MINNEAPOLIS -- In Drew they trust.

	Bledsoe

After enduring a bitter quarterback carousel for the past two years -- Doug Flutie one week, Rob Johnson the next -- free agent signee Drew Bledsoe has finally provided some stability and much-needed leadership to the Buffalo Bills huddle.

"You can tell he's been in this league a long time,'' rookie receiver Josh Reed said. "He was poised the whole time. He was leading us down the field and we just had to follow him.''

Bledsoe completed 35 of 49 passes for a career- and franchise-high 463 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Bills back from two fourth-quarter deficits before connecting with Peerless Price on a 48-yard touchdown in overtime against the Minnesota Vikings to get his first victory in a Bills uniform.

"With Drew, if you're down 40-0, you believe you can win,'' Price said. "We never thought we were out of it. With Drew in the huddle, the thought of losing never crosses your mind.''

The Vikings took a 32-30 lead with just under 7½ minutes to play in the game. Bledsoe promptly led the offense on a 10-play, 78-yard drive that culminated in a 3-yard touchdown pass to Price to give the Bills a 36-32 lead.

After Vikings running back Moe Williams scored with 26 seconds left, the game seemed all but over. But Bledsoe completed three passes in a row, driving Buffalo to the Minnesota 36. Mike Hollis bounced a 54-yard field goal off the cross bar and through to tie the game as time expired.

"He gave a special performance,'' Buffalo coach Gregg Williams said of Bledsoe. "He was really cool all game. You could see the guys feeding off him.''

After trading punts in overtime, Bledsoe needed just two plays -- a 28-yard completion to Jay Riemersma and the touchdown to Price -- to seal the deal.

"Drew's good,'' said Price, immediately recognizing his understatement. "He's the best. I played with Peyton Manning (in college at Tennessee) and they're right there together, but Drew has a much stronger arm.''

Bledsoe's previous career high was 426 yards, also coming in an overtime win over the Vikings on Nov. 13, 1994, when he played for the New England Patriots. He broke Joe Ferguson's franchise record of 419 yards set on Oct. 9, 1983.

"It feels good,'' Bledsoe said. "I'm confident that when we're in a game like we were in today, we can make plays. The reason I'm confident is the guys around me. Those guys feed off me, but I feed off them at the same time.''