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Bills bottle up Favre, hold on to beat Packers

Nov 5, 2006 - 9:37 PM ORCHARD PARK, New York (Ticker) -- Linebacker London Fletcher-Baker and the Buffalo Bills' defense kept Brett Favre winless at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Fletcher-Baker had 14 tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown as the Bills forced four turnovers en route to a 24-10 triumph over the Green Bay Packers in an interconference contest.

The victory snapped a three-game skid for Buffalo (3-5), which lost star running back Willis McGahee to a rib injury in the first quarter.

"We put an emphasis on not worrying about what happens on the other side of the ball or on special teams," Fletcher-Baker said. "It's just really controlling what we can control. We knew if we didn't allow them to score, our offense would be able to do something."

Despite yielding 427 total yards and allowing the Packers to control time of possession for nearly 35 minutes, the Bills found a way to contain Favre, who lost each of his previous two trips to Buffalo.

"I expect so much out of myself and of course the team," Favre said. "We had our chances - that goes without saying. It's just disappointing to me. We knew their defense would play hard, and they did."

Buffalo owned a 3-0 lead when Fletcher-Baker jumpstarted the defensive effort with his first career TD interception return. The veteran picked off Favre at the Green Bay 17 and took it the distance to give the Bills a 10-0 lead with 14:10 remaining in the first half.

"It was really just me reading the quarterback, and I was blessed and fortunate to be able to catch the football," Fletcher-Baker said. "I didn't have far to go so I can't take a lot of credit for the run or for the touchdown."

The Packers forged a 10-10 tie on Favre's one-yard TD pass to Donald Driver and Dave Raymer's 49-yard field goal, but the Bills reclaimed the lead with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter when J.P. Losman found Lee Evans for a 43-yard TD strike.

It was just the second TD this season for Evans, who beat Green Bay cornerback Al Harris on an out-and-up route.

"Once I dropped back, I knew (Evans was open)," Losman said. "I was just praying we would hold up in protection, and it took some time. It was a pump, an out-and-up, and the line did their job."

"That's one play I'll have to go back and look at film on," Harris added. "I don't know what was going on. We are going to get that fixed so plays like that don't happen again."

Favre responded with one of his patented late-game drives, directing the Packers 60 yards down to the Bills 1.

But Buffalo's defense once again came up big, as cornerback Nate Clements deflected Favre's short pass into the hands of rookie safety Ko Simpson, who returned it 76 yards to the Green Bay 27.

"I was kind of surprised, but Nate made a good play on the ball," Simpson said. "He set it up. He broke up the ball, and I just had to get the tip."

"I think it got tipped," said Favre, who was looking for Driver on the play. "It is no different than the touchdown (Driver) caught several drives earlier. Guys from that distance are not going to be wide open, and he was covered on that one as he was on the previous touchdown."

The Bills sealed the victory three plays later when Anthony Thomas rumbled up the left side for a 14-yard TD run, pushing the cushion to 24-10.

Thomas had a solid game filling in for McGahee, rushing for 95 yards on 20 carries. Losman barely had time to throw the ball all day but managed to go 8-of-15 for 102 yards despite being sacked five times.

Buffalo's offense managed just 184 total yards, but the defense compensated with several big plays. Clements and star linebacker Takeo Spikes each had nine tackles while defensive end Aaron Schobel recorded a pair of sacks.

"Turnovers usually spell the difference," Bills coach Dick Jauron said. "That was the case today. We didn't turn it over and we got some."

Favre completed 28-of-47 attempts for 287 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Ahman Green ran for 122 yards on 23 carries while Driver hauled in nine receptions for 96 yards for the Packers (3-5), who fell to 3-7 all-time against the Bills.

"We did a lot of positive things," Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy said. "I don't want to sound like a broken record, but you have to put the ball in the end zone and you've got to keep them out of the end zone."