Raiders Dig Themselves Into a Hole, Lose, 37-21

The Buffalo Bills plugged one hole and opened up lots of others Sunday as they beat the Raiders, 37-21.

With reserve guard Dale Hellestrae filling in for injured starter Tim Volger, the American Football Conference East champions rushed 48 times for 255 yards. That was 106 yards more than they gained on the ground in their last two games combined.

“I just wanted to perform up to my capabilities; it was just a matter of going out and proving it,” said Hellestrae, a three-year veteran who saw his first extensive playing time.

Hellestrae and his linemates opened huge holes for Robb Riddick, Thurman Thomas and fullback Jamie Mueller as the Bills improved their record to an AFC-best 12-3.

“Hellestrae did a super job,” Bills center Kent Hull said. “It’s nice to have Tim in there, but Dale’s had a chance to work with us and get familiar with what’s going on.”

Riddick scored on two short touchdown runs, while Thomas rushed 14 times for 106 yards and a touchdown and Mueller gained 61 yards.

Coach Marv Levy was pleased with the ground attack, but pointed to another factor as a key to the victory.

“In a nutshell, if you win the turnover battle, everything else gets a lot more productive,” Levy said. The Bills, who turned the ball over eight times in their last two games, recovered three Raider fumbles and turned them into 10 points.

The game was played in frigid weather, with the game-time temperature at 11 degrees and the wind-chill at minus-14. The Raiders, however, didn’t blame the cold.

“The elements weren’t a factor,” said Raider Coach Mike Shanahan, whose team is 7-8 but still has playoff hopes--most of which hinged on the outcome of Sunday night’s Seattle-Denver game. “They won in all areas today -- offense, defense and special teams. I’m not very pleased with the way we played.”

Jay Schroeder threw two touchdown passes for the Raiders, while Steve Smith caught a scoring pass and also ran for a touchdown.

The freezing conditions didn’t stop 77,348 fans from helping the Bills establish an NFL record for home attendance this season with 622,793, beating the previous standard of 622,593 set by Detroit in 1980.

The Bills broke open the game with 13 second-quarter points as the Raiders turned over the ball twice in the period.

With the teams tied 7-7 early in the quarter, Thomas broke through the Los Angeles defense for a 37-yard scoring run that put the Bills ahead for good.

Schroeder fumbled on the Raiders next two possessions. The first turnover yielded no points for the Bills, but the second turned into a 30-yard Scott Norwood field goal that made it 17-7.

Another 30-yard field goal by Norwood as the first half ended boosted the lead to 20-7.

The Bills made it 27-7 after Tim Brown fumbled a Buffalo punt early in the third quarter and the Bills recovered on the Raiders’ 11. Four plays later, Riddick ran off left tackle for a 2-yard touchdown.

Brown redeemed himself by catching a 43-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter. But the Bills responded by driving 63 yards before Jim Kelly hit Butch Rolle with a 2-yard touchdown pass that made it 34-14.

Helped by a 57-yard pass play from Schroeder to James Lofton, the Raiders made it 34-21 midway through the fourth quarter on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Schroeder to Smith.

The Bills closed out the scoring when Norwood hit a 22-yard field goal with just under two minutes left.

Buffalo drove 80 yards on its first possession, with Riddick capping the drive on a 1-yard run. The Raiders came back with its own scoring drive as Smith ran in from one yard out with 22 seconds left in the quarter.