| Serving Bills Fans Since 1998 | Home |
| WEEKLY NEWS ARCHIVES - NOV 11th - NOV 17TH | PREVIOUS WEEK |
Bills Lose Heartbreaker 17-16
Defense Plays Well Enough: The defense played well enough to win for the first 55 minutes of the game. The offense had a good gameplan and ran it well except in the red zone. The final five minutes of the game, coupled with getting field goals instead of touchdowns and of course, penalties are the reasons why the Bills lost. Unit by unit they played well, so the grades are a bit higher than usual for a loss. Gameday Grades.
Bills Lose Hearbreaker: For most of the game the Bills held Priest Holmes and the Chiefs offense in check. The Bills held the ball for most of the first three quarters but only led 16-10 thanks to poor red zone offense. Trent Green scored from nine yards out with under 5 minutes to play to give the Chiefs the victory. A Drew Bledsoe interception on the ensuing drive allowed the Chiefs to run out the clock and get the victory. Complete Review.
Players Banged Up: The Bills had many players banged up, all in the second half. London Fletcher, Ruben Brown, Ron Edwards, and Justin Bannan all were hurt as the game crumbled. Most of the injured players returned or were walking under their own power. We will have much more on their injuries tomorrow. Injury Page.
Oh Those Penalties: Beside the inept of the offense in the red zone, penalties was the big undoing of the Bills. They were called for big penalty after big penalty as they were flagged 13 times for a whopping 139 yards. The biggest one was a terrible call by the officials. Chris Watson was called for a 36 yard pass interference penalty on the Chiefs winning scoring drive. Watson had perfect coverage on the play and a penalty was a ridiculous call. Nevertheless, this late in the season the team should not be called for so many penalties that helped self destruct some drives.
Onside Kick: The coaching staff used the bye week to come up with innovated moves that were wasted in the loss. The offense went to a ball control style. The defense used three linebackers on passing situations, and Antoine Winfield on TE Tony Gonzalez. The biggest move was a surprise on side kick after the Bills first field goal with the team trailing 7-3. They recovered and drove down to another field goal. Coach Williams said if the Bills lost the opening toss they would have kicked it onside on the opening play of the game.
Gameday Weather: It will be a nice day for the offensive explosion we are expecting in Kansas City today. The high temperature during the game should be about 55° with light winds of up to 8 mph. There is no rain in the forecast.
Saturday November 16, 2002
Bills Look At Favors: The Bills were one of three teams that looked at free agent linebacker Greg Favors this week. He started under Gregg Williams in Tennesee in 2000 and also started for the Titans last year. He was inactive for the first eight games with Indianapolis this year and was released.
Defense Needs Big Game: The Bills much maligned defense has shown some signs of good play but that has been against the worst offensive teams the Bills have played this year. As they get set to play one of the better offensive teams in the league the defense needs to come up big. If not, the predicted shootout will happen and with the Bills offense fluttering a bit in recent weeks that might not bode well for the Bills.
Friday November 15, 2002
Bills Expected To Sign Jones: WNSA-FM is reporting that the Bills are expected to sign former Bucaneer's first round pick Marcus Jones. We reported last week that the club looked at the defensive end. If he does sign, he won't help the team this year as he will undergo knee surgery but the Bills will retain his rights when healthy if he does sign.
Offense Looks To Get Into Gear: Lost in the shuffle of the playoff race is the decrease in production from the offense over the past three games. They have averaged 18 points and 323 yards per game in that span. Before that they averaged 32.3 points and 406 yards per game. Nobody expected them to keep up that pace but the lack of points is troubling. The Bills have faltered on third downs and have worked on the third down offense during the bye week. This is a perfect week for the offense to get back on track against the league's lowest ranked defense. If they don't, it will be another long afternoon for the Bills.
Thursday November 14, 2002
Riemersma To Play: Jay Riemersma said after practice yesterday that he will definitely play on Sunday despite being listed as questionable on the injury report. He took all his normal reps in practice and said the back is better. He will be careful the rest of the week to not re-injure it.
