Kyle Orton’s Top 5 Plays as a Buffalo Bill
On Monday morning Kyle Orton announced his retirement from the NFL, ending the “Orton Era” in Buffalo. During his time in Buffalo Orton seemed to be a virtual lightning rod amongst fans and the media who loved to argue whether or not he was the upgrade over EJ Manuel that the Bills brass claimed he was.
Regardless of what the fans or the Bills coaching staff thinks, Kyle Orton did deliver some very memorable plays during the 2014 season (both good and bad). Considering that Kyle Orton has likely taken his last snap as a professional football player and as a member of the Buffalo Bills, we can now look back at his tenure with the Bills and list his top 5 plays as the quarterback of our beloved Bills.
1) October 19th 2014 Vikings @ Bills – You could say that this was Kyle’s best game as a Bill and his game winning drive will likely go down as a his top moment in a Bills uniform. But his game winning pass to Sammy Watkins with 1 second left on the clock not only saved the day and delivered the Bills a must needed victory, but it was also Kyle’s best play of the season. Orton audibled out of a running play at the line of scrimmage and read the blitz perfectly throwing a perfect pass to Sammy Watkins for the game winning touchdown.
2) November 30th 2014 Browns @ Bills – The Browns and Bills were locked into a dogfight in a pivotal AFC playoff picture game. The Bills were unable to accomplish much on offense into the third quarter when they faced a 4th and 3 in Browns territory. Doug Marrone opted to go for the first down instead of trying a long field goal attempt. Kyle began to scramble to his right before launching a 34 yard pass to Robert Woods that put the Bills at the Cleveland 3 yard line. The ball from Orton was a perfect pass and shifted the momentum to the Bills side when they scored on the next play. While Orton did not have a great day overall, this play is one to remember.
3) October 5th 2014 Bills @ Lions – In his first start as a Buffalo Bill, Kyle Orton and the offense predictably struggled for the majority of the first half. But due in part to developing chemistry and a Lions kicker who couldn’t hit a field goal to save his life, the Bills had a chance to win with only seconds left on the clock. Kyle Orton and the Bills got the ball back with 20 seconds left. That’s when Orton hit Sammy Watkins with a perfect pass and a 20 yard gain that put the Bills into Dan Carpenter range. One 58 yard field goal later and the Bills walked out of Detroit winners. For one week Kyle Orton made Doug Marrone look like a genius for making the switch at quarterback.
4) October 19th 2014 Vikings @ Bills – The Bills faced what seemed to be an impossible 4th and 20 from their own 40 yard line. While Ralph Wilson Stadium began emptying out and Bills fans at home got ready to change the channel, Kyle Orton hit Scott Chandler with a beautiful pass that resulted in a 24 yard gain and a huge first down. Orton could not have thrown a better ball and the result was a first down that eventually led to the aforementioned game winning touchdown a few plays later.
5) December 28th 2014 Bills @ Patriots – In what turned out to be Kyle Orton’s last career start, he did something that no Buffalo quarterback before him had done: win in Gillette Stadium, and do something that no Buffalo quarterback had done in 14 years: win in New England. In what turned out to be the last touchdown pass of his career, Kyle Orton connected with Robert Woods for a 6 yard touchdown pass on the Bills first possession. While his overall numbers may not have been mind blowing, Orton managed the game and helped the Bills beat the hated Patriots for the first time in 3 years and only the second time in more than 10 years.
While in the grand scheme of things the “Kyle Orton Era” in Buffalo Bills history may only be a blip on the radar, the fact that the Bills managed their fist winning season in 10 years with him at quarterback should not be forgotten. While Kyle may have wanted to make us pull our hair out or throw our drink across the room often, he also provided us with some great memories during a very good Bills season.