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Bills Implode In 34-27 Loss To Dolphins
Bills play well for 55 minutes before giving the game away in the final five.
by Steve Saslow
November 25, 2001

Alex Van PeltThe Bills may have thought they had found as many ways to lose as possible but that changed against the archrival Miami Dolphins. The Bills found a way to give the game away in the final minutes in their 34-27 loss to Miami. They are used to making a last ditch frantic comeback effort in the final minutes. This week they found a way to give up 17 points in the final five minutes to lose the game.

The Bills came to play as they matched a one yard Lamar Smith touchdown run with an 80 yard catch and touchdown run by Eric Moulds. He caught a three yard out pattern, broke a tackle and went untouched down the sidelines for the tying score. Moulds challenged the Bills to get him the ball more and they did as he caught two touchdown passes in all and finished with 196 yards receiving in his breakout game of the year. Alex Van Pelt went over 300 yards passing for the second straight week as the offense had success moving the ball through the air and on the ground. Travis Henry adding 97 yards rushing as the Bills built a 27-17 lead with just over six minutes remaining before the roof caved in.

Henry ran with authority averaging 5.1 yards a carry and finished the Bills answer to a Dolphins touchdown with an 8 yard run. That gave the Bills a 10 point lead but it should have been an 11 point advantage. The special teams then brokedown right after Henry's score. Jake Arians missed the extra point and then Brian Moorman then kicked the ensuing kickoff out of bounds giving the Dolphins the ball at the 40. That setup a 60 yard touchdown drive in 8 plays that was setup by a 4th and 15 completion to Dedric Ward for a game saving first down. Jay Fiedler then hit rookie Chris Chambers with a 22 yard score on the next play to pull Miami within three at 27-24. If Arians hit the extra point it would have setup a huge two point conversion attempt. Since he missed it, Miami was just a field goal away.

The Bills went three and out on the next possession when a string of first downs would have made the special teams blunders moot. Miami took over at their own 38 and moved down into field goal range when Olindo Mare hit a 39 yard kick to tie the game. That is when the special teams made one more major mistake. Nate Clements fumbled the kickoff and Miami recovered at the Buffalo 42. Three plays later Fiedler found Chambers again for a 32 yard score giving Miami the stunning come from behind victory.

The Bills played a solid second quarter as they have all year. They answered a Mare 25 yard field goal with a pretty 14 play, 80 yard drive just before halftime to a Van Pelt one yard toss to Sheldon Jackson that gave the Bills a 14-10 lead at the intermission. The Bills added to the lead in the third quarter with a beautiful one handed grab on a deep pass by Van Pelt to Moulds for 54 yards that gave the Bills a 21-10 lead before Miami came back.

The Dolphins answered with a 62 yard scoring drive ending with a 8 yard pass to Weaver that pulled Miami within four at 21-17 before the rest of the fourth quarter heroics would happen. The Bills managed to gain a whopping 422 yards offense against one of the best defenses in the leagues. Van Pelt had a huge game and Moulds was finally a focal point in the offense. The defense was crisp for the most part and the Bills put up the best 55 minutes of football they have all season. Unfortunately it is a 60 minute game, and the youth and inexperience caught up to them in the final five minutes and they imploded. There were many fine efforts and chalk this loss up to another lesson in these young Bills careers. Besides the implosion the -2 in the turnover battle was a huge difference in the outcome. Here are our gameballs and goats:



Gameballs
  • Eric Moulds - He asked for the Ball more and got it. His two touchdown catches were a thing of beauty, his one fumble was a cause for concern but he had a huge game when it was put up or shut up time.
  • Alex Van Pelt - Two starts this year, two 300 yard games. He struggled early but did what was needed to do to win.
  • Pat Williams - Dominated the game defensively for the Bills. He had 9 tackles and was all over the field defensively. Many of his tackles were behind the line of scrimmage.
  • Travis Henry - He ran with authority, especially in the second half as the Bills tried to hold on to the lead. He had 97 yards on just 19 carries averaging 5.1 yards a carry. It was his best performance over the last two months.


  • Goats
  • Jake Arians - He didn't miss a field goal today, but he didn't attempt one either. His season got worse as he missed an extra point. That was a crucial miss and should cost him his job.
  • Nate Clements - He was beat deep twice although he forced a fumble once. His own fumble on a kickoff return after Miami tied the game cost the Bills a chance at the win.
  • Ken Irvin - He was beat for two touchdown passes in the final quarter by rookie Chris Chambers. He also missed out on a sure interception in the first half.
  • Brian Moorman - He continues to struggle in windy conditions. He averaged 38.7 yards on his punts but one of his kickoffs went out of bounds and another one was touched just before it went out of bounds.
  • Gregg Williams - Was caught sleeping when he should have challenged two Miami pass plays. They quick snapped the ball when a replay challenge would have overturned completions that setup Miami scores. Williams then challenged a Moulds fumble that was obvious.


  • Player Of The Week
  • Eric Moulds - Wanted the ball, and got the ball. He had six catches for a whopping 196 yards and the two long scores. His one fumble was his only blemish.


  • Positional Breakdown and Grades
    NFL.com Gamebook - Complete stats including play by play
    Dolphins Game Preview



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