Seahawks' defensive stand ends Bills' bid for upset
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[November 08, 2016]
(The Sports Xchange) - The
offenses stole the show on Monday night, but the Seattle Seahawks'
defense had the final say in the end.
Thanks to a sack by Cliff Avril on third down and an incompletion in
the end zone on fourth, Seattle stymied the Buffalo Bills' final
drive with less than a minute to go to escape with a 31-25 win in
front of a record crowd of 69,084 at CenturyLink Field.
The Bills converted a third-and-21 on their final drive with a
completion up the sideline to Robert Woods, and a
roughing-the-passer penalty on Seattle moved the ball all the way
down to the 23-yard line. Buffalo had first-and-goal from the
10-yard line before the game-saving stop by Seattle.
Russell Wilson finished 20 of 26 through the air for 282 yards
passing and two touchdowns and also tacked on a rushing score to
lead the Seahawks (5-2-1).
The Bills (4-5) consistently mounted long drives against a Seahawks
defense that entered the game ranked sixth in the NFL, finishing
with 425 yards of offense. Too frequently, though, they didn't turn
into points.
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On the Bills' second drive, though, Mike Gillislee punched in a
one-yard touchdown to finish off a 13-play, 82-yard trip down field.
Quarterback Tyrod Taylor ran in the two-point conversion to make it
28-25 with 14:26 to play.
Seattle stretched its lead to 31-25 with a 49-yard field goal by
Steven Hauschka that capped an eight-play drive.
It took fewer than 90 seconds for Buffalo to make a game-altering
play, when defensive end Jerry Hughes blocked a Seattle punt after
the Seahawks went three-and-out on their first possession. On the
next snap, Taylor ran it in from the 3-yard line to give the Bills a
7-0 lead.
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![](../images/110816pics/sports43.jpg)
Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril (56) is greeted by defensive
tackle Sealver Siliga following a turnover on downs against the
Buffalo Bills fourth quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit:
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
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Only 1:11 ticked off the clock before the Seahawks responded, tying
the score with a three-yard scamper by Wilson.
After that torrid start, the Bills took their time on the next
possession, eating up 10 minutes with a 17-play march capped by a
5-yard touchdown toss from Taylor to Justin Hunter.
The Seahawks tied the game at 14 on the first snap of the second
quarter with a one-handed 17-yard reception by Jimmy Graham. The
tight end made a similar play just before halftime, hauling in an
18-yard toss from Wilson going up the seam to make it a 28-17 game
at the break.
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