Biasucci Finally Gets In Some Kicks : AFC: Struggling all season, his field goals give Colts a 16-13 overtime victory over Bills.
INDIANAPOLIS — Kicker Dean Biasucci was booed early and often by the Indianapolis Colts’ fans after missing two more field-goal attempts. Later, they cheered him.
Biasucci tied the score on a 23-yard field goal in the final minute of regulation Sunday and beat the Buffalo Bills, 16-13, with a 40-yarder almost four minutes into overtime.
“I’ve gone from one extreme to the next,” said Biasucci, who made only seven of 16 field-goal attempts in the first 11 weeks of the season. “I’ve been struggling all year.
“To make a kick like that is a great lift, not just for me but for our team. We needed a victory.”
The loss ended a four-game losing streak for the Colts (5-7) and avenged a 38-0 defeat to AFC East-leading Buffalo (9-3) 10 weeks ago.
“When I was getting ready, I was really confident,” Biasucci said. “Although the whole year’s been a big struggle . . . I’m confident when I go out there.
“I was just thinking about hitting the ball on the sweet spot of my foot, putting it through.”
The Colts went 56 yards after taking the overtime kickoff. Jack Trudeau, who passed for a season-high 337 yards, brought Indianapolis to the Buffalo 27 with a 26-yard pass to Jessie Hester.
Anthony Johnson ran twice to the 22, and Biasucci kicked the game-winner on third down. It was the Colts’ second victory in three overtime games this season, and it ended a six-game losing streak against the Bills.
“It was just a great team effort,” said Colt Coach Ted Marchibroda, the Bills’ offensive coordinator before going back to the Colts this season for his second stint as head coach.
“There was no panic,” Marchibroda said. “It just seemed like they knew what they had to do and went out and did it. My hat’s off to our guys.”
Buffalo appeared to take control when Don Beebe scored a go-ahead touchdown on a 65-yard pass play from Jim Kelly in the third quarter to make it 10-3.
The touchdown pass play by Kelly was the first time in the game Buffalo converted a third down play.
The Bills drove to the Indianapolis 19 early in the fourth quarter. Kelly was sacked by Chip Banks for an eight-yard loss, but a 44-yard field goal by Steve Christie gave Buffalo a seemingly safe 13-3 lead 3:43 into the final quarter.
However, Indianapolis drove 75 yards on its next possession and scored on a four-yard run by Rodney Culver. The Colts got the ball back with three minutes left in regulation when a pass bounced out of Beebe’s hands and was intercepted by Tony Stargell.
A 31-yard pass play to Reggie Langhorne took the Colts to the Bills’ one, but they were pushed back and three plays later Biasucci tied the game with his 23-yarder.
“Well, we got beat by a team that outplayed us on both sides of the ball,” Buffalo Coach Marv Levy said. “They earned their victory.
“They made some great plays. . . . We had a larger number of dropped balls than usual, and that affected us.”
Kelly completed only 11 of 33 passes for 184 yards, and Trudeau was 26 of 41 for 337.
Buffalo, ranked second in the NFL in total offense, did not cross midfield until the second quarter, after a 52-yard field goal by Biasucci had given Indianapolis a 3-0 lead.
Kelly’s 11-yard pass to Thurman Thomas and a 12-yard run by Kenneth Davis took the Bills to the Colts’ 42, but Eugene Daniel tipped a pass by Kelly and rookie Jason Belser made his third interception of the season, which leads the Colts.
The Colts threatened to widen their lead in the closing minutes of the half, driving to the Bills’ 19 before Biasucci missed a 37-yard field-goal attempt.
Biasucci also missed from 52 yards and felt the wrath of the fans in the Hoosier Dome.
With under a minute to go in the half, Kelly completed passes of 18 yards to Thomas, 19 yards to Beebe and 14 yards to James Lofton, setting up a 52-yard field goal by Christie as the half ended to make it 3-3.
Thomas rushed 21 times for 102 yards.
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