ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills will take the win any way they can get it.
After a wild, back-and-forth fourth quarter, Ryan Fitzpatrick found David Nelson wide open on fourth down for a 6-yard touchdown pass with 14 seconds left to secure a 38-35 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.
“I don’t know what happened, but I think they misaligned, to be honest,” Fitzpatrick said, in noting how wide open Nelson was over the middle. “I was lucky enough to see it.”
Chalk it up to luck, pluck and resilience, because the Bills are showing they’re improved.
A week after a convincing 41-7 win at Kansas City, the Fitzpatrick-led offense had a 35-point second half in overcoming a 21-3 first-half deficit.
Buffalo scored touchdowns on each of its five second-half possessions as the teams traded the lead five times in the final 14:10.
Fitzpatrick went 28-of-46 for 264 yards and three touchdowns, while running back Fred Jackson scored twice in the Bills’ home opener.
“I can’t recall one quite like that,” Bills coach Chan Gailey said. “It was an amazing gut check by our football team. What they did coming out of halftime was really amazing.”
The 38 points were the most allowed by Oakland in a loss since a 43-37 defeat to Seattle in 1998. And they allowed 481 yards — 326 in the second half — and 34 first downs.
“Good job by them, bad job by us,” Raiders coach Hue Jackson said. “When it’s all said and done, we did not finish the game.”
And yet, the Raiders nearly pulled off an improbable comeback of their own.
From his own 44, Jason Campbell threw a desperation pass into the end zone that was intercepted by rookie cornerback Da’Norris Searcy, who outwrestled receiver Denarius Moore for the ball.
As if the game needed any more drama, officials required 10 minutes to review the final play — Searcy’s interception — to determine that the call on the field was correct.
