Sunday, October 19, 2014

Watkins: 'Leader' Orton 'what we need in veteran QB'

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Journeyman quarterback Kyle Orton connected with rookie receiver Sammy Watkins on a two-yard touchdown pass with seconds left in the Buffalo Bills' ugly-but-glorious 17-16 victory over the Buffalo Bills.

Orton, who threw another scoring strike to Watkins earlier in the game, made quite an impression on the young pass-catcher.

“He’s a leader,” Watkins said after the game, via BuffaloBills.com. “He knows what he’s doing with the ball. He puts us in the greatest situations. He knows how to help us out on the field, put us in different areas. That’s what we need in a veteran quarterback.”

After a near-whole game of lackadaisical play against an inferior opponent, Orton heated up on the final drive, connecting with tight end Scott Chandler for a 24-yard strike on fourth-and-20 before an 18-yard third-down conversion to Watkins. He set up the game-winner with a 28-yarder to Chris Hogan.

“Kyle did a great job keeping us under control,” Hogan said. “His poise is pretty unbelievable in a high pressure situation like that."

The Bills are 4-3 and slated for a big divisional bout with the New York Jets next Sunday.

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