Don’t count out Bills

Pat Williams is a big man with a big heart and appetite. So imagine his dilemma when the Buffalo Bills were back to their bumbling selves at the start of this season.

Most every time the defensive tackle went out, he couldn’t escape the critics and questions about what was wrong with his team.

“You weren’t hearing anything good from nobody,” Williams recalled.

It got so bad Williams considered not going out for dinner anymore.

Fortunately for the 317-pound Williams, it never led to such drastic measures.

Williams is hungry and so are the Bills, who have gained a sudden appetite for the playoffs. They’ve overcome a 0-4 start to win six of their last eight, a run that’s put Buffalo back in contention.

Buffalo’s chances remain slim. At 6-6, the Bills are tied with Cincinnati and Jacksonville and sit a win behind Denver and Baltimore in the race for the AFC’s sixth and final berth. It’s no help that the Ravens and Jaguars hold the tiebreaker for having defeated the Bills this season.

History’s against Buffalo, too. Only one team, the San Diego Chargers in 1992, has overcome a 0-4 start to make the playoffs.

Arithmetic aside, after three miserable seasons under Gregg Williams in which the Bills went a combined 17-31, there’s a sense of hope suddenly emerging under rookie coach Mike Mularkey.

Instead of giving up following the 0-4 start, Mularkey rallied his team with a “Why Not Us?” mantra.

Colts’ trio nears milestone

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning isn’t just staging a one-man assault on Dan Marino’s single-season touchdown record.

It’s a shared endeavor that has three of his wide receivers on the verge of carving out their niche in the NFL record book.

Marvin Harrison has caught a dozen of Manning’s club-record 44 TD passes and Reggie Wayne has caught 10. Brandon Stokley’s next touchdown catch will be his 10th, which will make the Colts the first team in league history to have three players with at least 10 receiving touchdowns in the same season.

“The (touchdown) record that everybody keeps talking about, I feel uncomfortable with,” Manning said. “But for Stokley and Marvin and Reggie all to get over 10 touchdowns, that’s pretty cool.”

McNabb having career year

Donovan McNabb has become a precision passer.

The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback is having the best season of his six-year career, helping the Philadelphia Eagles to an 11-1 start and a fourth consecutive NFC East championship.

Often criticized for being inaccurate, McNabb has drastically improved his completion percentage this season and broke an NFL record by completing 24 consecutive passes over two games.

“I don’t listen to what people say about my accuracy,” McNabb said. “People who have a problem with my accuracy can take a look at my winning percentage. If they have a problem with that, then tough luck.”

McNabb completed his first 14 passes in Philadelphia’s 47-17 victory over Green Bay on Sunday. He had completed his last 10 passes in a victory over the New York Giants the previous week.

Hall of Famer Joe Montana held the record with 22 straight completions against Cleveland and Green Bay in 1987.

Around the league

Miami receiver David Boston pleaded innocent in Burlington, Vt., to charges of assaulting a ticket agent at the Burlington International Airport in October. Boston, who was charged with simple assault, did not appear in court. … Houston safety Marcus Coleman will miss the rest of the season with a right shoulder injury. … Denver placed backup receiver Nate Jackson on injured reserve after he broke his ankle in last weekend’s loss to San Diego. … Chicago quarterback Craig Krenzel went on injured reserve with an ankle injury and will miss the rest of the season.