Two Bills Drive

‘The numbers were numbing: The 49ers held the ball for 39:48, nearly double the Bills’ time of possession; they outgained Buffalo 409 yards to 191 — and 56 of those yards came during the Bills’ last futile drive in the final minutes against a soft prevent defense. The Bills were 2 for 12 on third downs, while the 49ers were 10 for 15.’

‘"Alex Van Pelt threw for 300 yards the last two games, but we found a way to control him, and we also stopped their running game."’

‘Flooding of city streets near the Hunters Point Expressway spilled into the stadium’s lots. As a result, two of the stadium’s main entrances were blocked and fans were redirected to park in alternate areas, according to 49ers public relations coordinator Kirk Reynolds. The stadium-operations crew hired a Roto-Rooter truck to pump the excess water and clear a path near another of the stadium’s main entrances.’

‘"I mean, everybody played poorly. I don’t know what happened to us tonight."’

‘The 49ers didn’t have many big plays, just modest but decisive gains.’

‘So much for the Miami loss being the low point.’

‘The Bills saw their five-game winning streak in Sunday night games snapped.’

‘Player of the Game: Garcia. Now that’s how the West Coast offense is supposed to be run.’

‘San Francisco controlled the ball for almost 40 minutes in a 35-0 win over Buffalo Sunday night at 3Com Park, and gained a big victory in their quest to take the NFC West title after finishing 6-10 last season.’

‘But there is one area of lacking that is worth talking about now: Leadership. By that, I mean leadership from players, not coaches. The current-day Bills have a few fine leaders– Phil Hansen and Jerry Ostroski– but this doesn’t touch the Buffalo teams of the 90’s. Is that a revelation? Not unless you’ve been watching nothing but curling for the last 10 years. But it is a point worth examining.’

‘Larry Centers got his 750th career reception, but he also was Buffalo’s leading rusher with 14 yards…’.

‘The 49ers kept possession for 39:48 and recorded five takeaways for the second consecutive week.’

‘But let us paraphrase Vince Lombardi. Winning against Buffalo isn’t everything — it’s the only thing that’s barely more than something. If you know what we mean.’

‘Van Pelt couldn’t get his feet set, couldn’t find his rhythm, often lost sight of defensive backs downfield and soon lost the confidence he built in 300-plus-yard passing performances against the Seattle Seahawks and the Miami Dolphins. He was sacked twice, hurried at least 10 times and repeatedly confused.’

‘Thousands of fans — as many as 35,000, judging by the half-empty stadium — were turned away from 3Com Park parking lots because several lots and access roads were blocked or flooded.’