THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, November 4, 1996 TAG: 9611040141
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. LENGTH: 77 lines
The Washington Redskins thought days like this were over. Seven straight wins had convinced them that they could line up with the NFL's better-than-average teams, exchange body shots, and give as good as they got.
The Buffalo Bills slapped them with 25 good reasons to rethink that position Sunday - one for every point they came up short in a stunning 38-13 loss at Rich Stadium that will give the league's naysayers plenty of ammo in their argument that the Redskins still aren't very good.
Washington can point to its 7-2 mark, good for a first-place tie with Philadelphia in the NFC East, though the Eagles have the edge because they've already beaten the Redskins once. Buffalo, 6-3, maintained a share of the lead in the AFC East, while sending a message that they intend to remain a factor.
``We didn't tackle well, we jumped offsides two or three times, we had a pass-interference penalty, a facemask penalty, we surrounded Jim Kelly a couple of times, but missed him. It all came crashing down on us,'' said defensive coordinator Ron Lynn, as though reading from a laundry list. ``It reminded me a lot of the way things were the last two years - a lot of bad flashbacks.''
Conversely, the Bills played much the same as they did back at the start of the decade, when playoff wins and Super Bowl appearances were as much a part of the local landscape as icy Niagara Falls. After spotting the Redskins a 7-0 lead, Buffalo ran off 31 straight points.
``I'm not surprised how they played,'' cornerback Darrell Green said. ``I'm surprised how we played.''
Buffalo, relying almost exclusively on its no-huddle, K-Gun attack, enjoyed a whopping edge in yardage, 476-234. Both Thurman Thomas and Darick Holmes eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark. Holmes, who bet Thomas before the game that he'd score more touchdowns than Thomas the second half of the season, got off to a fast start, finding the end zone three times.
``All year our offense has been waiting for a day like this,'' said Holmes, who had 202 yards for the season. ``We finally put everything together. We've had holes like that before, but we did not break tackles. Today, we got an extra five or 10 yards.''
The Redskins, who were missing defensive linemen Marc Boutte, Sterling Palmer and Tony Woods, were no match for the Bills' energized offensive line. Buffalo ran where it wanted, left, right and - surprisingly - up the middle against Sean Gilbert, neutralized by former college teammate Ruben Brown.
Holmes averaged 5.5 yards a carry in finishing with 122. Thomas added 107, averaging 4.7. Even the brittle Kelly averaged four yards a carry on quarterback sneaks.
``Tonight's game was for my wife, my daughter, my dad, my mom up above, my brothers, everyone in Buffalo that hung in there and didn't give up on the offense,'' said Kelly.
Kelly should have included himself and coach Marv Levy. Kelly's first victory of the day came in the morning, when Levy gave in and and allowed him to use the K-Gun as often as he liked. Kelly responded with the second-best game of a probable Hall-of-Fame career, completing 19 of 23 passes for 206 yards.
Kelly led drives of 7-plays, 86 yards; 10 plays, 58 yards; 9 plays, 50 yards; 11 plays, 97 yards and 10 plays, 74 yards. The Bills had the ball for 36 minutes and ground out 31 first downs.
``It was one of those deals where you feel like you're caught in an avalanche,'' was coach Norv Turner's apt description.
Conversely, the Redskins got off to a fast start before everything careened downhill. Aided by two penalties totaling 43 yards, the Redskins took a 7-0 lead on Terry Allen's 1-yard plunge.
But that was all the damage the Redskins' attack did until the fourth quarter. Buffalo's defense held Allen to 49 yards rushing. They kept the ball away from Gus Frerotte, who threw 28 passes, completed only 13, and committed what might have been the game's biggest mistake.
Trying to cut into a 17-7 deficit, Frerotte hit Scott Galbraith for 21 yards, then Allen ran for 19, to the Buffalo 38. But end/linebacker Bryce Paup, who moved from position to position along the line, blitzed from the right, blind-siding Frerotte and causing a fumble that linebacker Sam Rogers recovered.
``We can't afford to turn the ball over, we can't afford to go three-and-out against this type of offensive football team,'' Turner said. ``You could see from watching the films that they were ready to bust out.'' by CNB