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BILLS: Defense, kicker lead Buffalo to win
Defense and a kicker helped the Buffalo Bills hold on — for once.
Rian Lindell kicked three field goals and the Bills intercepted Matt Cassel four times to beat the struggling Kansas City Chiefs 16-10 on Sunday.
Buffalo (5-8) overcame three turnovers and an ineffective passing game to finally close out a win in the fourth quarter. The Bills had lost seven times this season when they were within a touchdown headed into the final 15 minutes, pulling this one out with two interceptions in the final 2:11.
Kansas City (3-10) got a career-high 143 yards and a touchdown from Jamaal Charles, but couldn’t overcome another shaky game from Cassel.
A week after being benched in the fourth quarter against Denver, the Chiefs quarterback had three interceptions in the fourth quarter, overthrew Mark Bradley twice on potential long touchdowns and was sacked four times.
Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick wasn’t exactly stellar, throwing for just 86 yards on 12-of-20 passing with an interception. He did throw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Owens in the first quarter and relied on Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson, who combined for 183 yards.
The Chiefs needed an extra day to avoid their first blackout since 1990 and keep their sellout streak alive at 156 games. They did it, but apparently most of the fans didn’t want to use their tickets: Arrowhead Stadium was a little over half full for this game between downtrodden teams.
The ones who did show up didn’t like what they saw.
Watching the Chiefs bumble away good field position for most of the half, the fans booed the Chiefs off the field, cheering for the mini Michael Jackson impersonator at halftime than the home team.
The blase atmosphere continued for most of the third quarter until Charles gave them something to really cheer about.
Taking a handoff on the first play after Lindell’s second field goal — from 24 yards — Charles burst up the middle untouched and outran Buffalo’s defensive backs for a 76-yard touchdown. In the 17 seconds it took him to run down the field, Charles gave the Chiefs life.
It didn’t last.
Trailing 16-10 after Lindell’s 36-yard field goal, Kansas City drove inside the Buffalo 25-yard line to set up the potential winning score. Instead, Chris Chambers dropped a pass inside the 5 and Cassel was picked off by Jairus Byrd. George Wilson sealed it with a pick on Kansas City’s final pass into the end zone.
It was like that all game for the Chiefs.
Kansas City had the ball at the Buffalo 9 in the first quarter after Mike Vrabel sacked Fitzpatrick and the Chiefs recovered. Three failed runs later, the Chiefs, at the behest of the few fans who showed up, opted to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1.
The play: a naked bootleg by Cassel. The result: a 7-yard loss. Bills ball.
Buffalo, sparked by the stop and Lynch’s 47-yard run, picked the Chiefs apart on the next drive, moving 92 yards in eight plays for Fitzpatrick’s touchdown pass to Owens on a crossing route.
The Chiefs crossed midfield five times in six first-half drives, coming away with three points.
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