cleveland Browns, was once again inspired once he stepped on the Bengals turf at Paul Brown Stadium

"Nobody gave us a chance to beat these guys," commented Holcomb. "We hadn't won on the road. It definitely leaves a good taste in your mouth."

It was just last year when Holcomb was involved in the highest scoring game in NFL history. The only problem was that he was on the losing end of the 58-48 loss last season. Holcomb shredded the Bengal D for five touchdowns and a career-high 413 yards. Saturday’s game was more conservative in numbers but the end result was much more to Holcomb’s liking.

"Well, last year in the game with Cleveland, we didn't win the ballgame," reflected Holcomb. "This one feels a lot better. We were ahead and we finished the game. I'm just glad that when it came down to crucial situations, we stuck together and we made plays ... all three phases."

The Bills opened up the game like they have most other games all season, by driving down the field and putting points on the board early. Holcomb hit Lee Evans for a 65 yard gain down to the two yard line. But the Bills couldn’t get in the endzone, so they had to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Rian Lindell. Later in the first quarter, the Bills once again drove down the field on 8 for 40 yards that resulted in another Lindell field goal.

The Bengals scored two touchdowns compared to one for Buffalo as they went into halftime with a 14-13 lead. The Bills score came on a 3-yard Holcomb pass to Lee Evans.

Cincy took a 4 point lead in the 4^th quarter when Shayne Graham kicked a 31-yard field goal. The Bills took the lead when McGee returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for the touchdown.

Palmer hit Chris Henry in the right corner of the endzone for 27 yard scoring strike and the Bengals regained the lead, 24-20. The Bills took the lead back when Holcomb drove the Bills down the field on a 9-play 56-yard drive that was capped by Holcomb leaping on a quarterback sneak to give the Bills the touchdown.

The two teams exchanged fieldgoals before McGee picked off Palmer and ran it in from 46 yards out.

"I was hanging back, but I had seen that when he had some pressure he was going to try and throw it short. I just took a gamble and it worked," related McGee about his interception.

VIEW FROM THE CHEAP SEATS

If anyone wanted to get all their credit cards and Christmas presents paid for in one lucky stroke, they could have picked the Bills and the odds given them in a Vegas betting line. Right now they'd be counting their money as the Bills, who were two touchdown underdogs, beat the odds and upset the Cincinnati Bengals.

This was definitely not supposed to happen and may also have helped save the head coaching job of Mike Mularkey, who has been on the hot seat for the Bills dismal performance this season.

It is know that owner Ralph Wilson was happy with Mularkey in the beginning of the year and liked his second year coach. Then the bottom fell out of the Bills season and fans were screaming for both Mularkey’s and Tom Donahoe’s heads. Now, if the Bills happen to defeat the Jets next week, Mularkey may just be spared.

Copyright © 2005 Bills Thunder & Rick Anderson, all rights reserved.