CINCINNATI — Down 31-14 at halftime, the one-win Buffalo Bills got angry.
Angry at the officials for giving Cincinnati another play to kick a field goal. Angry at themselves for getting in such a big hole in front of such a small crowd.
Angry enough to pull off their best comeback in 13 years.
Ryan Fitzpatrick matched his career high with four touchdown passes, and the Bills rallied Sunday for their second consecutive win, 49-31 over the bumbling Cincinnati Bengals.
“We could’ve easily folded our tent,” said cornerback Drayton Florence, who returned a fumble 27 yards for a touchdown in the comeback. “It looked like they folded their tents on their sideline.”
Buffalo (2-8) took advantage of Cincinnati’s depleted secondary for its biggest comeback since it overcame a 26-0 deficit and topped the Colts 37-35 on Sept. 21, 1997, according to STATS LLC. The turning point came at the end of the first half, when the clock ran out but the officials ruled Cincinnati had called a timeout with one second to go.
The Bengals (2-8) used that restored second to kick a field goal for that huge cushion. The Bills complained to the officials while running off the field, then vented to each other.
“In the locker room at halftime, it was louder than what their stadium was the entire game,” safety Donte Whitner said.
Fitzpatrick took advantage of a defense down to four healthy defensive backs by game’s end. Steve Johnson caught three of his touchdown passes, including an 11-yarder that put Buffalo ahead 35-31 early in the fourth quarter. Johnson finished with eight catches for 137 yards as Buffalo outscored Cincinnati 35-0 in the second half.
“It was awesome,” Fitzpatrick said. “Everybody believed the whole game. This was a big win for us. Once you get that first one, everything falls into place.”
With the collapse, the Bengals secured their 18th nonwinning record in the last 20 years. The only bright side: Cincinnati fans didn’t get to see it on local television. The Bengals failed to sell out a home game for the first time since 2003.
“We are terrible,” receiver Terrell Owens said. “And I don’t blame the fans for booing us. I don’t blame people for not wanting to come and see the performance we’ve put up the last (seven) ballgames.”
It was the Bengals’ biggest collapse since Nov. 12, 2006, when they led San Diego 28-7 at Paul Brown Stadium and lost 49-41.
“One for the books,” Bengals offensive lineman Bobbie Williams said.
