1998: Flutie & Bills Dominate Second Half to Defeat Colts

The Buffalo Bills were off to a slow 1-3 start as they faced the Indianapolis Colts on October 11, 1998. The Bills were in transition as key players in conference-topping seasons such as QB Jim Kelly, RB Thurman Thomas, and WR Andre Reed were either gone or in the twilight of great careers. Marv Levy had retired as head coach and was replaced by Wade Phillips, and the team invested heavily in QB Rob Johnson, who was obtained from Jacksonville and viewed as a young passer with great potential. The Bills also picked up 35-year-old QB Doug Flutie (pictured at right), the diminutive former Heisman Trophy winner who came from the CFL following eight outstanding seasons after faltering in the NFL. Johnson had the starting job and initially struggled, but performed well in an upset of the 49ers the previous week.

The Colts were at 1-4 and also won for the first time the week before. Head Coach Jim Mora’s team had a young quarterback of its own in Peyton Manning, the first overall pick in the NFL draft. He had been put directly into the starting lineup and, as to be expected, was struggling in the early going. RB Marshall Faulk was highly productive as a runner and receiver out of the backfield, but Indianapolis was a young team and very much a work in progress.

There were 52,938 fans in attendance at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. Following a short series by the Bills that ended with a punt, and with Rob Johnson having to exit due to bruised ribs suffered when he was sacked on third down, the Colts started with good field position at their 48. Marshall Faulk took off around left end for a 40-yard gain to the Buffalo 12, and after three more Faulk carries picked up seven yards, Mike Vanderjagt kicked a 22-yard field goal to give the home team an early 3-0 lead.

Doug Flutie was at quarterback for the Bills in place of Johnson on the next series and he completed four passes, the longest to WR Eric Moulds for 16 yards. The drive stalled at the Indianapolis 35 and the visitors came up empty when Steve Christie missed on a 53-yard field goal attempt.

The Colts went 42 yards in seven plays on their next possession. Peyton Manning completed a pass to TE Ken Dilger for 21 yards on first down to move the ball back into Buffalo territory and a pass interference penalty on a third down play advanced the ball to the Buffalo 18. Once again the Colts couldn’t reach the end zone but Vanderjagt added another field goal, from 33 yards, to put them ahead by 6-0.

Following a punt by the Bills early in the second quarter, the Colts put together a nine-play, 54-yard drive that was helped along by a roughing-the-passer penalty on DE Bruce Smith. Manning converted a third-and-nine situation with a completion to WR Marvin Harrison and Vanderjagt kicked a 43-yard field goal, his third, to put Indianapolis up by 9-0.

Taking possession with 8:17 remaining in the first half, the Bills advanced 71 yards in nine plays. Five of them were pass completions by Flutie, with three to WR Andre Reed. The third was for 24 yards to reach the Indianapolis six and, two plays later, a scrambling Flutie connected with TE Jay Riemersma for a seven-yard TD. Christie added the extra point to make it a two-point contest. The Colts responded with a scoring drive that included Manning passes to Faulk that covered 26, 11, and five yards and once again ended with a field goal by Vanderjagt, this time covering 41 yards. Indianapolis took a 12-7 lead into halftime, but after dominating play in the first half, the Colts led by only five points.

In their second possession of the third quarter, the Bills moved 59 yards in 11 plays. Flutie converted three third downs along the way, with a 20-yard completion to FB Sam Gash while facing third-and-three, a four-yard toss to WR Kevin Williams when again in a third-and-three situation, and the last was again to Williams on third-and-goal for a six-yard TD. Christie added the point after and Buffalo was in front for the first time by 14-12.

A three-and-out possession by the Colts gave the Bills the ball at their 43 and resulted in a seven-play, 57-yard drive that stretched into the fourth quarter. The big plays along the way were passes to Reed for 20 and 15 yards, and Flutie had a 12-yard run as well. RB Antowain Smith gained the last four yards for a touchdown and Christie converted.

It quickly got worse for the Colts when, on their second play of the ensuing series, Manning was intercepted by NT Ted Washington, who batted the ball into the air at the line and gathered it in to give Buffalo the ball at the Indianapolis 25. Four plays later, it was Smith scoring another touchdown from a yard out and, with Christie’s kick, the Bills had a commanding 28-12 lead with eleven minutes to play.

The Colts were unable to get out of their end of the field on the next series, resulting in a punt, and with Smith running the ball five straight times, the big one for a gain of 30 yards, Buffalo was able to add a 39-yard Christie field goal.

