Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, January 13, 1992 TAG: 9201130089
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. LENGTH: Medium
DEFENSE FITS THE BILLS FOR 2ND SUPER BOWL RUN
No offense, but Buffalo is going back to the Super Bowl.Their no-huddle, a no-show against a brilliantly prepared Denver defense, the Bills had only one touchdown - from its defense - and beat the Broncos 10-7 Sunday for the AFC championship.
Buffalo got its points from Carlton Bailey's 11-yard return of a tipped John Elway pass in the third quarter and a 44-yard field goal by Scott Norwood in the fourth.
It was Norwood who missed the 47-yard field-goal attempt that would have won the last Super Bowl. Now, he will have another chance, Jan. 26 in Minneapolis.
So defensive was the game that Denver backup quarterback Gary Kubiak, who took over after Elway was injured, threw for more yardage than either Elway or Jim Kelly, two of the NFL's premier quarterbacks.
"When Carlton made the interception, the whole offense was saying, `Please get into the end zone,' " said Kelly, who was 13-of-25 for only 117 yards.
During a 13-3 regular season, the offense carried the Bills, leading the league at 448 yards a game while the defense was next-to-last statistically. Sunday, the roles were reversed, with the offense getting just 213 yards.
"It's too late now to say, `Who did this' or `Who did that,' " said linebacker Cornelius Bennett, clearly the game's dominant player with seven tackles, two assists and half a sack.
Bailey said, "It's not just a matter for stats. There's a lot of teams - the number three, four and five defenses - they're not in the position we're in."
The Bills almost weren't there, either.
The Broncos, almost two-touchdown underdogs despite a 13-4 season, had chance after chance, even after they lost Elway in the fourth quarter with a bruised thigh. Elway was feeling faint in the locker room after the game and had to be helped from a podium in the press room.
Denver reached Buffalo territory nine times, including all six times they had the ball in the scoreless first half. They scored once.
David Treadwell missed field-goal attempts of 47, 42 and 37 yards in the first half; Kubiak came up a yard short at the Buffalo 21 on a fourth-and-11 pass to Michael Young in the fourth quarter; and Steve Sewell fumbled away their last hope at the Bills' 44 on the first play after the Broncos had recovered an on-side kick after Kubiak's 3-yard touchdown run with 1:43 left.
"We did everything we could," Denver coach Dan Reeves said. "Our defense held them to three points. It's a shame a turnover changed the game."
Buffalo coach Marv Levy said, "They didn't do anything differently. They just played hard and aggressive. We're just happy to get out with a win."
Kubiak, who is retiring after this season, completed 11 of 12 passes for 136 yards against a prevent defense. Elway, 10-of-15 in the first half for 113 yards, was 1-of-6 for 8 yards in the second half.
Two of Treadwell's misses hit the right upright.
"On the third one, I thought the ball was already through," said Treadwell, who won last week's game against the Houston Oilers with a 28-yarder. "Then I saw it bounce and I thought, `My gosh, I can't believe this is happening again.' "
Buffalo's defense had a lot to do with it.
Bennett, Darryl Talley and nose tackle Jeff Wright were the leaders, but cornerback Kirby Jackson made perhaps the biggest play, stripping Sewell of the ball to deprive the Broncos of a possible last-second score.
"We did a lot of good things today, but we didn't capitalize on the things we did early," said Dave Widell, who filled in for injured Keith Kartz at center.
The game was scoreless at halftime, as Buffalo was held to 58 total yards.
The Bills almost matched that total on their second possession of the third quarter, driving 44 yards to the Denver 26. On a third-and-seven, Tyrone Braxton intercepted Kelly.
That turned out to be a turning point - for the Bills.
On the second play, Elway dropped back and attempted a middle screen pass, a play that had worked for 21 yards in the first half.
But Wright tipped it, and Bailey grabbed the ball on the 11, juggled it, broke a tackle by Elway and ran into into the end zone.
"I had a window there, but it was an awful small window, and Wright just tipped the ball right into Bailey's hands," Elway said. "I should have made the tackle."
Of his first touchdown in four NFL seasons, Bailey said: "I just didn't do it by myself. Jeff tipped the ball and I was just there."
\ see microfilm for box score
Keywords:
FOOTBALL