NFL : With Kelly Out, Gilbert Leads Bills to 17-13 Win

With Jim Kelly out because of an injury, the Buffalo Bills gave third-string quarterback Gale Gilbert an entire half to show what he could do. He didn’t waste his chance.

Gilbert completed 12 of 20 passes for 117 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown pass to Al Edwards in the third quarter, lifting the Bills to a 17-13 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday in the American Bowl at Wembley Stadium.

“I’m just trying to come on and learn as much as I can,” said Gilbert, in his fourth season out of Cal. “I got to keep on trying and hope it comes right for me somewhere down the road.”

Gilbert played in only one game for the Bills last season, completing eight of 15 passes. He got his chance to play against the Eagles because Kelly pulled a hamstring on the first day of training camp.

Starter Frank Reich completed four of 11 passes for 63 yards.

“The other guys have still got some learning to do, but they’re both on the way up,” Buffalo Coach Marv Levy said. “It’s good to have the three of them in competition, but Jimmy’s still the star.”

After Roger Ruzek put the Eagles ahead, 13-10, with a 37-yard field goal midway through the third period, Gilbert led the Bills 78 yards in 10 plays for the only touchdown of the second half.

After Carwell Gardner had 41 yards on three runs and one reception, Gilbert passed to Don Beebe over the middle for a 20-yard play to the 16. Two plays later, Gilbert threw to Edwards in the end zone.

On the Bills’ next possession, Gilbert completed five passes to drive the Bills to the Philadelphia one-yard line, but the Eagles stopped four consecutive runs.

The Eagles opened the scoring on a three-yard touchdown pass from Randall Cunningham to Keith Byars on the game’s first series.

After a 28-yard punt gave Buffalo the ball at the Philadelphia 46, the Bills tied it on a three-yard run by Kenneth Davis.

Buffalo’s Vernon Turner returned a punt 27 yards to set up a 30-yard field goal by Scott Norwood for a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter.

Ruzek kicked a 37-yard field goal with 10:02 left in the half.

A crowd of 50,474 was the lowest attendance of the six American Bowls played at Wembley.