Second-and-10 at the Denver 27 (12:20, 1st quarter): Willis McGahee took his second carry of the game and made it count, sprinting 24 yards up the field. That put him over the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season, making him the second player in NFL history to run for 1,000 yards with three different franchises, joining Ricky Watters. It also jump-started the Broncos’ first offensive possession, an 11-play drive capped off by a 1-yard Tim Tebow touchdown run.
Fourth-and-8 at the Denver 10 (6:10, 2nd quarter): After a false start penalty, Dave Rayner lined up for a 28-yard field goal. He had already missed two attempts wide left earlier in the game – a 45-yarder and a 31-yarder. But the kicker knocked this one through the uprights – the first of four he would make in the game – to give Buffalo its first points of the contest.
Third-and-1 at the Denver 30 (4:56, 2nd quarter): Jeremiah Johnson is stopped for no gain by two Bills, forcing a punt. It marks Denver’s fourth consecutive three-and-out after their opening-drive touchdown. This one is costly, as Britton Colquitt’s 50-yard punt is fielded by Leodis McKelvin, who sprints up the sideline for an 80-yard return touchdown. It gave Buffalo its first lead, 10-7. McKelvin set a Bills single-game franchise record with 135 punt return yards on the day.
