ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Tyrod Taylor threw two touchdowns and the Bills intercepted Trevor Siemian twice in the final 19 minutes of Buffalo’s 26-16 victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

Taylor went 20 of 26 for 213 yards with a 2-yard touchdown to Andre Holmes and a 6-yarder to Charles Clay. Taylor got lucky on the touchdown pass to Holmes , as his pass deflected off the hands of Zay Jones just inside the goal line and bounced directly to Holmes in the back of the end zone.

The Bills (2-1) overcame their struggling running attack courtesy of Taylor’s arm and a stout defense in a game LeSean McCoy was limited to 21 yards on 14 carries. Though he had seven catches for 48 yards, McCoy’s latest poor outing came after he was limited to 9 yards rushing in a 9-3 loss at Carolina.

The Bills allowed just one touchdown, while Brandon McManus rounded out Denver’s scoring with three field goals.

Rather than point fingers at the Taylor-led offense following the loss to Carolina, Bills defenders blamed themselves for failing to generate any turnovers. They made up for that against the Broncos on an unseasonably hot afternoon, with temperatures projected to reach the upper 80s, making the on-field conditions even warmer.

In falling to 2-1, the Broncos turned the ball over on each of their final four possessions, with Siemian being intercepted by E.J. Gaines and Tre’Davious White.

The Broncos also turned the ball over twice on downs.

Deon Lacey tackled De’Angelo Henderson for a 1-yard gain when Denver attempted a fake punt on fourth-and-2 at its own 31 early in the fourth quarter. And the Broncos’ final drive ended when Siemian underthrew a pass to Emmanuel Sanders with under 2 minutes left.

Buffalo went ahead 20-16 on Taylor’s 6-yard pass to Clay with 6:20 left in the third quarter, and then put the game out of reach on a pair of field goals by Stephen Hauschka.

Hauschka hit a 53-yarder after the Broncos were foiled on their fake punt. Hauschka also hit a 55-yarder in becoming Buffalo’s first player to make two field goals 53 yards or longer in the same game.

Hauschka then sealed the win with a 37-yard field goal with 3:14 left on a drive following White’s interception .

Von Miller didn’t help the Broncos’ cause on that drive. Though he had a sack and was in on six tackles, the star linebacker took a foolish penalty with 6 minutes left.

Offering his hand as if to help up Taylor, Miller then pulled it away at the last second right in front of an official, who flagged Miller 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct.

It was a disappointing performance for Siemian, who entered the game tied for the league lead with six touchdowns passing. Instead, he finished hitting 24 of 40 for 259 and two interceptions. Jamaal Charles scored Denver’s lone touchdown on a 12-yard run five minutes into the second quarter.

PENALTIES

Two undisciplined penalties against the Bills led to the Broncos’ first touchdown. First, safety Micah Hyde was flagged for a late hit on C.J. Anderson, who was well out of bounds following a 32-yard run. On the next play, defensive end Jerry Hughes drew a roughing-the-passer penalty for bowling over Siemian after he threw an incompletion.

ANTHEM PROTEST

Bills RB LeSean McCoy knelt, then sat and stretched during the anthem a day after he caused a stir by tweeting, “It’s really sad man” and then used an obscenity to describe Trump. Bills Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly joined the team on the field during the anthem and held up his left hand while holding a Bills cap.

More than half of the Broncos players — including linebacker Von Miller, safety Aqib Talib and receiver Demaryius Thomas — knelt on their side of the field.

Fans began to boo as the Bills players walked in unison onto the field. They stopped booing once the anthem began.

INACTIVES

Broncos: Rookie starting left tackle Garett Bolles started a week after fearing he tore his left Achilles tendon. Tests, however, revealed he sustained a bruised bone and returned to practice on Thursday.

Bills: Starting left tackle Cordy Glenn (right ankle) and Dareus (right ankle) were ruled out after being hurt in a 9-3 loss at Carolina last week. Rookie third-round draft pick Dion Dawkins started in place of Glenn, while Cedric Thornton started for Dareus.

UP NEXT

Broncos: Host Oakland Raiders on Oct. 1.

Bills: At Atlanta Falcons on Oct. 1.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Will Grier threw for 347 yards and accounted for four touchdowns, Justin Crawford ran for 125 yards and another score and West Virginia pulled away late to beat pesky Kansas 56-34 on Saturday.

