Bills ride rookie to victory
Maybe the Buffalo Bills will give rookie running back Marshawn Lynch a shot at kicker.
Marshawn Lynch led the Bills to their third straight win and a 4-4 record with a career-high 153 yards on 29 carries against the Cincinnati Bengals this past Sunday, including a 56-yard touchdown run with less than three minutes to go in the game. Before his big TD run, Marshawn Lynch fired an eight-yard touchdown pass to tight end Robert Royal.
"It feels great," Marshawn Lynch said of his busy day. "But the win feels better. I give big ups to my offensive linemen, carrying me the way (they did) and I want to congratulate myself."
Marshawn Lynch and the Bills produced 479 yards of offense to match the team's best output since a 49-31 setback to Oakland during the 2002 campaign. Buffalo's first-round pick in last April's NFL Draft, Marshawn Lynch recorded the first touchdown pass by a Buffalo non-quarterback since Joe Cribbs tossed a scoring strike to Curtis Brown against Dallas on November 9, 1981.
The former Cal standout played a big role in the decisive 17-point fourth quarter for Buffalo, which will play three of its next four games on the road in Miami, Jacksonville and Washington.
Bills wideout Lee Evans enjoyed his second straight game with at least 100 yards receiving on Sunday. He ended with a season-high 165 yards and a touchdown on nine catches, just one week after hauling in five passes for 138 yards and a score.
It's pretty obvious Evans enjoys quarterback J.P. Losman under center rather than rookie Trent Edwards. Evans didn't have a choice when Losman lost his starting job because of injury, but he was back directing the offense in the Cincinnati game.
"I think as a receiver and making plays down the field, it comes with time," said Evans, who has 19 catches for 401 yards over the last three games. "(He and Losman) weren't very successful early in the season. Now as we get into a rhythm, you start to get them. Being a receiver in a good offense, if you're running the ball well and blocking well, you're going to get opportunities. And now we're getting those opportunities."
Evans was limited to 12 catches for 101 yards over the first five games.
DEFENSE COMES UP BIG
Buffalo's defense welcomed back Bengals running back Rudi Johnson from injury by holding the former Auburn star to just 11 yards on nine carries. Backup Kenny Watson did not fare better, recording an identical 11 yards on four touches.
"That was our goal going into the game," Bills linebacker Angelo Crowell said on Sunday. "We knew they had a very explosive offense, great run and great passing ability. We knew we had to stop one of the two."
Crowell led the way with a game-high 14 tackles.
The Buffalo secondary also played well against of the top passing teams in the NFL. Dangerous Cincinnati wide receivers Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh were limited to a combined 93 yards on seven catches. Johnson entered Sunday's game with 44 catches and a league-best 104.4-yard average per game. Houshmandzadeh led the NFL with 58 catches along with 639 yards and nine touchdowns heading into the contest.
"It was a good day for us," Bills veteran cornerback Terrence McGee said. "Those guys are great receivers, so we knew it would be a challenge."
UP NEXT: BILLS HEAD TO SOUTH BEACH
The Bills will put their three-game winning streak on the line this Sunday against the AFC East-rival Miami Dolphins. Miami and St. Louis are the only winless teams in the NFL, so a loss to the Dolphins would be highly devastating.
Miami had a bye this past week after suffering a 13-10 loss to the New York Giants at Wembley Stadium in London, England on October 28.
Marshawn Lynch could have another strong outing, as the Dolphins rank 31st in the NFL against the run (160.5 ypg).
Miami leads the all-time regular season series with Buffalo, 49-32-1, but was swept in last year's home-and-home. The Bills were 16-6 winners when the teams met in Miami in Week 2, then blanked Miami by a 21-0 count at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Week 15.
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