Bills Get Last Chance, Give the Rams First Defeat, 23-20

With the game secured, intended messages sent, Greg Bell’s clock rung, Frank Reich discovered, the unbeatens beaten and 1:33 remaining, a football game unraveled at the seams and unfolded into Monday night history--a conclusion seen but not believed by the Rams, who may need weeks to recover.

The Buffalo Bills defeated the Rams, 23-20, before 76,231 at Rich Stadium on an eight-yard scoring pass from Reich to receiver Andre Reed with 16 seconds remaining. But one play doesn’t begin to tell the story of the Bills who, in a span of 1 minute 17 seconds, won a game, lost a game, and snatched a game back, using a near-impossible scenario that included a quarterback making his first National Football League start.

It started innocently with Bill tailback Thurman Thomas, who was running out the clock on a 16-13 win, the Rams helpless after failing on fourth down at their own 22. Thomas headed into the line on first down, and was stripped of the ball by linebacker Mel Owens. Michael Stewart somehow recovered at the 22 with 1:33 and one last breath of life to be breathed.

Quarterback Jim Everett heaved a pass over the middle on first down and Flipper Anderson somehow caught it and eluded defenders Kirby Jackson and Leonard Smith on the way to a 78-yard touchdown play with 1:22 left, deadening a sellout crowd and sending the Rams into gyrations of elation on the sidelines.

The Bills were left with barely more than a minute and three timeouts with 64 yards to cover behind Reich, Jim Kelly’s replacement and a man who once went three years without throwing a pass in this league.

It was thought Reich had worked his one miracle for the evening, leading the Bills on a fourth-quarter drive that ended with a one-yard scoring pass--the presumed game-winner--to Thomas with 2:23 remaining.

Reich is a boot salesman by trade, a quarterback by perseverance.

When he took control behind center at his own 36 with 1:17 remaining, the Anderson catch firmly embedded, there seemed little chance. But the Rams were lying back, and Reich chopped them to pieces, the first deep cut coming on an 18-yard pass to Thomas to the Ram 43. With 26 seconds left, Reich dumped a pass to Thomas for 15 yards to the Ram 22.

Then came a swing pass to Ronnie Harmon, who moved passed safety Vince Newsome for 14 yards to the Ram eight. Twenty seconds left.

What could Reich have up his sleeve? Who before Monday night could have cared?

Reich’s final strike to Reed was perfect on a post pattern. Reed lined up left and cut to the middle in front of Rams’ cornerback LeRoy Irvin. Reed crossed the goal’s plane with 16 seconds left, briefly stopping Ram hearts and making Reich a hero.

It was a game in which the final two minute outshone the first 58.

Mickey Sutton, the ex-Ram cornerback who keeps following his former teammates around the league--he’s already faced the Rams this season as a Green Bay Packer--set up the Rams’ first score when he fumbled a wind-blown punt at his own 16 with 7:08 left in the quarter. On third and eight at the 14, Everett dumped a pass over the middle to Buford McGee to get the Rams to first and goal at the four. One play later, Everett found McGee again on a three-yard scoring pass.

Yet the Bills’ defense, inspired by Bruce Smith and Cornelius Bennett, wouldn’t let the Rams pull away.

With with 6:13 left in the half, the Bills, with great pleasure, forced Bell to fumble for the first time in 112 carries this season. Jeff Wright recovered at the Ram 20, and although the drive stalled, Buffalo made it 7-3 on Scott Norwood’s 38-yard field goal.

The Bills shut down the Ram offense again on the ensuing possession, and got the ball back with 2:16 left at the Ram 49.

Reich hit Reed on passes of nine and five yards to help get Buffalo close enough for Norwood.

As it turned out, the Bills barely managed. Norwood’s 47-yard field goal with 56 seconds left grazed the crossbar on its way over, slicing the lead to 7-6 at halftime.

Bell, who made no secret this week his disdain for Buffalo, was generally crushed at every turn. He gained 44 yards in 21 attempts but vowed to move on.

“I think the media tried to hype this game,” Bell said. “I just tried to go out and play the best football that I was capable of playing. Tomorrow morning we will wake up and this game will be history. We are going home 5-1 instead of being 6-0.”

The Rams had so many chances to prevent a miracle finish it bares inspection. On the first play of the second half, Thomas, who gained 105 yards in 24 carries, fumbled at his 33. But the Rams were knocked out of field goal range when Smith sacked Everett for a five-yard loss to the 37.

Late in the third quarter, with the Bills driving in Ram territory, Reich’s pass went through cornerback Jerry Gray’s hands and bounced into Reed’s for a nine-yard gain. Had Gray held on, he might have scored. Instead, the Bills drove on and cut the lead to 10-9 on a 40-yard field goal by Norwood with 14:09 left.

The Rams drove 60 yards on their next possession, but again had to settle for three--on Lanford’s 36-yarder--instead of seven.

The Bill defense, reborn after a slow start and local criticism, returned to form against the Rams, sacking Everett twice and causing several more poor throws.

Henry Ellard, the NFL’s leading receiver, made his first catch with 5:05 left in the third quarter.

“No question, they played their best game of the season,” Bill Coach Marv Levy said of his defense. “They gave up that touchdown at the end on a great play, but they rose time and time again.”

Ram Notes

Ram linebacker Fred Strickland sprained his left ankle in the second half but X-rays were negative. . . . Jim Everett completed 15 of 36 passes for 219 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.