Wednesday November 13, 2002
Williams On Kansas City: Coach Williams talked about the Chiefs during his usual Wednesday press conference with the Western New York media. He feels Kansas City has a potent offensive attack and Priest Holmes is one of the best players in the league. He likens their offense to the Rams offense that Vermiel ran when he was in St. Louis. He feels after Holmes they have one of the best tight ends in the league in Tony Gonzalez. He felt the 49ers success against Gonzalez was that they double teamed him all game. He feels the Chiefs defense is similar to the Bills defense, that they've given up big plays in bunches but they have done a much better job of not giving it up lately. That being said, both teams can light up the scoreboard from anywhere on the field. He knows it's a noisy stadium but that can be controlled if the team executes and plays well.
Coach Feels The Bills Can Control The Race: Coach Williams said it was good that the team was able to move into a tie for first place over the bye week. He feels the team has a tough schedule coming up but if they focus and do their business they will be in the hunt at the end of the season. He believes it will be a tough race coming down to the end and they have a chance to control where they will be since they have three more division matchups. He feels the playoff race is more jumbled then he could ever remember. He feels it would be interesting to see who gets the short end of the stick since this is the first year with the new alignment.
Bledsoe's Press Conference: Drew Bledsoe held his usual Wednesday press conference said the bye week came at a good time for the team from a physical standpoint. He feels the team will bounce back from the Patriots game because games like that happen even to Super Bowl teams like the Bills had in the early 90's. Bledsoe feels the team is in a dogfight in the division and they have played well enough that they have a chance to make a run. He called this week's game a big one since it is a conference game. He feels the team is fresh and ready to go and they need to play real well since every game will be big the rest of the way. Bledsoe said that Arrowhead Stadium is one of the loudest stadiums in the league. The team needs to either come out to a quick start to silence the crowd or use a silent count to compensate for them. He feels the key to the game and the focus offensively is to be aggressive without turning the ball over.
Bills List Three: Jay Riemersma is listed as questionable on this week's injury report with his back sprain. He is expected to practice today. Tony Driver and Antoine Winfield are the other two players on the report and are listed as probable and should play. The Chiefs have three players listed on the injury report two players are out including starting DE Derrick Ransom. Injury Report.
Tuesday November 12, 2002
Bills, Chiefs Big Matchup: Sunday's battle between the Bills and the Chiefs will be a big battle for both clubs as they look to improve their playoff chances. The Chiefs bring a power running game against a weak Bills run defense. The Bills counter with a great passing attack against the worst passing defense in the league. Buffalo should be focused after having a week to stew over the loss to New England. Complete Preview.
Winfield Back: Antoine Winfield pronounced himself ready to return on Sunday against the Chiefs. He made it through yesterday's workout without any problems. Jay Riemersma meanwhile is still suffering from back spasms and did not practice yesterday. He hopes to practice later in the week and expects to play on Sunday. Injury Page.
Monday November 11, 2002
Bills Tied For First: Bills fans used the bye week to watch their team move into a three way tie for first place in the AFC East. The Jets 13-10 victory over the Dolphins moved them just one game behind the Bills, Patriots, and Dolphins in the division. The Pats had an amazing come from behind win over Chicago 33-30. They trailed this game 27-6 late in the third quarter. With the division looking very average it will probably take a division championship to make the playoffs. The Bills will probably have to win five of their last seven including all three division games to make the playoffs. They go back to work today with a full practice and game planning for Sunday's matchup with the Chiefs.
Bledsoe, Moulds Getting Votes: As the voting for the Pro Bowl is now in full swing two Bills are getting a lot of votes. Drew Bledsoe is second behind Brett Favre among quarterbacks and Eric Moulds leads all receivers in votes. You can vote for the Pro Bowl at NFL.com.
Last Week's News ArchivesNews Archives Index
Archives Library
Latest News Main Page
Back to Bills Daily Homepage