This Week
The New England Patriots visit their AFC East rival Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park NY on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Patriots
|
=—- |
The Bills |
| Overall |
1-2 |
Overall |
2-1 |
| Road record |
1-1 |
Home record |
1-0 |
| AFC East |
0-0 |
AFC East |
0-1 |
| AFC |
1-1 |
AFC |
2-1 |
John Parry will be the referee for the game.
The Line/Prediction
As of Thursday the line on the game from Bovada.net via Yahoo Sports has the Patriots at MINUS 4 1/2. The over under is 51.
My Prediction is Patriots 34, Bills, 21. Give the points (Patriots) and take the over. I am 1-2 against the spread and 2 of 3 on calling the over/under in 2012.
Tickets
The Bills are reporting the game as a sell out.
Tickets to the game, if available, can be purchased through Ticketmaster. You can check the availability here.
Getting to the Game
If you’re lucky enough to be shuffling off to Buffalo for the game make sure you check out the links.
Here is the up to date weather forecast from the Weather Channel for Orchard Park NY.
Click for all the game day information including stadium directions, parking and stadium information, parking map and a Ralph Wilson Stadium seating chart.
Tailgating
Here’s a bunch of different tailgating recipes from Tailgating.com. There’s something there for everyone and every type of meal or snack. I’ve tried some of the recipes and they’re very good.
And with tailgating many people enjoy some adult beverages. With that in mind check out Drink Nation for how to make all sorts of great drinks. You can look things up by name, ingredient(s) or theme.
Whether it’s at the game, a bar or a friend’s house moderation is always the key to a great time. Please don’t drink and drive and designate a sober driver. Remember You Drink, You Drive, You Lose.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television
CBS in televising the game regionally and Greg Gumbel will do play by play while Dan Dierdorf will provide the game analysis. You can look here for your local affiliate.
See if you’re getting the game courtesy of J.P. Kirby at the506.com.
The DirecTV designation is Channel 708.
Here are all the rules on NFL TV broadcasts including explaining the blackout rules; flex scheduling and commercial breaks.
Radio
The Patriots Radio Network broadcasts the game from flagship station WBZ-FM, 98.5 the Sports Hub in Boston. Gil Santos handles the play-by-play and former Patriots QB Scott Zolak will do game analysis. It all starts with Gary Tanguay and Andy Gresh with the pregame show at 10 a.m. along the network. The post game starts after the final gun and continues for three hours along the network.
The Patriots radio network call is available on Sirius Channel 91 and SiriusXM Internet Channel 818.
The Bills Radio Network has John Murphy calling the game while former Bills DB Mark Kelso provide the game analysis via their flagship station, WGR-AM.
Their call is available on Sirius Channel 117, XM Channel 233 and SiriusXM Internet Channel 803.
Patriots All Access
Patriots All-Access features behind the scenes looks, interviews and breakdowns with head coach Bill Belichick and in depth features on the team. It’s hosted by Steve Burton of WBZ-TV (Boston) and airs weekly in most New England television markets.
- Boston MA on TV 38 Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m.
- Providence RI on WNAC Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m.
- Manchester NH on WMUR Saturday at midnight
- Portland ME on WMTW Sunday at 5 a.m.
- Hartford CT on WCTX Saturday at 5 p.m.
- Springfield MA on WFXQ Saturday at 7 p.m.
- Bangor ME on WVII Sunday at 11 a.m.
You can also watch it anytime on the teams website in the media section.
To continue reading, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.
Last Week
The Patriots lost to the Ravens in Baltimore as time expired 31-30. The Bills beat the Browns on the road 24-14.
History
- This is the 105th meeting between the Patriots and the Bills since they started to face each other as AFL foes in 1960.
- The Patriots lead the series 62-41-1
- The 62 wins are the most the Patriots have over any opponent.
- Last season in Week 3 Buffalo snapped a 15 game losing streak to New England with a 34-31 home win.
- The Patriots won the last meeting between the teams in 2011 beating the Bills, 49-21 at Gillette Stadium.
