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LANDOVER, Md. (AP) - They came, as always, wearing burgundy or white, but this time they made sure to choose jerseys bearing the number "21" and the name "Taylor."
They came, as always, hours before kickoff, but this time they carried red flowers and leather footballs and tiny teddy bears for a makeshift memorial.
Thousands upon thousands of fans came, as always, to hail their Washington Redskins on Sunday, and they also came, unlike any other time, to mourn a slain star.
And when those Redskins lined up to play defense for the first time in their first game since Pro Bowl safety Sean Taylor was shot and killed, the team sent 10 players out onto the field instead of 11.
"We were going to let him ride with us," assistant coach Gregg Williams said, "one more time."
So as the Buffalo Bills prepared to run their first play on offense, the man who replaced Taylor in Washington's lineup, Reed Doughty, stood on the sideline. The defensive players and coaches came up with the idea Saturday night and kept it secret; even head coach Joe Gibbs wasn't aware.
"It was important for the team to know that Sean was with us that one last time on the field," Doughty said. "He'll always be with us, but that was special."
After Bills running back Fred Jackson gained 22 yards on that play, Doughty entered for the next one - and he wound up making the tackle.
The 24-year-old Taylor died Tuesday, a day after being shot at his home in Florida during a burglary. The shock has yet to dissipate for Taylor's teammates and the Redskins' fans, and the grieving process continued on game day, from the cloudy, chilly hours before the kickoff until the rain-soaked end of a 17-16 comeback victory for the Bills.
Buffalo's final points came on Rian Lindell's 36-yard field goal with 4 seconds left, after Gibbs drew a 15-yard penalty for calling consecutive timeouts in an attempt to freeze the kicker.
The result made an already tough day at the end of an unimaginable week even more bitter.
"It makes your heart drop all the way to your feet," quarterback Jason Campbell said. "We wanted to come out here and win one for Sean."
Cornerback Fred Smoot felt tears welling in his eyes when he glanced over to where Taylor usually plays and didn't see his running mate on the field.
Qwix 