In a deep 31-12 hole, the Colts fought back as Manning filled the air with passes. A 14-play drive covered 83 yards and resulted in a touchdown pass to WR Torrance Small from three yards out. The try for a two-point conversion failed and Indianapolis remained behind by 31-18. The home team got their next shot with 55 seconds left on the clock and Manning tossed to Harrison for a 25-yard TD. Again the try for a two-point conversion failed, but the outcome was already decided. Buffalo won by a final score of 31-24.

  

The Bills led in total yards (381 to 341), first downs (24 to 21), and time of possession (36:41 to 23:19). However, during Buffalo’s 24-point surge in the second half, the visitors outgained Indianapolis by 150 yards to 28. The Colts also turned the ball over twice, to none by the Bills. Buffalo led in penalties with 9 at a cost of 77 yards to four for 18 yards on the Colts.

Doug Flutie was highly efficient, especially in the second half, as he completed 23 of 28 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns with none intercepted. Antowain Smith rushed for 130 yards on 31 carries that included two TDs. Thurman Thomas gained 23 yards on six rushing attempts and 5 catches for 32 yards while Sam Gash contributed 45 yards on his 5 receptions. Andre Reed also pulled in 5 passes and led the Bills with 76 yards.

For the Colts, Peyton Manning was successful on 20 of 41 throws for 235 yards and two TDs while being intercepted twice. Marshall Faulk gained 93 rushing yards on 18 carries and also led the club with 6 pass receptions for 80 yards. Mike Vanderjagt was a perfect four-for-four on field goal attempts.

“We had opportunities to score touchdowns and weren’t able to do that, and that hurt us,” summed up Coach Jim Mora in defeat. “We were playing well and had good field position and couldn’t get it in the end zone. In the second half, they took over offensively and defensively, and we couldn’t get anything going.”

The win for Buffalo marked the second of five straight on the way to a 10-6 record and third place finish in the AFC East. That was enough to secure a Wild Card playoff spot, but the Bills lost to the club that came in second, Miami, in the first round. The Colts were at 1-8 before they won again and ended up at 3-13 for the second consecutive year. However, the groundwork was laid for significant improvement.

Doug Flutie ended up having a Pro Bowl year as he passed for 2711 yards and 20 touchdowns, and provided a spark to the offense, although the competition with Rob Johnson proved to be rancorous. Antowain Smith also continued to perform well, rushing for 1124 yards on 300 carries (3.7 avg.) with eight TDs.

Peyton Manning played every down at quarterback for the Colts and while he led the NFL by tossing 28 interceptions, he also threw 26 TD passes and accumulated 3739 passing yards, foreshadowing much bigger seasons to come.

1998: Jets Defeat Bills to Clinch AFC East

The New York Jets had a 10-4 record and were looking to wrap up the AFC East title as they faced the Buffalo Bills on December 19, 1998. In their second season under Head Coach Bill Parcells, the Jets were a far cry from the 1-15 club of two years earlier. Newcomers to the offense, most notably QB Vinny Testaverde (pictured at right) and RB Curtis Martin, were having a major impact, as were wide receivers Keyshawn Johnson, a flashy third-year player, and Wayne Chrebet, a classic overachiever in his fourth season. The defense was strongest at linebacker, where Mo Lewis was joined by Bryan Cox, let go by the Bears but revitalized with the Jets.

Buffalo was coached by Wade Phillips and came into the contest at 9-5. Diminutive 36-year-old QB Doug Flutie had turned the club around in his return to the NFL from the CFL, taking over for QB Rob Johnson after a slow start. Retooling from the squad that had started the decade with four straight AFC Championships, the offense now also featured RB Antowain Smith and WR Eric Moulds while RB Thurman Thomas and WR Andre Reed had reduced roles. The tough defense was still anchored by DE Bruce Smith, who was beginning to slow down at age 36, as well as NT Ted Washington.

There were 79,056 fans in attendance at Rich Stadium on a windy Saturday. The Bills had the first possession and advanced into New York territory thanks to a pass from Doug Flutie to Eric Moulds that picked up 28 yards. Another throw to WR Quinn Early gained eight more yards to the 23, but on the next play the usually sure-handed Antowain Smith fumbled and LB Pepper Johnson recovered for the Jets.

