ORCHARD PARK, New York (Ticker) -- This time, Doug Flutie provided the magic.
After Flutie got his team into position, Steve Christie kicked a 34-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the Buffalo Bills to a 23-20 victory over the New York Jets.
Winning games in the fourth quarter this season, had become routine for the Jets and Vinny Testaverde. New York has won four games this season when it trailed with less than four minutes remaining.
After rallying from a 23-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Miami in overtime last Monday night, the Jets came back from a 20-17 deficit in the fourth quarter today on John Hall's 20-yard field goal with 2:20 left.
Taking over on their own 27 with 2:11 to play, the Bills went to work behind Flutie. After picking up an initial first down, Buffalo (4-4) was faced with a 3rd-and-10, but Flutie hit Peerless Price with a 17-yard pass to move the ball to the New York 40.
A pair of nine-yard passes to rookie fullback Sammy Morris moved the ball to the New York 19, setting the stage for Christie's 12th career game-winning field goal.
"I think I hit the first one well, it was just happening so fast. I could not tell if it was low or not," said Christie, who had a 44-yard attempt blocked earlier in the fourth quarter. "I still thought I hit it well so keeping that in the back of my mind I just wanted to get another chance."
"We had plenty of time on the clock so it was get first downs, the first one is usually the toughest," Flutie said. "It gets some momentum going but time was never a factor."
Making his second start for injured Rob Johnson, Flutie completed 18-of-35 passes for 253 yards.
New York (6-2) lost for the first time in five AFC East games and fell into a first-place tie with Indianapolis and Miami.
Receiver Wayne Chrebet talked about the Jets' success in the fourth quarter this season.
"Obviously the way we have won some games this season, we certainly believe we're going to tie it or take the lead," he said. "We are a good enough team where we don't have to rely on that stuff."
Mistake prone for much of the afternoon, the Jets committed a costly blunder midway through the fourth quarter when linebacker Keith Newman stripped Curtis Martin and Sam Cowart recovered on the New York 47. Martin rushed for just 46 yards on 18 attempts.
On the next play, Flutie connected with Eric Moulds on a 52-yard pass to the Jets' 1. Flutie hit Moulds with a TD pass on the next play, but it was nullified due to offensive pass interference.
Christie wound up kicking a 29-yard field goal, giving the Bills a 20-17 lead with 6:14 remaining.
New York committed four turnovers after the Bills committed the same amount earlier this season in the first meeting between the teams.
"There was no letdown. I thought our effort was excellent," Jets coach Al Groh said. "We are a good team, we play good ball but we made ourselves an easy mark. You have four turnovers like that, it could make a game close. It was too many hurdles to overcome."
Moulds had his third straight big game, with six receptions for 137 yards. In his last three contests, Moulds has 24 receptions for 443 yards, tying a club reocrd with three straight 100-yard games.
But behind Testaverde, who came into the game with a 129.6 quarterback rating in the fourth quarter -- the second best in the league -- the Jets rallied to tie it.
Testaverde found the hot receiver, connecting with rookie Laveranues Coles on pass plays of 19, 21 and 14 yards to move New York into position to tie it. Hall's 36-yard field goal into a stiff wind brought the Jets even.
Coles had his biggest day as a pro, with five receptions for 131 yards.
Testaverde had an up-and-down afternoon, completing 28-of-38 passes for 293 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Coming off that emotional win over Miami, the Jets fell behind in this contest with 5:01 left in the first quarter when Morris plunged over from a yard out to cap a nine-play, 55-yard drive. Flutie kept that march alive with a 28-yard pass to Jeremy McDaniel on 3rd-and-16. He also had a 23-yard completion to Moulds that moved the ball inside the 10.
It was the fourth straight game that Morris scored a rushing touchdown. He is one game shy of tying Joe Cribbs' record for touchdowns in consecutive games.
New York got even with under a minute left in the opening quarter, when Testaverde capped a seven-play, 68-yard drive with a 12-yard TD toss to tight end Fred Baxter.
A turnover led to the go-ahead score with 5:16 left in the half. Keion Carpenter intercepted Testaverde and returned the ball to the New York 37. After a 20-yard pass to Moulds and a 13-yard connection to tight end Jay Riemersma, the Bills had to settle for Christie's 20-yard field goal.
"It's a big confidence boost for us," Carpenter said. "Wade (Phillips) is always telling us don't be afraid to make plays. We went out there today and let it all hang out."
On the Jets' next offensive possession, Testaverde was intercepted by safety Henry Jones, who returned the ball 45 yards for a touchdown to give Buffalo a 17-7 lead.
New York had a chance to draw closer in the waning moments of the half, driving inside the Buffalo 20. On 2nd-and-2 from the Bills' 10, Testaverde was stripped by linebacker Sam Rogers and Cowart recovered.
The Jets pulled within 17-10 midway through the third quarter on Hall's 40-yard field goal.
