Bills’ Playoff Pulse Beating

SAN FRANCISCO — Coach Mike Mularkey shut off every television in the locker room Sunday morning, ordering his Buffalo Bills to focus on the only game with playoff implications they could control.

That blackout led to a knockout: The Bills demolished the San Francisco 49ers, 41-7, for their sixth straight victory, boosting everything from their postseason hopes to their confidence in Willis McGahee’s injured knee.

Mularkey still won’t say the word “playoffs,” but his Bills certainly showed the determination and desperation necessary to become only the second team in NFL history to reach the postseason after starting 0-4.

“It’s the same situation we’ve been in now for a long, long time,” said Drew Bledsoe, who went 21 for 32 for 172 yards and a touchdown. “In order for us to have a chance, we’ve got to go and win the next game. There’s only one way to approach it. Sure, I saw the other [scores] in the stadium, but it doesn’t matter.”

Though nothing was decided, the other games went exceptionally well for the Bills (9-6): Fellow contenders Baltimore, Jacksonville and the New York Jets lost.

“Some of us know the situations, but the only thing we could control is what was right here,” linebacker Takeo Spikes said.

McGahee rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns, and rookie Lee Evans caught two scoring passes as the Bills extended their longest winning streak since 1990. Buffalo also clinched its first winning record since 1999.

The Bills also were able to rest McGahee and Bledsoe in anticipation of next week’s big game against Pittsburgh. Backup quarterback Shane Matthews played most of the second half, and Shaud Williams rushed for a score while spelling McGahee, who was questionable for the game.

Kevan Barlow rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown with 6 minutes 19 seconds to play for the 49ers (2-13), who stayed on track for the first pick in the upcoming draft by reaching the lowest point yet in a horrendous season.

“Hopefully, this is a bad dream,” fullback Fred Beasley said. “Once this season is done, hopefully we’ll go home and wake up, and then we’ll get ready for next year.”