Bills Win Emotional Squeaker Over Redskins

Rian Lindell kicked four field goals, including a 36-yarder with four seconds left, as the Bills took advantage of an errant timeout call by Redskins coach Joe Gibbs to beat Washington, 17-16, on a somber day at FedEx Field. The game took place five days following the death of Redskins safety Sean Taylor. Washington players wore a No. 21 patch on the right side of their jerseys and fans waved towels, displayed signs and visited a memorial outside FedEx Field in honor of Taylor. Also, Redskins owner Daniel Snyder wore a No. 21 on his coat as he sat on the teams bench prior to kickoff. However, the final seconds of the game told the story. Out of timeouts, the Bills got the ball back after a punt and Trent Edwards 30-yard pass to Josh Reed over the middle moved the ball to the Washington 33. Edwards then spiked the ball to kill the clock with eight seconds left. Lindell came on the field for a 51-yard field goal, which was good. But before the kick, Gibbs called a timeout. The Hall of Fame coach then tried to ice Lindell a second time, but NFL rules stipulate a team cannot call back-to-back timeouts, and the Redskins were given an unsportsmanlike penalty for 15 yards. Lindells next attempt split the uprights. "To be quite truthful, I made a decision at the end that very likely cost us the game," Gibbs said. Gibbs said while he was standing on the sideline he asked the official if he could call consecutive timeouts. "I felt like the official said yes," Gibbs said. "Im not blaming it on him. I should know the rule. I cant blame it on somebody else." Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell was roughed on the ensuing possession, necessitating one final play, but a last pass dropped incomplete, well short of the end zone. "It kind of surprised me a little bit," Lindell said of the penalty. "I said to (holder) Brian (Moorman), thats 15 yards. Its definitely nicer. There is certainly more room for error, but you still have to hit it." Edwards, who reclaimed the No. 1 starting job over J.P. Losman, completed 22- of-36 passes for 257 yards for the Bills (6-6). Fred Jackson ran 16 times for 82 yards and caught four passes for 69 more yards for Buffalo, which snapped a two-game skid. Campbell completed 21-of-37 passes for 216 yards and was picked off once for Washington (5-7), which has lost four in a row. Chris Cooley had seven receptions for 89 yards. Four men were arrested in connection with the fatal shooting at Taylors house and are facing murder, home invasion and armed burglary charges. Police believe the four men broke into Taylors Palmetto Bay home in South Florida to steal items, not with the intent to kill, but were shocked when Taylor, 24, was home. "I didnt show up to this game to play a game," Redskins cornerback Fred Smoot said. "I showed up for a tribute to my friend and we found a way to mess it up." Also, as a way of honoring Taylor, the Redskins started with 10 men for their first defensive play. Buffalo decided to run Jackson on a sweep to the left side for 22 yards. Safety Reed Doughty, replacing Taylor in the lineup, then came in as the 11th man, and fittingly made the tackle on the ensuing play. "I felt like we went through a lot this week," Gibbs said. "The way the players handled it, I thought they handled it as good as anybody could handle it. None of us ever lived through that before and I was hoping we could find a way today to get ourselves a victory." The Redskins now have a short time to prepare for their next game. Nearly the entire team will travel to the Miami area on Monday for Taylors funeral at Pharmed Arena on the Florida International campus. The Redskins then turn around and fly back home to prepare for Thursday nights home game against Chicago. The Redskins opened the game with a 14-play, 58-yard drive in 7:48, resulting in a 27-yard field goal from Shaun Suisham. Washington reached the Buffalo three on the next offensive possession, but the drive stalled as Campbell was sacked twice, and Suisham kicked a 28-yard field goal on the second play of the second quarter. Campbell was sacked in the end zone by Angelo Crowell with 8:19 left in the half, resulting in a Buffalo safety. However, the Bills then fumbled as tight end Robert Royal gave the ball back at the Washington 29 following a reception. Campbell then marched the Redskins to the Buffalo 15 before three straight incompletions led to Suishams 33-yard field goal with 25 seconds left in the half. The Redskins expanded their lead to 16-5 with 5:42 left in the third quarter on a three-yard TD run up the middle by Clinton Portis, capping a 10-play, 57- yard drive. After Portis scored he lifted up his jersey to reveal a T-shirt with a picture of Taylor. The Bills capitalized on a Campbell fumble later in the third in Washington territory and converted the turnover into a 43-yard field goal from Lindell with 1:09 left in the period. Campbell was then picked off by Larry Tripplett at the Washington 24 after a pass intended for Santana Moss was tipped away by cornerback Terrence McGee. That led to a Lindell 24-yard field goal with 11:14 left in the final quarter. The Bills got the ball back after a Washington punt and Lindell made a 33-yard field goal with 6:33 left. Buffalo then stopped Portis on a third down run to force a punt to get the ball again for the winning kick. Game Notes Redskins receiver Antwaan Randle El missed the first game of his six-year career, sitting out due to a hamstring injury. Washington wide receiver James Thrash missed his third straight game with a sprained ankle, while the Bills were without running backs Marshawn Lynch (sprained ankle) and Anthony Thomas (torn calf muscle)...The Bills host winless Miami next Sunday...Buffalo has won the last five meetings.