Dec. 13, 1964 - The Buffalo Bills used three new starters on offense in today’s 30-19 victory over the Broncos in Denver, and if the AFL’s Eastern Division leaders didn’t look all-conquering, there’s a reason. (Pictured below, Denver quarterback Mickey Slaughter attempts a pass while being harassed by Roland McDole.)
“Everything we did was to get us ready for the Boston game,” said coach Lou Saban. That’s the big one next Sunday when Buffalo plays the Patriots in Boston with the Eastern Division title at stake.
Saban started Daryle Lamonica at quarterback, put Ed Rutkowski at the split end, and had Wray Carlton running in the backfield — and they scored all four Buffalo touchdowns.
“We want to have a man ready for every possible situation that can develop against Boston,” Saban said. “We just might need a strong, tough, short receiver. We wanted Rutkowski to get ready for that job.”
Lamonica got the call at quarterback because, as Saban explained, “we wanted to know what he could do when he had to take control of the club from the start. Now we know.”
Lamonica took over as starter from Jack Kemp. He didn’t have a great day. He fumbled three times and completed only 7 of 20 passes for 110 yards.
He did connect, however, with Rutkowski on a 46-yard touchdown pass, ran out of a trap 23 yards for a touchdown, and steer a ground attack to the clinching touchdown — which he scored himself on a sneak with a little more than two minutes left in the game.
“Daryle did an acceptable job,” Saban concluded.
The Buffalo coach brushed off complaints that the Bills’ offense in today’s wind and cold wasn’t impressive.
“It’s over, and we won it,” he said.
The victory was Buffalo’s 11th against two defeats. It is the AFL’s best record.
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