It's a five-point plan in which the fifth element is "finish." It took them awhile, but the 49ers finally finished a game Sunday in their 10-3 victory over the Buffalo Bills.

The 49ers' defense kept the Bills out of the end zone on all four trips inside the red zone. And when the Bills took over for one last opportunity to tie the game, the 49ers' defense had all the answers.

The Bills got nowhere on four plays, and the game was over.

"We knew coming in here it was going to come down to the defense," Singletary said. "It was going to come down to trying to keep them out of the end zone, particularly red-zone defense. I'm excited about what our defense was able to do."

The 49ers improved their record to 4-8. They won for the second time in five games under Singletary. The 49ers have a two-game lead for second place in the NFC West, but they have virtually no chance to winning the division. Any combination of a 49ers loss and an Arizona Cardinals victory in the final four games of the season would eliminate the 49ers from the playoff picture.

With their victory at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday, the 49ers reversed a trend for themselves and West Coast teams, in general. The 49ers had won just three of their previous 30 games that started at 10 a.m. (Pacific). Also, the 49ers became the first team from the West Coast to get a victory in the Eastern time zone this season in 17 tries.

"I just think if you're prepared to play and you're ready to play, you can be tired another time," Singletary said. "I don't really buy that. I just think when you're prepared, you're ready to go. You're hungry, and you got to get it done."