Enquire News Services

GREEN BAY, Wis. - The Buffalo Bills caught Brett Favre on an off day as he passed for just 114 yards, threw a pair of interceptions and produced a mere 10 points on a frigid day at Lambeau Field. Unfortunately, Drew Bledsoe did much worse.

Buffalo committed a season-high six turnovers, low-lighted by two lost fumbles and two interceptions by Bledsoe - and the Bills saw their slim playoff hopes disintegrate with a mistake-filled 10-0 loss.

"It's a disappointing loss," said Buffalo coach Gregg Williams after his team fell to 7-8 and was officially eliminated from the AFC playoff race.

Thanks to six sacks of the statue-like Buffalo quarterback - including a franchise-record five by Green Bay's Vonnie Holliday - the Bills managed just 185 net yards. Their previous low had been 256 last week against San Diego, which constitutes a trend.

Simply put, Bledsoe and the offense went into an undeniable slump at the worst possible time of the year.

"Offensively it was a tough day all around," said Bledsoe, preferring to blame his sub-standard performance on the weather rather than his own inaccuracy and inability to escape trouble. "It was tough to throw the ball for either team, and they also did a good job against us defensively. It was windy and cold, it was a struggle for Brett and me."

It was unfortunate for the Bills that Bledsoe and the offense played so poorly because the defense - as putrid during the first half of the season as the offense was prolific - played a solid game.

"I don't know if it was wasted," Williams said of the Bills' defensive effort, "but we didn't play well enough on offense to win the football game.

"You've got to score points and protect the football. We've done a very good job all year of protecting the football and today we didn't."

The tenor of this game was set in the first three minutes.

On Green Bay's third play from scrimmage, Buffalo rookie cornerback Kevin Thomas intercepted a Favre pass and returned it 28 yards to the Packers' 9.

What an opportunity for the Bills.

What a waste it turned out to be as Bledsoe threw a matching interception in the end zone to Darren Sharper on third-and-goal.

"It was a huge opportunity for us that our defense created to give us the ball down there, and we really needed to turn that into points," Bledsoe said. "To have a turnover in that situation, that was really a huge point in the ballgame."

After striking out on his first four possessions, Favre finally produced a score when his 20-yard third-down pass to Donald Driver set up Ryan Longwell's 33-yard field goal 3:57 before halftime.

Undaunted by their 55-yard first-half production, the Bills embarked on a superb drive to open the third quarter. But after using 9:45, the march stalled in the red zone, and then Mike Hollis hooked a 33-yard field goal wide to the left.

"I mis-hit it," Hollis said. "It was a very makeable kick."

An exchange of punts was followed by an exchange of turnovers on back-to-back plays - Nate Clements atoning for his fumbled punt by intercepting a Favre pass - yet still, the score remained unchanged as the fourth quarter began.

Then, during a chaotic six-minute stretch, the game was finally decided.

The Bills blew a great chance when Green Bay's Tony Fisher lost a fumble near his own 10-yard-line, only to get the ball back. Instead of being in position to tie the game or take the lead, the Bills regained possession at theirown 49 following a Green Bay punt.

Next, they botched that excellent drive start when Bledsoe fumbled while being sacked by Holliday and Jamal Reynolds recovered at the 39.

Three plays later, Green Bay's Ahman Green dropped a pass over the middle that Buffalo thought was a fumble. Clements picked the ball up and would have scored a go-ahead touchdown, but the officials ruled that Green never had possession.

Williams was angry because he felt the officials should have ruled a fumble. That way, Sherman would have been able to ask for a replay challenge, and the eye in the sky would have delivered a proper verdict.

"To be quite honest, to us it's a fumble," Williams said. "You can't challenge it once it's ruled an incomplete pass. What I did talk to the official about was they're supposed to err on the other side. Mike Sherman is supposed to have that challenge, not me. That's what instant replay is for, for that play to be ruled a fumble."

Naturally, on the next play Favre zipped an 11-yard TD pass to Donald Driver to cement the victory.

For the third year in a row, the Bills will watch the playoffs on television. But Bledsoe is willing to bet that won't be the case in 2003.

"We expected to be in the playoffs and to have a chance (this year), but the one thing I do know, the one thing I have great confidence in, is that we are going to win here," he said.

"We missed our opportunity this year, but I have great confidence that we are going to have a successful franchise."

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