By STEPHEN SAUX Special to the Daily Press
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills and quarterback Drew Bledsoe must have thought they were targets of a bad joke on Sunday. There was some good news and some bad news. The good news is the Bills scored their first touchdown in three games. The bad news: It didn’t matter because they dropped their fourth straightø.
It was Peyton Manning who played the role of hero, bringing his Colts back from a 14-3 fourth-quarter deficit. On the winning drive, Manning hit receivers Aaron Moorehead and Marvin Harrison for 18-and 8-yard gains, respectively, giving the Colts a first-and-goal from the Bills’ 3-yard line. It took Edgerrin James four tries to break the goal line, finally putting Indianapolis ahead for good with 1:38 remaining in the game.
The Bills dropped to 4-7 and are 2-5 over their last seven games. In each of their last four games, Bledsoe has passed for 184 yards or less, finishing Sunday’s setback 15-of-28 for just 135 yards. On the flip side, Manning was 26-of-42 for 229 yards, and now has 15 career fourth-quarter comebacks. Manning has now thrown for more than 3,000 yards in each of his six seasons under center for Indianapolis. His 3,105 yards this season ties him with Len Dawson for third place all-time for the number of consecutive 3,000-yard seasons.
The only two quarterbacks ahead of him are Dan Marino (10) and Brett Favre (9).
Sunday’s loss at home may have dashed any hopes the Bills had for a wild-card playoff spot. With no lack of talent on the playing field and high expectations at the beginning of the season, the pressure is coming down squarely on head coach Gregg Williams.
The Colts again showed they are one the most dominant teams in the league this season. Manning continues to orchestrate his injury-riddled offense with the perfect blend of air and land strikes. With his fourth 100-yard rushing game, James has shown that his back injury won’t slow him down this season. James’ performance is critical to opening up the passing game and letting Manning continue to do what he does best. If this continues, this Colts team should be able to make a strong push in the postseason.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 24, 2003. Read the original PDF.