Patriots Team Notes
Here is the Patriots roster, depth chart and injury report for the game.
2012 Patriots Schedule/Results
The Patriots overall franchise record is 415-367-9. They have won three Super Bowls (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX) in seven appearances. Overall they are 23-16 in the post season.
They last appeared in the playoffs in 2011 when they beat Denver home in the AFC Divisional Playoff, 45-10 and defeated Baltimore 23-20 in Foxboro in the AFC Championship Game. They lost Super Bowl XLVI to the New York Giants 21-17.
The Patriots were 13-3 (2-1 in playoffs) in 2011 and are the defending two-time AFC East Champions as well as the defending AFC Conference Champions. They have won the division 8 times and the conference 5 times since 2000.
Despite a 1-2 record New England is outscoring its opponents, 82-64 through 3 games.
The Patriots are 29-22-1 all time in Buffalo, 22-16 at Ralph Wilson/Rich Stadium. The other games were played at old War Memorial Stadium.
New England is 53-15 vs. the AFC East since 2001.
New England’s largest margin of victory in the series is 46 points set in 2007.
An AFC East rival has not swept the Patriots in a season series since 2000 when Miami and New York swept them.
The Patriots streak of 145 games at .500 or better ended last Sunday in Baltimore. It is an NFL record for most consecutive games above .500. Before this week the last time the Patriots were under .500 was after Week 1 in 2003 when they suffered a 31-0 loss to Buffalo.
Since 2003, New England is 27-4 following a loss.
Since 2000 the Patriots have an NFL best 64-34 road record.
The Patriots are 10th in the NFL in points per game with 27.3. While they allow 21.3 points per game good for 10th in the NFL.
The New England defense has sacked the opponents quarterback 3 times this season, while their quarterbacks have been sacked 7 times.
New England is PLUS 4 in turnover differential tied for 3rd best in the NFL. The offense has given up 1 INT and 0 fumble, while the defense has 2 INT and 3 fumble recoveries.
The Patriots are 18 for 42 (42.9%) in 3rd down efficiency and 0 for 0 on fourth down attempts. Opponents are 13 for 36 (36.1%) in 3rd down efficiency and 1 for 3 (33.3%) on 4th down attempts.
New England is 6 of 12 (50%) in the red zone while opponents are 4 for 7 (57.1%) in the red zone in 2012.
In goal to go situations New England is 6 for 8 (75%) and opponents are 4 for 6 (66.6%).
Since Robert Kraft bought the team in 1994 they:
- Have the most Super Bowl wins, 3.
- Have the most regular season wins, 194.
- Have the most wins including playoffs, 213.
- Have the most conference titles, 6.
- Have the most division titles, 11.
- Have the most playoff wins, 19
- Have played the most playoff games, 29.
- Are tied for the most playoff seasons, 13.
- Have the best playoff win percentage, .671.
- Have drafted the most Pro Bowl players, 20.
New England set the following team records in 2011:
- Total yards, 6,848.
- First downs, 399.
- Net passing yards, 5,084.
- 100+ yard receiving games, 18.
- Games with 30+ points, 12 (tied for most in NFL history).
Patriots Staff Notes
This is the link to head coach Bill Belichick’s Wednesday press conference on the Bills.
Bill Belichick coached teams are 21-4 vs. Buffalo. Belichick was 0-1 against the Bills as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns.
Overall in his NFL career Belichick is 176-99 in his 18th NFL season. He is 140-55 with New England and 36-44 with Cleveland. He is 17-7 in the playoffs, 16-6 as head coach of the Patriots in the post season. When you combine his regular season and post season records he is 193-106.
Belichick’s 193 wins are good for a tie for 8th all-time with Chuck Knox, who coached the Rams, Bills and Seahawks.
Belichick is one of five head coaches in NFL history whose father (Steve Belichick) played in the league. The others are former Kansas City head coach Todd Haley (Dick Haley), former San Francisco head coach Mike Nolan (Dick Nolan), former Cincinnati head coach David Shula (Don Shula) and former NY Jets head coach Joe Walton (Frank Walton).
