Week 3 PostGame: Bills 24 - Raiders 23
1st Quarter
I’ll be honest. The first quarter was extremly boring football. The Bills couldn’t do anything, and the Radiers had to settle for 2 field goals because they just couldn’t get the ball into the endzone after having great field position.
Like I said above, Oakland kicker Sebastian Janikowski did make two field goals in the 1st giving the Radiers a 6-0 lead.
2nd Quarter
The sack and forced fumble was the possible changing point of this game. DE Chris Kelsay came around the end and stripped JaMarcus Russel. Bills linebacker Paul Poz picked up the football and had great field postion. After 2 plays, the Bills ran a sweep to RB Marshawn Lynch. Lynch powered it around the end and make a great play to stay in bounds and get the ball into the endzone. The Bills get their first lead of the game, 7-6.
Before the two minute warning, Oakland went on another small drive with great field postion. It stopped short of the endzone and Janikowski was forced to make another one. It went up and through the uprights.
Going into the tunnel at halftime, the Radiers had the lead, 9-7.
3rd Quarter
Another pretty boring quarter between these two teams. It was a defense struggle in this one. The Raiders played the Bills tough. They only had three possessions in the 3rd in total. A missed field goal, an INT (the first of the season for Edwards), and a punt.
Oakland on the other hand was able to put some points on the board. After the INT, the Raiders got the ball in the redzone and this time got more than 3 points. The short, 3 play drive was ended by a 1 yard JaMarcus Russel TD sneak for a TD. The extra point was good.
The Bills had the ball and they needed a score if they wanted to come back in this one. Oakland still had the lead, 16-7.
4th Quarter
How about a 16 play, 96 yard drive to stay in the game? Trent Edwards led the troops down the field, that ended with another Lynch TD run. Bills now right back into it after the extra point with the score now being 16-14.
After the touchdown the defense looked fired up. They stopped the Raiders on two running plays but then it looked like the game might have been over with one pass. Russel hit WR Johnnine Lee Higgins on a slant that went for 84 yards for a TD. Raiders now take the lead again, 23-14 with only a little over 6 minutes left.
Edwards now need to led the troops on another scoring drive. He did! Edwards marched down the field 69 yards on 7 balls while ripping apart the Radiers loose defense. The drive ended with Edwards staying in the pocket and taking a bone crushing hit, but getting the ball to Roscoe Parrish for a 14 yard TD. The extra point was of course good, and now the Bills trailed by only 2 points, with the score being 23-21.
The defense then came back on the field just as fired up. After 2 running plays that went no where, Russel was forced to throw a deep ball that fell incomplete. The Bills were going to get the ball back with a little more than 2 minutes to play, just needing a field goal.
With the Bills starting off the drive on their own 34 yard line, they only needed to drive down the field a little bit to get in field goal range. Edwards drove the ball down the field 46 yards, with the help of Lynch on the ground to set up a 38 yard field goal attempt.
The snap was good, hold was down and the kick was GOOD! Rian Lindell knocked the kick straight through and the Bills win 24-23 in front of the home crowd in Buffalo.
The NFL.com Gamecenter: Post Game is attached.
BILLS Wrap Up
Trent Edwards finshed very well for the day after starting off slow. He went 24 for 39 (61.5%), 279 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. Edwards also had 9 yards on the ground on 2 attempts.
Marshawn Lynch had a strong game on the ground, rushing the ball 23 times for 83 yards and 2 TDs. He also had 4 catches out of the backfield that went for 31 yards. Fred Jackson also have 5 attempts for 24 yards and 1 catch for 1 yard.
Just like last week, Edwards spread the ball around to all of his targets. Josh Reed led the team in catches and yards with 6 and 72. Lee Evans had a solid performance with 4 catches for 65 yards. Roscoe Parrish also had a strong game catching the ball. He had 3 catches for 42 yards and a TD. FB Darian Barnes had 2 catches for 34 yards. TE Robert Royal also had 34 yards receiving, but he did it on 4 catches.
MLB Paul Posluszny led the team in tackles with 6. Poz also recovered a fumble after a strip by DE Chris Kelsay (the only turnover of the game for the Radiers). Kelsay also recored the teams only sack.
This is the first time the Bills have started off the season 3-0 since the 1992 season.
