At least the Jets won.
There probably haven't been too many times in the 46-year history of the two franchises that a victory by the green shirts from the metropolitan New York area was a good thing for the Buffalo Bills or their fans, but Monday's 13-10 escape against Miami spared their lifelong division rivals an even more agonizing bout of the what-ifs.
Had the Dolphins won on Christmas night and the Bills been able to protect a nine-point fourth-quarter lead at home against a rookie quarterback a day earlier, Buffalo's season finale in Baltimore would have constituted the simplest of playoff scenarios: Win and you're in.
After the Bills defense proved itself unworthy of meaningful January competition, though, a Miami victory to complete the trifecta of what-needs-to-happen games would have just been cruel.
The second-guessing would have been suffocating. To wit, Buffalo should have taken the wind in the fourth quarter, rather than the third, so kicker Rian Lindell would have had it at his back if needed. Dick Jauron should have sent Lindell out to try that long one into the gusts, anyway. The Bills should have gone for it on fourth-and-1 from the Tennessee 47-yard line early in the fourth quarter, when another score would have put the game away. Jauron should have ordered a two-point conversion attempt after J.P. Losman's 37-yard touchdown pass to Lee Evans in the third quarter, which would have put Buffalo ahead by eight.
If only Robert Royal had gotten both feet down late in the third quarter. If only Losman had found a receiver on Buffalo's last offensive play. If only Tom Donahoe hadn't dumped Travis Henry.
None of that matters much now, thanks to the Jets.
Which is just as well. The Bills aren't going to miss the playoffs for the seventh straight season because of coaching decisions made or not made, but because, despite a season of remarkable development in some areas and overachievement in others, they aren't quite good enough.
The biggest deficiency glared most painfully during that fourth quarter, as Tennessee stomped inexorably down the field twice against a Buffalo defense that needed only one stop to seal the deal.
The defensive collapse would have been galling enough had it involved Vince Young prancing around like a video-game character eluding mere mortals, the phenomenon that kept the Titans competitive through three quarters.
Young displayed both athleticism and poise during the fourth quarter. He made a nice third-down throw down the middle to Brandon Jones that turned into a 29-yard touchdown and had a 9-yard scramble on each drive. But he primarily handed off and got on the way on the decisive possessions.
And to make things even more irritating, he was mostly handing off to Henry.
The vengeful former Buffalo running back carried 10 times in the fourth quarter, slashing through what passed for the Bills run defense for 67 yards. Young and Lendale White picked up another 31 on the ground.
That's 98 rushing yards in one quarter. By a team that one week earlier managed precisely the same number of yards, running and passing, in an entire game.
But despite such debilitating weakness in a fundamental aspect of the game, with another break or two against Tennessee, or in close losses against New England, the Jets, Detroit, Indianapolis and San Diego, and the Bills would be playing for a playoff spot on Sunday in Baltimore. A couple more instances of good fortune, and they'd already be assured of a berth.
That's at least partly a commentary on the state of the National Football League. But that Buffalo, which started the season 2-5, played a game on Christmas Eve that mattered at all is also a statement on a young team that got better after reaching the depths in mid-October. And it also says plenty about Jauron, who began absorbing criticism from some quarters about an hour after he was hired last winter.
The loss to Tennessee guaranteed another non-winning season, Buffalo's sixth in the last seven campaigns. But the Bills, as managed by Marv Levy and coached by Jauron, have already won two more games than last year's model and at least that many more than most national prognosticators anticipated.
Most of all, they managed to make yet another season that ended before the playoffs feel like an unquestioned success.
BILLS MVP: Lee Evans may not have won the popularity contest that puts players in the Pro Bowl, but he's established himself as Buffalo's most dangerous offensive weapon since Eric Moulds' prime. And he can throw the ball, too.
THE OTHER GUYS' MVP: Travis Henry: 25 carries, 135 yards. Enough said.
RADIO DAY: Due to the blackout and the demands of the holiday, BillStuff wound up experiencing the game like just about everyone in Western New York, the announced attendance of 54,765 aside -- listening to the game on the radio.
In the interest of full disclosure, last-minute shopping took a bit longer than anticipated, so we took in most of the first half in between various retail experiences. Every time we turned the radio on, somebody had scored.
Two plays, each which seemed to last much longer than humanly possible when listened to, rather than seen, summed up the day.
The first was Young's 36-yard touchdown run at the end of the first half, which seemed to last for about seven minutes when related by play-by-play man John Murphy's disbelieving call.
Then came Losman's final heave, which followed another impossibly long scramble.
Young's wild dash ended with the ball in the end zone. Losman's finished with an interception. And Murphy's tone captured both perfectly.
WING REPORT: Shopping completed, we picked up a batch of mediums at M.T. Pockets on Hertel Avenue, along with one of their brilliant steak sandwiches. I figure the two doses of fat and cholesterol cancel each other out.
Last week, while in Corning on non-BillStuff business, we sampled the offerings at Captain Morgan's Sport 'n' Seafood. On a previous visit, one of the friendly servers mentioned that their wings earned multiple awards at past Buffalo Wing Fests. Unfortunately, this was after we finished an order of the crab-stuffed shrimp. So this time, in addition to an appetizer of bacon-wrapped scallops, we tried their mediums and a one of their award-winning variations -- honey-habanero.
I'd never tried that particular combination before. Never given out two As in one week, either, but both establishments were more than deserving.
BS FAN(S) OF THE WEEK: The Catania clan moved from BillStuff's hometown to South Florida a few years back, but took fierce loyalty to the home team with them.
Pete called shortly after the game and left a voicemail that indicated the big picture had yet to dilute the pain of Sunday's near-miss.
"My dad can't believe it -- he's going nuts here," Pete said of his father, a loyalist also named Pete.
It can't be easy being a Bills fan in Dolphins territory, but the Catanias unfailingly keep the faith. So to Pete, Pete, Marilyn, Jackie and Jesse: Just wait until next year.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | December 27 2006 |