Belichick is one of just four coaches to win three Super Bowls, joining Chuck Noll (4), Joe Gibbs (3) and Bill Walsh (3). Those men are all in the Hall of Fame.
He is the only coach in NFL history to win three championship titles in four seasons.
He is the only coach in NFL history to have led his team to 10+ wins in 9 consecutive seasons.
Belichick was fined $50,000 by the NFL for “impermissible physical contact with an official” for his actions after the Patriots 31-30 loss in Baltimore on Sunday night.
Patriots Possible Starters
Offense:
- LT: Solder
- LG: Mankins
- C: Wendell
- RG: Connolly
- RT: Vollmer
- TE: Gronkowski
- TE: Hoomanawanui
- WR: Lloyd
- WR: Welker
- QB: Brady
- RB: Ridley
Defense:
- DE: Ninkovich
- DT: Wilfork
- DT: Love
- DE: Jones
- LB: Mayo
- LB: Spikes
- LB: Hightower
- LCB: McCourty
- RCB: Arrington
- S: Chung
- S: Gregory
Patriots Players Notes
This Tom Brady’s 13th NFL season he is 18-2 vs. the Bills in his career.
Overall Brady is 125-36 as a starting QB and is 16-6 in the playoffs for an overall record of 141-42. Brady is a 7 time Pro Bowl QB; 3 time All-Pro selection; two time NFL MVP and has won 3 Super Bowls while twice being named the games MVP. He is also listed as the 21st Greatest Player in the History of the NFL according to the NFL Network.
He was ranked in the preseason by ESPN’s Ron Jaworski as the 3rd best quarterback in the NFL.
Brady has 303 TD passes in his career he is now 5th all-time. Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton is 4th with 342.
Brady has 125 career wins he is 5th all-time. Peyton Manning is 4th with 141.
Brady finished the 2011 season with 5,235 passing yards and joined Drew Brees (5,476 in 2011 and 5,069 in 2008), Dan Marino (5,084 in 1984) and Matthew Stafford (5,038 in 2011) as the only players in NFL history to reach 5,000 passing yards in a single season.
Brady (3,476) needs 12 completions to move past Kerry Collins (3,487) into 10th place all-time on the NFL’s all-time completion list.
Brady moved past Joe Montana (40,551) into 12th place all-time on the NFL’s passing list. He now has 40,866.
Brady (40,866) needs 57 passing yards to move past Kerry Collins (40,922) into 11th place all-time on the NFL’s all-time passing list.
Brady has thrown at least 1 TD pass in 35 consecutive games.
The Patriots are 82-15 when Brady throws at least 2 TD passes in a game.
WR Wes Welker now has catches in 104 consecutive games including playoffs, 87 as a Patriot. The last time Welker did not have a catch in a game was 12/24/05 as a Dolphin.
Welker (6,356) needs 11 receiving yards to move past Troy Brown (6,366) into second place on the New England all-time receiving list.
Welker joined Jerry Rice and Marvin Harrison as the only players in NFL history with four 100+ catch seasons.
Welker has two of the Top 4 seasons for most catches in a season with 123 in 2009 and 122 in 2011.
He has led the team in receptions for 5 consecutive seasons.
TE Rob Gronkowski has back-to-back 10+ TD reception seasons. With another in 2012 he will be the first TE in NFL history to have done it three seasons in a row.
Gronkowski grew up in Williamsville, N.Y., 14 miles outside of Buffalo.
DE Trevor Scott played football at the University of Buffalo from 2003-07 and grew up in Potsdam, N.Y.
Patriots LB Jerod Mayo leads the team with 35 tackles (29 solo).
Mayo can extend his streak to four straight games with 10 or more tackles, which would tie his career high.
Rookie S Tavon Wilson and S Steve Gregory lead the team in INT’s with 1 each.
New England has recovered 3 fumbles one by Wilson one by DT Vince Wilfork and one for LB Dont’a Hightower.
Rookie DE Chandler Jones leads the team with two forced fumbles.