New York drove 79 yards in eight plays. Vinny Testaverde threw to Keyshawn Johnson (pictured below) for 16 yards on first down and, after the series appeared to be stymied at the Jets’ 37, Testaverde ran for 14 yards on a third-and-10 play. Two plays later, RB Dave Meggett, who had only recently joined the team, gained 18 yards on a carry up the middle, Johnson picked up another 25 yards on an end-around, and it was Testaverde to Wayne Chrebet for a seven-yard touchdown. John Hall added the extra point and the visitors had the early 7-0 lead.

On the next possession, the Bills converted a third-and-nine situation with a Flutie pass to Moulds for 27 yards, but a 15-yard taunting penalty on the receiver at the end of the play erased most of the gain and Buffalo was ultimately forced to punt. Chris Mohr’s kick traveled 47 yards and pinned the Jets back at their one yard line, and a short series resulted in a punt in return. A 30-yard kick by John Kidd went just 30 yards and gave the Bills good starting field position at the New York 40. But after a short Flutie pass to Smith gained five yards, two more throws were incomplete and, facing fourth-and-five, another pass intended for Moulds also was unsuccessful.

The teams continued to exchange punts as the game entered the second quarter. Finally, Buffalo put together an 11-play drive that covered 79 yards. Flutie completed passes to FB Sam Gash for nine yards and WR Kevin Williams for 22 yards in a third-and-six situation. Smith ran effectively and Flutie himself had a nine-yard run. Flutie connected with Thurman Thomas for a 25-yard TD to complete the series and Steve Christie added the point after to tie the score.

Following a punt by the Jets, the Bills drove from their one to the New York 10 as Flutie completed three passes, the longest to Moulds (pictured below) for 35 yards, but they ultimately came up empty when Christie was wide to the left on a 28-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds of the half. The score remained unchanged at 7-7 although Buffalo had already accumulated 266 yards.

The Jets started off the third quarter by advancing into Buffalo territory. Testaverde completed consecutive passes to Keyshawn Johnson for 16 and six yards and Curtis Martin had a nine-yard run. Hall kicked a 48-yard field goal to put the visitors back in the lead by 10-7.

Buffalo responded with a long scoring drive. Smith carried most of the load, picking up 35 yards on eight attempts and Flutie converted two third downs, one on a pass to Williams for seven yards and another on a three-yard run. The advance finally faltered at the New York 26 and Christie tied the score once more with a 44-yard field goal into the wind. But two plays after the ensuing kickoff, Testaverde threw to WR Dedric Ward, who beat CB Donovan Greer, an injury replacement, for a 71-yard touchdown. Hall’s kick gave the visitors a seven-point lead.

The Bills had to punt following the next series and the Jets moved into Buffalo territory, helped by a defensive holding penalty in a third-and-nine situation. But they were again forced to try for a field goal and Hall’s attempt from 46 yards was no good.

Following another exchange of punts, the Bills had good starting field position at the New York 49. Keeping the ball on the ground, they reached the 21, but a Flutie pass was bobbled by Williams and barely picked off by diving CB Victor Green (television replays were inconclusive as to whether he maintained possession) with just under four minutes remaining in regulation.

The Jets went three-and-out, with Kidd’s punt sailing 57 yards. Starting from their 20, the Bills had one last chance and Flutie immediately threw to Moulds for 17 yards. But following a short run by Thomas, the next three passes fell incomplete to turn the ball over to New York on downs. There was still 1:32 left on the clock, but a Testaverde throw to Johnson for seven yards on a third-and-six play nailed down the 17-10 win for the Jets.

Buffalo had the edge in total yards (366 to 269), although the Bills gained only 100 yards in the second half. They also had more first downs (21 to 14) and ran far more plays (74 to 51). However, the home team also turned the ball over twice, to none suffered by the Jets.

Vinny Testaverde completed 14 of 23 passes for 184 yards and a touchdown while giving up no interceptions. Keyshawn Johnson had 7 catches for 66 yards while Dedric Ward gained a team-leading 71 yards on his one long scoring reception. Curtis Martin was held to 38 rushing yards on 20 attempts.

For the Bills, Doug Flutie had a rough outing, completing just 14 of 38 throws for 220 yards and a TD as well as an interception. While he was only sacked once, he faced heavy pressure and was knocked down often. Antowain Smith (pictured below) gained 82 yards while running the ball 20 times. Eric Moulds topped the receivers with four catches for 107 yards.

