Buffalo Bills Save The Best For Last
“Unfortunately we were not able to finish the game off.”--Coach Lane Kiffin

By Barbara Mason 9/21/08
Raiderdrive.com/Bay Area Sports Drive

Penalties and turnovers favored the Oakland Raiders Sunday in their road game against the Buffalo Bills Sunday.  The Raiders came into the game as major underdogs, something that could have fooled anyone who witnessed this game.  From the first Oakland possession that began deep in Bill territory thanks to the 68-yard return by Johnnie Lee Higgins to the accumulative turnovers by Buffalo, it was all Raiders for most of the game. 

The first three scores by Oakland were courtesy of Sebastian Janikowski to put the Raiders ahead 9-7.  The Raiders finally broke the goal line in the third quarter when quarterback JaMarcus Russell took the ball in himself to put his team in the lead 16-7.  The tough Oakland defense was aggressive and tough up to this point putting the stops on the Buffalo running game. 

Mid-way through the fourth quarter of the game, the Bills came up with an aggressive drive culminating with the touchdown that energized the crowd putting Buffalo two points out of the lead, 16-14.  Not only the fans got back into the game but more importantly, the players came out strong on defense with under seven minutes left on the clock. 

It took only one play to burst the Bill bubble coming off the hands of Raider quarterback JaMarcus Russell.  Connecting with Johnnie Lee Higgins for the touchdown, Oakland extended their lead 23-14, a lead that should have been enough to seal the win.   

Buffalo refused to roll over and came out moving the ball with ease downfield, and with 4:03 left in the game, the Bills once again pulled within two-points, 21-23.  It would be a crazy finish.  The Raiders had to hold it all together and play the clock.  There was no room for error as the final minutes of this game played out.  The collapse of the offense could not have come at a worse time for Oakland.  With 2:41 left in the game, the Raiders were unable to move the ball and the Bills were looking at a possible one-point victory. 

It took the entire game for Buffalo to wake up but when they did, they did with ferocity.    They completed passes on their final drive for first down after first down, driving closer to the winning field goal.  With seconds left, the Bills realized the triumph, the 24-23 win.  Buffalo had saved the best for last, coming through when it really counted.  Bills Quarterback Edwards had engineered a couple of brilliant drives as the final minutes ticked away.   “They brought the pass rush and a ton of pressure,” said Buffalo quarterback Trent Edwards after the game. 

It was the inability of Oakland in their final drive to maintain possession that hurt the team.  They were two first downs away from the win.  They played their hearts out, but in the end, it was their inability to get the ball into the end zone for so much of the game that had a lot to do with this loss as well.  The three field goals were almost enough to do the job but unfortunately almost enough doesn’t win games.  They can’t continue to stall in the red zone, a problem that has plagued them so far this year.  With 98 rushing yards, 149 passing for a total of 247 yards to the Bills 378 yards, it is apparent that the Bills really turned it around in the end.  Despite all of this, the Raiders played well, very well, but will that be enough to keep the current coaching staff intact? Will two remaining Oakland time-outs left in the game loom large in any decisions made in Oak Town?

The Oakland Raiders will travel back home to get ready for another major challenge as they take on the rival San Diego Chargers.

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