Editor: Joe Bryant. Game Recap Contributors: Mike Anderson, Michael Brown, Chris Burtt, J.D. Caldwell, David Dodds, Jim Enochs, Joel Faulhaber, Michael Flynn, Kevin Goldblum, Clayton Gray, Bob Harris, Fred Hebert, Jesse Hilsenrad, Drew Kendall, Jeff Lewis, Joey Matusek, Justin Oliver, Steve Prosapio, David Shick, Cody Smith, Scott Smith, Jeffrey Stout. Buffalo 23 at Denver 28 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Buffalo Bills: QB Drew Bledsoe is the unquestioned leader of this team. He is in full command of the offense and the huddle and consistently hits receivers in stride allowing for good run after the catch. He was at the top of his game today. RB Travis Henry ran hard and looked better than his statistics indicate (12-35-1TD). He is a frequent target for Bledsoe in the passing game (4-33). WR Eric Moulds is the go to receiver getting targeted a whopping 16 times. He caught 9-96-1TD. Denver Broncos: QB Brian Griese was average at quarterback today, not making any huge mistakes but often missing open receivers with overthrows. Right now, he lacks the accuracy to make it to the next level. Unlike Bledsoe, he didn't give his receivers a chance to run after the catch as the throws were often behind the receiver. RB Clinton Portis handled the majority of the carries today as Olandis Gary left the game early with an ankle injury. He rushed 18 times for 103 yards and a TD. He showed flashes of brilliance with lightning quickness, good vision, and nice speed. Most importantly, he secured the ball well with both hands and did not fumble in the game. RB Mike Anderson rushed 7 times for 28 yards but this game was about Clinton Portis. The Denver offensive line was dominant; opening nice lanes for the running backs and giving Griese plenty of time to survey the field. WR Rod Smith is still the go to receiver on this team and looked impressive in his 7-94-1td performance. His stats would have been better with more accurate passing from Griese. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Buffalo Bills QB: Bledsoe - is in full command of the offense and the huddle. He often changes plays at the line. He consistently hit his receivers in stride allowing for nice yards after the catch. He looks for Eric Moulds often and the two have a nice rapport. On Moulds' 2 yard TD catch, the two read the coverage perfectly and adjusted accordingly. WR Peerless Price did was not targeted as often as he's been in the past. RB: Travis Henry - ran hard and rarely went down with the first hit. He often bounced off tacklers and used a nice straight arm. He was shaken up early and fumbled on the play which resulted in a Broncos TD. He missed a series and then returned to the game. He showed great balance, power, and vision today. He is also a big part of the passing game catching 4 balls for 33 yards. Since the Bills were playing mostly from behind he didn't get the number of carries he needs to post good statistics. He was limited to 12 carries for 35 yards and 1 TD. Larry Centers - doesn't seem to be targeted as often as in the past. He caught 3 balls for 11 yards. The increased role of TE Jay Reimersma hurts his opportunities. WR: Eric Moulds - was targeted 16 times in the game. He dropped a couple of catchable balls, but played well in general. On 3rd down, he's money in the bank. Moulds finished the game with 9-96-1TD. Clearly, he and Bledsoe are on the same page. Peerless Price - finished the day with 87 yards on 5 receptions. He was excellent after the catch and could break a long TD at any time. Josh Reed - caught 2 balls for 12 yards and a TD. He was quiet today with most of the looks going to Moulds. He was wide open on his short TD reception. Bledsoe does trust this rookie enough to throw it to him in the red zone. TE: Jay Reimersma - Caught 4 balls for 44 yards. Bledsoe seemed to look his way when he got into trouble with the pass rush. Pass Defense: The pass rush was excellent with 4 sacks on the afternoon. The coverage was adequate, not great. Rush Defense: The defensive line was outplayed by Denver's offensive line. There were often good holes for the Broncos' backs to exploit. Special Teams: The Bills are scared to death of special teams mistakes. Thoughts of Chad Morton from week one, the Music City Miracle, and Scott Norwood haunt them. Sunday, the special teams played well enough not to lose the game. Moorman had a couple of good punts downed inside the ten, and Hollis hit his only attempt from the 38. Kick and punt coverage didn't allow any big returns except for a 42 yarder by Kevin Casper. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Denver Broncos QB: Brian Griese - was not an accurate passer on the day. He didn't throw any interceptions or fumble the ball, and his statistics weren't bad (19/31-211-2TD). He did however often overthrow open receivers and even a number of his completed passes didn't put his teammates in a position to run after the catch. On one particular play, Rod Smith had beaten his man and was in position to score a 65 yard TD, but Griese overthrew him. He also puts his receivers in jeopardy by leading them into big hits. RB: Clinton Portis - looks to be a star in the making. He ran for 5.7 yards per carry (18-103-1TD). He showed lightning quickness, nice vision, and good speed. He secured the ball well with both hands and did not have a fumble in the game. Mike Shanahan often trusted him with the ball both inside his own 5 yard line and inside Buffalo's 5 yard line. He responded with a 17 yard gain from deep within his own territory and a short TD from one yard out. Portis also showed the ability to pick up the blitz in pass protection, with Shanahan sometimes leaving him in on third downs. Olandis Gary - came out of the game early with an ankle injury. Mike Anderson - also looked good with 7 carries for 28 yards and 2 receptions for 26 yards. He makes one cut and then runs downhill. He is a pretty good lead blocker when in at fullback. WR: Rod Smith - showed sure hands and toughness on the day. He often muscled his way to first downs even though Griese threw the ball short of the marker. He finished with 7-94-1TD but would have had better stats had Griese played better. Griese overthrew him when he had his man beat by a step or two on what could have potentially been a 65 yard TD. Eddie McCaffrey - finished the day with 3 catches for 35 yards. Griese didn't look his way as often as in years past. He did have a great catch in traffic where he got drilled but still held onto the ball in Easy Ed fashion. He would have had a couple of more catches if it weren't for Griese overthrows. Ashley Lelie - showed good speed and agility but dropped a couple of very tough passes. They both would have been spectacular catches if he did make them - they weren't easy by any means. He caught 2 balls for 36 yards. TE: Shannon Sharpe - Was only targeted twice in the game and didn't catch a pass. Dwayne Carswell - caught 2 balls for 5 yards but one was a TD. Pass Defense: Created excellent pressure, sacking Bledsoe 4 times and hurrying him countless times. Bledsoe saw his pocket collapse throughout the entire game. Deltha O'Neil played well at corner. On one particular play, Moulds caught a quick hitch and O'Neal nailed him right at the line of scrimmage for no gain. Rush Defense: The Denver linebackers are fast and bring the lumber. They penetrated throughout the afternoon. On one third and short play, Al Wilson chased former Tennessee Vol teammate Shawn Bryson to the corner and denied him a first down. On another play, the Broncos' gang tackled Travis Henry, forcing a fumble which Chester McGlockton picked up and ran back for a TD. The defense allowed a stingy 2.8 yards per carry on the afternoon. Special Teams: Tom Rouen was busy today punting 6 times with an average of 43.2 yards per punt. The Broncos only downed one of them inside the 20. Jason Elam missed his only attempt on the day, hitting the upright from 49 yards out.