Another Nailbiter

Coming off of an overtime loss to the Baltimore Raven, the Buffalo Bills seemed poised to upset the Kansas City Chiefs this afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs were 4-2 heading into today’s game and the winless Buffalo Bills entered the contest at 0-6. This has been a transition year for the Bills and some would say it’s been a transition decade. The Bills replaced their starting quarterback and traded their starting running back this season and have adapted to a number of new players on their roster. Though without a win, Buffalo could easily be 3-3 this season. Today’s game was another tightly contested match and another game the Bills could have won.

> Find Buffalo Bills jerseys & hats online through Pro Football Fans for all your team gear!

The first half was evenly played, neither team had any success in the red zone and the score remained tied for most of the half. With less than two minutes before halftime, Ex-Patriots QB Matt Cassell connected with rookie WR Derek Bowe on a one yard TD play, giving KC a 7-0 lead. The Bills defence looked sharp and so did Kansas City’s. This game looked like it was destined to be a tight one and it was. Bills kicker Rian Lindell was good on a 43 yard field goal try, putting Buffalo on the board. Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick had another stellar showing as he displayed heart, grit and determination all throughout the game. He rushed for 43 yards on six carries including a few runs for a first down. Neither quarterback put up great numbers, the only individual player whose statistics stood out was those of Jamaal Charles who rushed for 177 yards for the Chiefs. KC had the best rushing numbers in the NFL and it showed this day. The Chiefs had a 10-3 lead late in the game. Ryan Fitzpatrick only completed 50 percent of his pass attempts and was intercepted once, but when it counted “Fitz” stepped up. Steven Johnson caught a 4 yard pass for a TD and the game was tied.

Tied at 10 the game needed overtime to determine a victor. A game dominated by defence, came down to pure luck. Rian Lindell connected on a 53 yard FG attempt that could have given the Bills a tick under the victory column, but it was called back because the KC Chiefs called a time out at the last moment. Now Lindell had to make an unlikely kick once again and he failed. The Chiefs looked like they had the game in the bag but Succup also missed a FG and the game remained tied at 10. With five seconds to go in Overtime, the Chiefs had one last chance to avoid a rare tie in the NFL. This time Succup was good on a 35 yard attempt, another tough pill to swallow for Bills fans. CJ Spiller and veteran Fred Jackson deserve some acclaim for their play versus the Chiefs as did WR Lee Evans, who made key plays late in the game. The 0-7 Bills head to Canada next Sunday for a game versus the Chicago Bears. Maybe a home game away from home is just what the Bills need to rack up their first W of the campaign.

By Ranhvir Samra
ProFootball-fans.com Buffalo Bills Correspondent