Orchard Park, NY (Sportsbooks) - Marshawn Lynch rushed 29 times for 153 yards, highlighted by a 56-yard touchdown run, and threw an eight-yard scoring pass, as the
Buffalo Bills topped the
Cincinnati Bengals, 33-21.
J.P. Losman, starting in place of the injured Trent Edwards, may have earned his old job back with a 24-of-34, 295-yard, one-touchdown, one-interception performance. Lee Evans gained 165 yards on nine catches with a score, and Josh Reed had six grabs for 55 yards for the Bills (4-4), who have won three straight after a 1-4 start.
Carson Palmer completed 26-of-39 passes for 271 yards, two scores, and an interception for the Bengals (2-6). Kenny Watson had seven catches for 90 yards, and Glenn Holt returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score for Cincinnati. Rudi Johnson was held to 11 yards on nine carries for an ineffective Bengals ground game. Chad Johnson had three grabs for 48 yards, but left late in the fourth quarter on a stretcher after a violent collision.
A poor Bengals punt and a holding penalty by Cincinnati on the coverage gave the Bills great field position, at the Bengals 32-yard-line with 9:52 left. Buffalo then went to Lynch on six straight plays, all rushes, as it moved to the Cincinnati eight. For the seventh straight play the ball went to Lynch, this time on a pitch, but this time the Bills running back pulled up and flipped a pass into the end zone, where a wide open Robert Royal brought it in to put the Bills ahead 26-21 with 5:51 left.
The Bills defense held, and Lynch iced the game with his 56-yard scoring run with 2:22 left. Lynch was stopped in the backfield by three Bengals defenders, but somehow rolled out of the tackles and around the right end, where he sprinted untouched the rest of the way to salt away the win.
Play was stopped with 1:53 left after a scary hit on Chad Johnson. The Bengals receiver dove for a pass over the middle at the Buffalo 38-yard-line. He couldn't come up with the catch, and was then crushed by two Bills defenders and into the turf. He remained down for several minutes, before being wheeled off the field immobilized in a stretcher.
Losman and Evans drove the Bills right down the field on the opening possession of the game. Consecutive connections between the two, of 38 and 19 yards, quickly moved the Bills to the Bengals 18. Lynch burst through for a 10-yard gain two plays later and, on 2nd-and-goal from the eight, Losman hit Evans, who tapped both his feet just inside the end zone before running out of bounds.
The play was initially ruled an incompletion, but the Bills challenged, the call was reversed, giving Buffalo a 7-0 lead just 3:16 in to the game.
The Bengals matched with a scoring drive of their own, though. Palmer connected with Chad Johnson for a 24-yard gain on the first play of the drive, and a 43-yard catch-and-run by Watson set Cincinnati up at the Buffalo 16. Two plays later Palmer found T. J. Houshmandzadeh for the 15-yard scoring pass, tying the game with 8:35 remaining in the quarter.
The second quarter was scoreless until the final 1:56, when the teams combined for three scores. Rian Lindell started it with a 23-yard field goal just inside the two-minute warning, pushing Buffalo ahead 10-7.
Holt was quick to respond for the Bengals, though, with his electrifying 100- yard return of ensuing kickoff, shaking a few would-be tacklers along the way as he put Cincinnati on top 14-10 with 1:44 left in the half.
Losman was able to move the Bills into range for Lindell, though, and the Bills kicker banged in a 21-yarder with just three seconds left to pull the Bills within one at the break.
Buffalo drove deep into Cincinnati territory on their first possession of the second half, but Evan's eight-yard reception on 3rd-and-9 from the 19-yard- line brought on Lindell, who kicked a 29-yard field goal to put the Bills on top 16-14.
Palmer led the Bengals back, though, connecting with Chad Johnson for 23 yards and Houshmandzadeh for 17 before throwing a short one-yard scoring pass to Jeremi Johnson, pushing the Bengals ahead 21-16 with 3:07 left in the third quarter.
Another Lindell field goal, from 38 yards out, made it a two-point game with 13:54 to play in regulation.
Game Notes
Lynch's touchdown toss was his first career pass attempt...Neither team registered a sack....Lindell made three extra points in addition to his four field goals, breaking the record for consecutive PATs converted without a miss to start a career. Lindell, who has never missed a PAT in his eight-year career, was tied with Tommy Davis at 234 consecutive PATs entering play.
