Bills Get Job Done Early

The Buffalo Bills and Doug Flutie have specialized in dramatic finishes this season. Sunday, they finally won in easy fashion.

Instead of a big play at the end, the Bills produced a 24-point second quarter and 34-11 win. Antowain Smith rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns and Doug Flutie completed 20 of 28 passes for 230 yards and two more scores.

“We took control early and won decisively,” said Flutie, who has kept the Bills in the thick of the AFC East race after an 0-3 start. “It was the first time we put someone away. It was an all-around effort and it felt good.”

“Every game I’m looking to have a big game,” said Smith, who rushed for a career-high 130 yards and scored two touchdowns in a comeback victory over the Colts earlier in the season. “Some games don’t turn out that way, but this was a statement that we’re going to continue running the ball.”

Colt rookie Peyton Manning completed 14 of 29 passes for 164 yards with two interceptions. He had a 30-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison with 4:13 to play, but the bulk of Manning’s passing yardage came long after the game was decided. The Colts had 86 yards rushing.

“It was just bad football by the Indianapolis Colts against a good football team,” said Colt Coach Jim Mora, whose team fell to 2-9.

When the teams met in Buffalo last year, the Bills came back from a 26-0 deficit to win 37-35, marking the second-greatest comeback in the NFL’s regular season .

There was no such suspense this time as the Bills took a 24-3 halftime lead after trailing, 3-0 going into the second quarter.

Andre Reed caught six passes for 108 yards and a 67-yard touchdown for Buffalo (7-4), which remained in second place in the AFC East.