Shutout a fine birthday gift for Spikes
by MATT KRUEGER Reporter

One of the overlooked stats in the Buffalo Bills’ thrilling 21-0 win over the archrival Miami Dolphins Sunday was one found deep in the Buffalo media guide.

It was linebacker Takeo Spikes’s 30th birthday. That’s right, on the same day the Bills blew out the Dolphins, Spikes blew out the candles on his birthday cake.

The Bills won, eliminated the Dolphins from the playoff race and kept their own postseason hopes alive for another week. And the shutout is just reassurance that this defense is coming around like the rest of the team.

“Shutouts don’t come easy in this league,” Spikes said. “To get one (Sunday), at home, this late in the year when it really means something, in December, against the Dolphins when they’re playing great football also, it’s another step, another level toward where we need to go.”

What made the victory even sweeter for Spikes and the rest of the defense was the job they did on Miami quarterback Joey Harrington. Cornerback Nate Clements and linebacker Keith Ellison both intercepted Harrington, who finished with just 20 yards passing and a Blutarsky esque 0.0 quarterback rating.

The win evened Buffalo’s record at 7-7. The Bills are 5-2 since the bye week after starting the season 2-5. With the playoffs looming and Buffalo’s hopes of a postseason berth rising, Spikes and the rest of the team aren’t keeping those playoff chances in the back of their minds.

“It’s in the front,” he said. “It’s got to be in the front. But at the same time, we know we have to keep that in front of our minds, because that’s the ultimate goal. And once we get in, we’ll take it to another level, but we have to win each game from here on out.”

Buffalo can clinch an AFC wildcard by winning its two remaining games against Tennessee and Baltimore and having other wildcard contenders, like the Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets and Denver Broncos lose.

Spikes had a quiet, but steady day for the Bills, wrapping up six tackles against the Dolphins, all in the first half.

Still, it’s better than last year, when Spikes sat out his birthday game against the Denver Broncos. Spikes tore his achilles tendon in Week Three and missed the rest of the season. He’s still not quite recovered from that injury and has yet to return to his dominating form.

“It was a really good one,” Spikes said of his birthday. “Last year, we played Denver on my birthday and I wasn’t playing then. (This year) was good.”

As much as he enjoyed the win on his birthday, Spikes said that wasn’t the best gift he received this year.

“No, actually, I got a Cannon XTi camera,” he said. “I’m ready to put that bad boy to work.”

e-mail: mkrueger@beenews.com