The Jets won the season finale to finish at 12-4 with their first division title since they were an AFL team in 1969. They reached the AFC Championship game before losing to Denver. Buffalo ended up in third place in the AFC East with a 10-6 record and qualified for the playoffs as a Wild Card. The Bills lost to Miami, the club that finished second in the division, in the first round.

Vinny Testaverde ended up with an AFC-leading 101.6 passer rating, throwing for 3256 yards and 29 TDs with just seven interceptions. He was selected to the Pro Bowl along with Keyshawn Johnson, who caught 83 passes for 1131 yards and 10 touchdowns, and Curtis Martin, who had many more productive games on his way to 1287 rushing yards.

Doug Flutie also was chosen for the Pro Bowl as he started ten games, seven of them wins, and threw for 2711 yards and 20 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. Eric Moulds led the AFC with 1368 pass receiving yards on his 67 catches with 9 TDs and was another Pro Bowl selection. Antowain Smith, in his second season, rushed for 1124 yards while averaging 3.7 yards per attempt and scored eight TDs. 

2001: Antowain Smith Signs with Patriots

On June 7, 2001 the New England Patriots took a step toward improving their running game by signing RB Antowain Smith to a one-year contract. The 29-year old, who started college late and was thus a comparative latecomer to the NFL, had spent the previous four years with the Buffalo Bills.

Smith didn’t play football until he was a high school senior, but excelled when he did, achieving both all-district and all-conference honors. After working for two years to support the grandparents who raised him, he moved on to Eastern Mississippi and then the University of Houston, where he ran for 1847 yards and 19 touchdowns in two seasons.

Smith was chosen by the Bills in the first round of the 1997 NFL draft and backed up RB Thurman Thomas as a rookie but still managed to rush for 840 yards. He followed up with 1124 yards in ’98 as he became the starting tailback. However, injuries, which would become a recurring problem, dropped Smith’s production to 614 yards in 1999, although he performed well in the postseason loss at Tennessee (14 carries for 79 yards and two TDs). In 2000 he appeared in 11 games, starting only three of them, as he found himself out of favor with offensive coordinator Joe Pendry.

With a new front office and coaching staff taking over, the Bills released Smith. He joined a New England squad that had yet to suitably replace star RB Curtis Martin, who departed for the Jets following the 1997 season. J.R. Redmond, a third-round draft choice in 2000, had been the latest disappointment. He started five games and ran for 406 yards in an injury-plagued year while Kevin Faulk, better suited to a part-time role, led the club with 570 yards on the ground. The team as a whole dropped to 5-11 in the first season under Head Coach Bill Belichick and was seeking to retool. Smith was the sort of player that New England was rebuilding with – another club’s misfit who nevertheless was also a highly-motivated, team-oriented type and played with passion.

Smith moved into the lineup and became part of a surprising turnaround by the Patriots that culminated in a NFL Championship. While the biggest story was the injury to QB Drew Bledsoe that opened the door for the unsung Tom Brady, Smith helped by having his best season. A slow start gave way to a 94-yard, two-TD performance against the Colts in the third contest and he had three hundred-yard performances in four weeks at midseason. He reached a high of 156 yards on 26 carries against Miami in the next-to-last game and ended up with 287 rushes for 1157 yards (4.0 avg.) and 12 touchdowns. In the playoffs, Smith gained another 204 yards that included 92 on 18 attempts in the Super Bowl upset of the Rams.

Smith spent two more seasons with the Patriots, rushing for 982 yards in 2002 and catching a career-high 31 passes for 243 yards, although he scored only six touchdowns on the ground and, at age 31, appeared to be wearing down. While New England again reached the top in ’03, Smith was less productive and was released in the offseason. His last hundred-yard game for the Patriots was an even 100 on 22 carries against the Colts in the AFC Championship game, and he rushed for 83 yards on 26 attempts in the Super Bowl vs. Carolina, his final game with the club.

Smith played another two years, with Tennessee in 2004 and New Orleans in ’05, and finished up with 6881 rushing yards on 1784 carries (3.9 avg.) and 54 TDs. Never much of a receiver out of the backfield, he had 136 pass receptions for 982 yards (7.2 avg.) and three TDs. Not a breakaway threat, he was a solid power runner who was at his best carrying the ball between the tackles and wearing defenses down. In 2001, most notably, his performance helped to take pressure off of a promising young quarterback, who could typically stick to a conservative passing game, with excellent results.