DE Rob Ninkovich leads the team in sacks with one each with LB Jermaine Cunningham and Jones.
LB Brandon Spikes and Jones lead the team with 2 QB hits apiece.
5 players each have two special teams tackles. They are Matthew Slater, Nate Ebner, Brandon Bolden, Kyle Arrington and Wilson.
There are only three players on the team who played on at least one of the Super Bowl championship teams, Brady (3); Branch (2) and Vince Wilfork (1).
Roster moves this week:
- Released DT Marcus Forston
- Signed DT Terrell McClain
- Released TE Kellen Winslow Jr.
On Wednesday the following players were on the injury list. DE Brandon Deaderick (ankle); WR Julian Edelman (hand); DR Justin Francis (ankle); TE Aaron Hernandez (ankle) and G Logan Mankins did not practice. QB Tom Brady (right shoulder); C/G Nick McDonald (shoulder); CB Alfonzo Dennard (hamstring); CB Sterling Moore (knee); RB Shane Vereen (foot) and T Sebastian Vollmer (back) were limited in practice.
On Thursday the following players were on the injury list. WR Julian Edelman (hand); DR Justin Francis (ankle); TE Aaron Hernandez (ankle) and G Logan Mankins did not practice. DE Brandon Deaderick (ankle); DT Kyle Love (knee); C/G Nick McDonald (shoulder); CB Alfonzo Dennard (hamstring); CB Sterling Moore (knee); RB Shane Vereen (foot) and T Sebastian Vollmer (back) were limited in practice.
The Patriots captains for 2012 are QB Tom Brady, DT Vince Wilfork, G Logan Mankins, LB Jerod Mayo, CB Devin McCourty and WR Matthew Slater (special teams). They are the same 6 players that were selected last season as well.
The Patriots have 5 New England natives on the roster they are: TE Aaron Hernandez (Bristol CT); OL Donald Thomas (New Haven CT); DE Ron Brace (Worcester MA); LB Niko Koutouvides (Plainville CT) and OL Jamey Richard (Weston CT – IR). They have 13 players who played for a New England school or a Big East Conference member. They are CB Will Allen (Syracuse – IR); DE Ron Brace (Boston College); WR Deion Branch (Louisville); RB James Develin (Brown – Practice Squad); RB Tony Fiametta (Syracuse – Exempt List); DE Justin Francis (Rutgers); S Stephen Gregory (Syracuse); DE Chandler Jones (Syracuse); CB Devin McCourty (Rutgers); OL Donald Thomas (UConn); DT Terrell McClain (South Florida); OL Jeremiah Warren (South Florida – Practice Squad) and NT Vince Wilfork (Miami).
The Patriots have 6 retired numbers: 20 – Gino Cappelletti, 40 – Mike Haynes, 73 – John Hannah, 78 – Bruce Armstrong, 79 – Jim Lee Hunt and 89 – Bob Dee.
Bills Team Notes
Here is the Bills roster, depth chart and injury report for the game.
2012 Bills Schedule/Results
Buffalo’s all-time record is 366-417-8 they are 14-15 in the post season with their last post season appearance coming in 1999 when they lost to Tennessee in the AFC Wild Card game, best known as the “Music City Miracle”.
They last played for a conference championship in 1993 when they beat Kansas City in the AFC Title game, 30-13. They then went on to lose to Dallas in Super Bowl XXVIII. They have never won a Super Bowl title in four appearances.
The Bills franchise started in 1960 in the AFL and they won two AFL Championships in 1964 and 1965.
Buffalo is 21-48 vs. the AFC East since 2001.
The Bills have lost the season series to the Patriots 9 times in the last 12 seasons.
The Bills are 22-29-1 as the home team in the series.
The largest margin of victory for the Bills in the series is 35 points set in 1970.
The Bills are tied for 6th in scoring offense with 29.0 points per game. While they allow 26.3 points per game, good for a tie for 23rd in the NFL.
Buffalo is now PLUS 1 in turnover differential, tied for 12th best in the NFL. The offense has given up 3 INTs and 2 fumbles, while the defense has 4 INTs and 2 fumble recoveries.
