Colts Deliver Knockout Blow

The Buffalo Bills’ playoff hopes are dead.

The quarterback controversy?

It may never die.

Rob Johnson--sacked an astonishing eight times--was pulled for the second game in a row Monday night, this time after his second interception was returned for a touchdown.

And with 9:38 left in the Bills’ 44-20 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Doug Flutie trotted onto the field.

Still, the point is moot: The rest of the season doesn’t matter any more for the Bills, officially eliminated from the playoff race at 7-7.

Buffalo’s loss allowed Denver to clinch a playoff berth.

The Colts, once Super Bowl favorites and now almost given up for dead, still have a chance at a wild-card spot--but it’s a slim one.

At 8-6, their final two games are against Miami (10-4) and Minnesota (11-3). They are chasing the New York Jets, who at the moment hold the final AFC wild-card spot at 9-5.

“We can’t control what happens with the Jets. We can control what happens with Miami,” quarterback Peyton Manning said. “We want to go down there and keep our playoff hopes alive.”

The Colt defense--so justly maligned--was in attack mode against Buffalo.

Johnson bore the brunt of it, contributing to two Indianapolis touchdowns, one when he was sacked by Jeff Burris, who knocked the ball loose for defensive lineman Bernard Holsey to scoop up and run 48 yards to the end zone.

The other came in the fourth quarter, when he threw right into the waiting arms of Mustafah Muhammad, who returned the interception 40 yards for a touchdown.

“Myself, I’d like to get out of this little funk I’m in,” Johnson said. “This is a bad two-game stretch for me.”

And as for being pulled?

“I didn’t like it,” Johnson said. “My arm’s pretty messed up. I have a bad [sore elbow]. I’d like to finish the season. It’s not fun being pulled two times.

“If 10 guys were playing perfect and I was screwing up--but I don’t think that was the case.”

Johnson is often blamed for sacks because he sometimes holds the ball too long, but Indianapolis blitzers were flying in untouched at times, and that can’t be pinned on Johnson.

Flutie coming into the game caused only a rumble in the RCA Dome, but one can imagine the commotion in Buffalo.

So long the fan favorite, Flutie shoveled the ball to Shawn Bryson for a 24-yard gain on his first play, then capped the drive with a touchdown pass to Peerless Price on fourth and 12 from the Indianapolis 29-yard line.

“We have a lot of problems,” Flutie said after the game.

Asked what he expected to happen with the quarterback decision, he said, “It’s not up to me.”

A year ago, the situation was reversed, when Coach Wade Phillips named Johnson to replace Flutie for the playoffs.

This year, Phillips’ decision only stirs the pot for the long off-season.

It could be a long one for Indianapolis too.

But the Colts, who have been one of the NFL’s worst teams at forcing turnovers this season, picked off two passes and forced a fumble and recovered it for a touchdown.

They entered the week with the fifth-worst turnover margin in the NFL at minus-11.

Another Colt touchdown came after Buffalo punter Chris Mohr took too much time getting the ball away and Paul Shields blocked the punt, giving Indianapolis the ball at the Buffalo 25.

Edgerrin James, who rushed for 111 yards in 27 carries and took over the NFL rushing lead from Minnesota’s Robert Smith, eventually carried the ball in from a yard out.

Even when the Bills scored, they messed up.

After Sammy Morris scored from less than a yard out to cut the lead to 23-12 in the third quarter, a botched snap on the extra-point attempt cost the Bills.

It was only one of many mistakes--and the second ugly week in a row for Buffalo.

Johnson was coming off one of his worst games after being pulled in the third quarter of a stunning 33-6 loss to Miami at home last week.

He threw two interceptions and was sacked five times while passing for a mere 44 yards in that game.

With eight more sacks Monday, it brought his season total to 48.

“It’s frustrating trying to make plays,” Johnson said.

Not Too Super

With less than three weeks remaining before the playoffs, there doesn’t seem to be one team in the NFL that can be considered a lock to win the Super Bowl. Mike Penner writes. D5