Bills play Christmas Grinch, whip Bills 40-14

 

1 2. Ntolfins quarterback Tim Tebow (15) it is expelled from Buffalo Bills Heard Chris Kelsay (90) in the first quarter of the NFL Football game in Orchard Park, New York, December 24, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Doug Benz

By Steve Keating

MALLARD (Reuters)-the Buffalo Bills played the role of Christmas Grinch perfect, denying the Ntolfins the opportunity to clinch a place play-offs with a 40-14 victory Saturday, halting their seven-game losing streak.

Already guaranteed to lose post-season for a 12th straight year accounts (6-9) spotted the Steelers (8-7) an early touchdown then join with touchdowns from Leodis McKelvin Spiller and C J and four field goal from Dave Rayner to send smaller home crowd a decade (45,112) off for the holidays you gladly.

"The damage to our kymatanapalseis incentives" Buffalo quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick told journalists. "Fans who were here was appalling, but there were many empty seats and a lot of our game is due to our highly motivated."

Tim Tebow threw for one touchdown and ran for another, but they are not Christmas miracles for the Denver quarterback who became famous for its attraction late comeback victories.

Instead of coming through in the clutch, Tebow dramatically collapsed and tossed four second half interceptions, including back-to-back picks during the fourth quarter on touchdowns from Jairus Byrd and Spencer Johnson.

"We believe that we are capable of pulling out some pretty cool things," Tebow said. "It was thought completely until the end.

"It is a loss, and we have to bounce back again and have a great week in Kansas City".

Christmas, a Christian holiday, They laid down a perfect stage of Tebow, a player who wears his religion as a trade mark and has become one of the NFL's most popular and polarising elements.

Spoofed on television, but adored by young Christians Tebow kept losing into perspective, prepared to set off to celebrate the holidays.

"It is great that, no matter what, win or lose, we still have a chance to celebrate the birth of the Savior to me tomorrow," Tebow I had to smile. "This is something I'm really thrilled, we celebrate Christmas."

Denver arrived in Buffalo with a lead a game at the top of the AFC West Division able to claim the Crown Division and the first play-offs in 2005 with a win and a loss of Oakland Raiders the Kansas City Chiefs.

LAST DAY

However, the Crown Division, now will be decided on the last day of the regular season with the Bengals hosted the chiefs and Raiders at home against the San Diego Chargers.

For the third time in the last four seasons, the Steelers have carried a record of 8-5 in the final three weeks of the season and will try to avoid repeating the meltdowns 2008 and 2009 when they lost the last three games, losing in the play-off.

"We had opportunities but went the other way," said Denver coach John Fox. "They stretched out their lead with two circles for rankings."

The Eagles had appeared ready to bring home page reception gift for fans, took early control of the contest.

Willis McGahee began the Steelers opening drive, more than 1,000 yards in the first we are going to do, and Tebow restrict March 73-yard diving over this.

A former Bill, McGahee became just the second player to rush for 1,000 yards in three different groups.

Buffalo had two scoring opportunities in the first quarter, Rayner is missing two field goal attempts, but accounts caught fire during the second quarter as the Bengals went stone cold.

Rayner opened the quarter from the link end in one target field 28-yard before McKelvin chilled crowd on foot, taking a pound and darting 80 yards for a touchdown.

Shortly before the half, Spiller charged in area at the end of the four to send bills to the break up 17-7.

Denver was quick off the blocks again during the second half, Tebow which hit Daniel Fells with a 17-yard touchdown strike to slice your Buffalo's lead to 17-14.

But the Bills replied with two 25-yard field goals and another Rayner 29-yarder off a Tebow interception to open the final quarter and to regain control of the contest on 26-14.

Buffalo then sealed the victory with a clear way, ' Byrd grade for a 37-yard interception and Johnson root 17-yards for another score.

(Edited with Mark Lamport-Stokes)

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6:06 PM | 0 comments

Titans run over Bills and boost playoff hopes

 

1 of 2. Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) is dejected as he leaves the field after losing to the Tennessee Titans after the fourth quarter of their NFL football game in Orchard Park, New York December 4, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Doug Benz

By Steve Keating

ORCHARD PARK, New York | Sun Dec 4, 2011 8:22pm EST

ORCHARD PARK, New York (Reuters) - Chris Johnson ran for a pair of touchdowns to help power the Tennessee Titans into the National Football League (NFL) playoff hunt with a 23-17 win over the fading Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

With the win, the Titans (7-5) remained in the mix for the AFC's final wild card while the Bills' (5-7) postseason hopes all but disappeared with a fifth straight loss.

After a slow start to the season, Johnson seems to have hit his stride as the NFL's rushing leader in 2009 followed last week's 190-yard performance by rushing for 153 yards on 23 carries, including a 48-yard burst in the first quarter to give the Titans a 10-7 lead they would not surrender.

"We've been saying for a long time, if we can run the ball that well, we become a tough team to stop," Tennessee first-year coach Mike Munchak told reporters. "The last few weeks, we've run the ball much better.

"I don't think anything has changed with (Johnson), I just think the blocking is better, I think he is getting more clean looks, more clean opportunities."

The impact of Buffalo's recent skid has not only been felt in the standings but also at the gate with thousands of empty seats sprinkled across Ralph Wilson Stadium as the Bills failed to sell enough tickets to lift the local television blackout for the first time this season.

While the Bills, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals have taken turns hogging the spotlight for turnaround of the year, the Titans have quietly put together a comeback campaign of their own and are closing in on their first playoff berth in three years.

After losing eight of the final nine games last season, the Titans rebounded behind the solid play of veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and an improving defense.

Hasselbeck, who signed with the Titans earlier this year after 10 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, turned in another efficient performance Sunday by completing 16 of 25 pass attempts for 140-yards.

The Titans opened the scoring on a 48-yard Rob Bironas field goal but the first half featured some dazzling running from both teams with Johnson rumbling for 106 yards and two touchdowns while Buffalo counterpart C.J. Spiller rushed for 80 of his 83 yards and a score as Tennessee grabbed a 17-10 first-half lead.

Bironas would extend Tennessee's lead with field goals in the third and fourth quarters before the Bills offence came back to life, Ryan Fitzpatrick hitting Stevie Johnson with a two-yard touchdown strike to trim the Titans lead to 23-17.

But the Bills could not complete the comeback and fell four games back of the AFC East-leading New England Patriots with four games left in the regular season.

"You can say you're playing for pride, you can say you're playing for jobs, you can say you're playing for the future, all those are partially true," Buffalo coach Chan Gailey said about his team's fading playoff hopes.

"It's going to be very hard now. I don't want to say impossible, nothing is impossible we all know that."

(Editing by Frank Pingue)

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9:54 AM | 0 comments