Bills Staff Notes
Hear what Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey had to say to the New England media about the match up.
Buffalo head coach Chan Gailey in his 3rd season with the team is 12-23 since taking over. He was previously the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys for two seasons and had an 18-14 record and is 0-2 in the playoffs. His overall NFL record is 30-39 including playoffs.
Gailey is 1-4 vs. the Patriots in his career, 1-3 with Buffalo and 0-1 with Dallas.
Assistant Defensive Backs Coach Adrian White played DB for the Patriots in 1993.
Wide Receivers Coach Bob Bicknell is a native of Holliston MA and played tight end at Boston College. He later coached at Boston University. His father is Jack Bicknell the former head coach at Boston College.
Head Strength & Conditioning Coach Eric Ciano graduated from Springfield College in 1997 and played football for the Pride.
Assistant Offensive Line Coach Andrew Dees served as the Recruiting Coordinator and Running Backs Coach at the University of Massachusetts in 2011.
Bills Possible Starters
Offense:
- LT: Glenn
- LG: Levitre
- C: Wood
- RG: Urbik
- RT: Pears
- TE: Chandler
- WR: Jones
- WR: Steve Johnson
- QB: Fitzpatrick
- RB: Jackson
- RB: McIntyre
Defense:
- DE: M. Williams
- DT: Spencer Johnson
- DT: K. Williams
- DE: Anderson
- LB: Scott
- LB: Sheppard
- LB: Moats
- LCB: A. Williams
- RCB: Gilmore
- S: Wilson
- S: Byrd
Bills Players Notes
Buffalo QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is 1-4 vs. New England and 20-35-1 in his NFL career with Buffalo, Cincinnati and St. Louis.
He was a 7th round choice of St. Louis in the 2005 NFL Draft out of Harvard.
Fitzpatrick was the 24th best of the 30 starting quarterbacks rated by ESPN’s Ron Jaworski.
Buffalo has two former Patriots on their roster DE Mark Anderson and TE Lee Smith.
The Bills released P Brian Moorman this week. Moorman, who was a team captain and had been the Buffalo punter since 2001, has been replaced by Shawn Powell.
On Wednesday the following players were on the injury list. WR Martin Ruvell (ankle); CB Leodis McKelvin (groin) and RB CJ Spiller (shoulder) did not practice. RB Fred Jackson (knee) was limited in practice.
On Thursday the following players were on the injury list. WR Martin Ruvell (ankle) did not practice. RB Fred Jackson (knee); CB Leodis McKelvin (groin) and RB CJ Spiller (shoulder) were limited in practice.
Buffalo’s captains for 2012 are QB Ryan Fitzpatrick; RB Fred Jackson; DT Kyle Williams; S George Wilson and RB Corey McIntyre (Special Teams).
There are 3 players on the Bills roster from Big East Universities and New England based colleges. They are TE Dorin Dickerson (Pittsburgh); QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (Harvard) and C Eric Wood (Louisville).
The Bills have one retired number: 12 – Jim Kelley.
Next Week
The Patriots host the Denver Broncos next Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro MA. Kick off is at 4:15 p.m. on CBS.
Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMichaelsII
The Baltimore Orioles continued their magical run as they got six runs in the first inning on their way to a 9-1 win over the visiting team from Boston.
69-87
89-67
The CT Whale Bowl-a-Thon features the entirety of the Whale player roster. The hockey players will be bowling with teams of four bowlers, who have collected pledges to benefit Special Olympics Connecticut Eastern Region. A minimum pledge level of $200 is required for a team to enter, and the top fund-raising teams will win prizes, including the use of luxury suites at Whale home games. In addition to bowling, there are chances to win great prizes including hockey memorabilia, restaurant gift cards, apparel and more.
And as they head to Baltimore for a weekend matchup with the Orioles, I think there’s a part of all of us that want the Red Sox to lay down and play dead this weekend. Before you say anything or judge me, you know you’re also secretly hoping the Orioles make the playoffs.
