Broncos reporter Mike Klis analyzes a key play from the Buffalo Bills’ 30-23 victory over Denver on Sunday:
The play: After the Broncos had just retaken the lead, 20-16, with 38 seconds left in the third quarter, the Bills took back momentum on the first play of the fourth quarter. With the ball on their 32, the Bills wheeled out running back Fred Jackson around right end. He was picked up by outside linebacker Jamie Winborn, who quickly started backpedaling, as if expecting Jackson to break off his route. Instead, Jackson ran straight downfield, and Bills QB Trent Edwards threw his best pass of the game, hitting his running back in stride. With the Bills’ receivers running clearing patterns, Jackson was alone as he caught it. He got a nice downfield block, and after Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey missed in his attempt to strip Jackson from behind, the play carried 65 yards to the Broncos’ 3. From there the Bills scored and never again trailed.
Point/counterpoint: Winborn has been the Broncos’ best linebacker since midseason. He leads the team with 90 tackles and 11 pass deflections. One miscalculated half-step, though, will leave a defender exposed by NFL quarterbacks. “It’s tough,” Winborn said. “I felt like I played a good game, and one play turned out to be the main play. I felt like it cost us. You can’t give teams freebies in this league.”
Future prospects: One time the Broncos’ defense needed a stop to take pressure off the Denver offense. One time. But after blitzing ferociously in the first quarter, the Broncos allowed the Bills’ 25th-ranked offense to score on six consecutive possessions. Not until the Bills tried running out the clock on their final series were they stopped. If the Broncos fail to win the AFC West, the first finger should be pointed at their defense.
