Skip to main content

Sunday, Oct 19, 2014 01:31 PM

Bills spin final-drive magic to knock off Vikings

Marc Sessler

The Buffalo Bills notched their fourth win of the year with a 17-16 clipping of the Minnesota Vikings at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Here's what you need to know:

  1. Trailing 16-10, Kyle Orton drove Buffalo on a gutsy 15-play, 80-yard drive that saw him connect with four different pass-catchers before finding rookie Sammy Watkinsin the end zone with one tick left on the clock. Orton's biggest toss on the march saw wideout Chris Hogan make an outstanding 28-yard catch that set up the Bills at the Minnesota 2. It's a critical win for Buffalo, one that keeps them alive in the AFC East.
  1. The win didn't come without a cost to Buffalo. After Bills running back Fred Jackson was lost for the day to a groin injury, C.J. Spiller was carted off the field with the broken collarbone he suffered on a dazzling 52-yard sprint in the second quarter. With enigmatic Bryce Brown inactive for the seventh straight game, Anthony Dixon -- the only running back left -- held his own to rumble for 51 yards at 3.9 yards per clip.
  1. After throwing an ugly interception last week against the Lions, Teddy Bridgewater flung a pair of picks to Bills cornerback Leodis McKelvin. The second of those interceptions saw Teddy underthrow wideout Adam Thielen, who couldn't stop McKelvin from jumping the route to give Buffalo the ball back at the Minnesota 26. Orton hit Watkins one play later for the 7-3 lead.
  1. If you're looking for positives, Bridgewater bounced right back from that disaster to guide Minnesota on an five-play, 60-yard touchdown march that saw him find Greg Jennings for completions of 38 and 15 yards before hitting Cordarrelle Patterson on a 4-yard scoring strike. When he's protected well, the better throws start flowing, but five sacks and eight quarterback hits kept Teddy at bay.
  1. Both teams were sloppy. The Vikings committed two turnovers while the Bills gave away the rock five times. Minnesota had just one drive go past seven plays. The Bills had just one march exceed six plays, but that series won the game.
  1. This was the Watkins we've been waiting for. The rookie led Buffalo with 14 targets -- twice as many as any other Bills wideout -- to haul in nine grabs for 122 yards and two scores.

The "Around The NFL Podcast" is now available on iTunes! Click here to listen and subscribe.