David Sills V had 130 yards and two TDs receiving, and Kennedy McKoy also reached the end zone twice, as the Mountaineers (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) beat Kansas (1-3, 0-1) for the sixth time in seven meetings.

They did it by overcoming a career game from sophomore Khalil Herbert, who ran for 291 yards and two TDs. It was the third-most yards by a Kansas player on the ground in school history.

Peyton Bender added 197 yards and a TD through the air, but he also threw a pair of picks, while a porous defense that allowed 40-plus points to Central Michigan and Ohio struggled once more.

The Mountaineers looked as if they’d cruise past the Jayhawks again when they put together four straight touchdown drives in the first half. Each covered at least 80 yards, none took more than 3:22 off the clock, and the result was a 28-3 lead midway through the second quarter.

Herbert finally stopped the onslaught with a 67-yard touchdown run, but the Mountaineers’ Mike Daniels picked off a tipped pass a couple minutes later and returned it for another score.

But the Mountaineers’ seemingly comfortable 35-13 halftime advantage didn’t last long.

Their offense suddenly hit the skids, punting four times and turning it over once during a five-possession series spanning the break. And a defense that had started to bottle up Herbert again became leaky, allowing short touchdown runs a couple minutes apart to make it 35-27.

Suddenly, the sparse crowd that turned out on a hot, sunny afternoon began to think back to 2013, when the Jayhawks stunned the Mountaineers 31-19 on a cool November day.

The teams swapped TDs in the fourth quarter, the Mountaineers getting a second chance at the end zone after an offside penalty on a field goal, and it was still 42-34 with 7:35 left in the game.

Grier answered with a QB keeper then scored again a few minutes later to put it away.

THE TAKEAWAY

West Virginia: Grier had the Mountaineers humming early and late, but the offense sputtered out of rhythm during a long stretch in the middle of the game. Their counterparts on defense didn’t help much, getting pushed around by the Kansas offensive line most of the afternoon.

Kansas: Miscues doomed the Jayhawks, from the pick-six to penalties when they were going for it in fourth-and-short situations. But while coach David Beaty insists there are no moral victories, the way Kansas responded to adversity was something to build upon.

UP NEXT

West Virginia has a week off before visiting No. 16 TCU on Oct. 7.

Kansas also gets a week off before Texas Tech visits Oct. 7.

Listen as the ‘Voice of the Chiefs’ Mitch Holthus recaps last week’s home win over Philadelphia and previews Sunday’s game with AFC West rival Los Angeles Chargers.
The Holthus Hotline airs Saturday at 6:30 a.m. during the Chiefs season.

 

Football Score Sheet Week 4 – September 22^nd

Western Athletic Conference

Garden City  7  Hays  3

Great Bend  38  Dodge City  13

*Liberal  40   Wichita North  6

 

Mid-Continent League (11-Man)

Norton  0  Smith Center  43

Oakley  6  Phillipsburg  68

TMP  6  Plainville  24

*Valley Heights  56  Ellis  20

 

Central Prairie League (8-Man)

Victoria  20  Otis-Bison  22

Central Plains  68  Kinsley  0

Macksville  68   St. John  20

Ness City  46  Ellinwood  22

 

Central Prairie League (11-Man)

*Ellsworth  21  La Crosse  31

 

Northern Plains (8-Man)

Osborne  28   Pike Valley  30

Bennington  62  Thunder Ridge  14

 

Western Kansas Liberty League

*Stockton  0  Logan-Palco  52

 

 

Great West Activities Association

Hugoton  7   Scott City  35

North Central Activities Association

Republic Co.  6   Beloit  61

 

North Central Kansas League

Clay Center  27  Wamego  14

 

Central Kansas League

Halstead  26  Larned  35

 

Ark Valley Chisholm Trail I

Derby  61  Hutchinson  18

 

Ark Valley Chisholm Trail III

McPherson  40   Augusta  0

 

8-Man-District 8

Hoxie  22   Rawlins Co.  6

*Hill City  55   Quinter  8

 

11-Man Games of note

Pittsburg  45   Fort Scott  19

Buhler  17   Maize South  14

Caney Valley  20   Humboldt  8

 

8-Man Games of note

Centre-Lost Springs  12   Burlingame  58

 

6-Man Games

Weskan  6  Pawnee Heights  51

Wheatland-Grinnell  60   Natoma  12

 

 

 

 

*Non-league game