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Bills Lose Heartbreaker 17-13
Too many blown opportunities cost the Bills a chance at a huge win.
by Steve Saslow
The Skinny:
Kansas City came from behind on the heels of two fourth quarter touchdowns to beat the Bills 17-13 at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Jamaal Charles rumbled 39 yards for a score on a 4th and 1 play and Alex Smith followed that up with an 8 yard touchdown run to give the Chiefs the improbable win. Smith's score came after the Bills turned the ball away for the second time in the second half. Those two turnovers were the difference. Bryce Brown was going into the end zone on the opening possession of the 2nd half that would have given the Bills a two touchdown lead. He fumbled the ball as he was headed into the end zone and Scott Chandler couldn't pull the ball back before it went out of the end zone for a touchback. On the Bills next series they were close to going in again but had to settle for Dan Carpenter's 2nd field goal to give them a 13-3 lead. Leodis McKelvin fumbled away a punt return with the score 13-10 and that setup Smith's winning touchdown run. Kyle Orton hit Chris Hogan for a 25 yard score on the Bills opening offensive possession to give them an early lead. A late Bills drive ended when Orton through an incompletion on a 4th and 10 pass from the Chiefs 15 yard line.
The Turning Point:
The Brown Fumble: Brown was going in for a touchdown that would have given the Bills a two touchdown lead early in the second half. He fumbled it through the end zone and the Bills were snake bit the rest of the game as it turned in Kansas City's favor.
The Big Drive:
KC's First TD: They got back in the game with an 80 yard drive in 10 plays to Charles 39 yard TD run. The big play was a 15 yard completion to Bowe to setup the 4th and 1 run for a score by Charles
Stat I Did Like:
Third Down Percentages: Kansas City came in the game being near the league lead on converting third downs and stopping others from converting third downs. The Bills were successful on 44% of their third downs and the Chiefs were successful on just 3 of 13 of their third downs offensively.
Stat I Didn't Like:
Red Zone Offense: The Bills are dead last in the league in red zone offense and they didn't help themselves by going 0 for 4 in this game when they got close. They traded for Mike Williams to help in the red zone and he was inactive for the game.
Quick Slants:
- It was military appreciation day at Ralph Wilson Stadium for this game. Members of the Army National Guard laid out a huge American Flag for the National Anthem and God Bless America. They was also an Oath Reaffirmation Ceremony at halftime.
- Eric Moulds led the charge as the team came out on the field before the game.
- Fred Jackson and Sammy Watkins both played despite being questionable with groin injuries. It was Jackson's 100th career game as a Bill.
- The Bills won the toss and elected to defer which was the right call given the light rain coming down at the start of the game and the defensive struggle that was expected.
Key Matchup Results:
The winners of the battles highlighted in our preview article:
RT Seantrel Henderson vs. OLB Justin Houston: Winner: Henderson. He kept Houston off of Orton.
WR Sammy Watkins vs. CB Sean Smith: Winner: Smith. Watkins wasn't his normal self.
S Aaron Williams vs. TE Travis Kelce: Winner: Williams. Kelce only had two catches and wasn't part of the game plan.
LB Brandon Spikes vs. RB Jamaal Charles: Winner: Charles. The Bills held Charles early but he had some big plays in the second half and finished with nearly 100 yards.
Keys To The Game Results:
How the keys highlighted in our preview article turned out:
1. Spread The Field: Failure! They used the power formation too often to no avail.
2. Protect The Football: Failure! Two huge fumbles cost them the game.
3. Come Out Strong: Success! They did that and got a quick 7-0 lead but it didn't matter as they struggled mightily when it counted.
My Take:
Another one of those devastating losses we have seen so often in the past 14 years. The Bills had chances to the put the game away in the 2nd half but fumbled the ball away twice. They also couldn't find the end zone after a takeaway of their own and were stopped at the three on another drive. They just shot themselves in the foot. It may have been payback afterall they could have lost to the Lions, Vikings, or the Bears but it doesn't make it feel any better. Everyone was hoping things were finally changing, maybe it was "our time" like the slogan says. Once you allow yourselves to think that is when you are doomed to be disappointed. That is at least what happens when you are a Bills fan.
What's Ahead:
The Bills don't have time to lick their wounds as they face a huge division battle with the Dolphins on Thursday night in Miami after they are lost to the Lions to remain in a tie for 2nd place iin the AFC East with the Bills at 5-4.
Gameballs
Marcell Dareus - He had three sacks and seven tackles with four quarterback hits in all.
Jerry Hughes - He had two sacks and another hit of the quarterback plus a tackle for a loss.
Goats
Leodis McKelvin - His fumble was devastating and he did give up more than his share of receptions.
Bryce Brown - He put up decent numbers but his fumble through the end zone was a killer, if he holds on to the football they go up by two touchdowns and probably walks to a victory.
Player Of The Week
Marcell Dareus - He is definitely worth the third over all pick in the draft.
 Positional Breakdown and Grades
NFL.com Gamebook
Chiefs Game Preview
Gameday Homepage
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