Weren't the Buffalo Bills supposed to be in serious trouble?
Amid predictions of doom and gloom, chaos and discord, the Bills called on their old savior, Fred Jackson, to ice what was a stunning 23-20 overtime victory over the Chicago Bears in overtime.
Jackson ran the ball 38 yards, sidewinding down the sideline, on second and 5 from the Bears' 39-yard line to effectively ice the game. It was a miracle that Jackson stayed in bounds as the Bears' defenders flailed hopelessly at the 33-year-old running back's legs.
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Two plays later, Dan Carpenter chipped in the game-winning field goal for the shocking victory.
Bills quarterback EJ Manuel was up and down in the game, but he played efficiently — which, at this point, is what the team will take — in completing 16-of-22 pases for 173 yards, a touchdown and rushing TD that capped off a nice early scoring drive.
The Bears blew this one. Jay Cutler threw an against-his-body interception to defensive tackle Kyle Williams with 8 minutes left in a 17-17 game as they had penetrated Bills territory and looked poised to take the lead. Cutler appeared to be quite figity after losing guard Matt Slauson and receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery to injuries in the game, and Cutler was all over the place in a two-sack, two-interception, 349-yard passing day despite the Bills' secondary being down their best cover corner in Stephon Gilmore.
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The Bills and Bears traded field goals after the late Cutler pick, with Robbie Gould's 37-yarder tying the game at 20-20 with 30 seconds remaining in regulation. But the Bears had ample chance to win it, landing on the Bills' 19-yard line with 45 seconds left before misfiring on two passes (on 2nd and 1 and third and 1) to Marshall and Santonio Holmes. Clock-management issues seem to plague the drive as the Bears struggled to balance miving the ball and milking the clock.
The Bills' run game was their bread and butter. They rushed 33 times for 193 yards against the Bears' supposedly improved and rebuilt defense, even though C.J. Spiller (15 rushes, 53 yards) was not a big factor. Instead, it was Anthony Dixon (five rushes, 60 yards, including a 47-yarder) and Jackson (seven rushes, 61 yards) who made the biggest plays on the ground.
For the Bears, who were harboring Super Bowl aspirations (at least until a bad preseason), old frustrations — Cutler's mistakes and that dogged run "D" — came back to haunt them. And for the Bills, they were able to stave off talk that they were embarking on a nightmare season. Credit Jackson's huge late run for helping save his team in a shocking Week 1 win.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
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