The Result
The Patriots rout the Bills 38-7 behind some great runs by Laurence Maroney and some incredible passes by Tom Brady. After looking out of synch in the first quarter the Patriots regrouped and went on to annihilate Buffalo getting 27 first downs to the Bills 12 (three of those came in the final two minutes) and out gaining them in every category.
With the convincing win over their AFC East rival the Pats have now beaten Buffalo 13 of the last 14 times they have played and 7 consecutive times in Foxboro.
The Pats go to 3-0 with all the wins against AFC teams and 2-0 in the division. The Bills drop to 0-3 all against AFC teams and are now 0-1 in the division.
Scoring Plays
1st Quarter
NE – Gostkowski 24 yard FG – 3-0 Patriots
BUF – Lynch 8 yard TD run – kick good- 7-3 Bills
2nd Quarter
NE – Brady 8 yard TD pass to Watson – kick good – 10-7 Patriots
NE – Brady 3 yard TD pass to Moss – kick good – 17-7 Patriots
3rd Quarter
NE – Brady 4 yard TD pass to Gaffney – kick good – 24-7 Patriots
NE – Morris 4 yard TD run – kick good – 31-7 Patriots
4th Quarter
NE – Brady 45 yard TD pass to Moss – kick good – 38-7 Patriots
Offensive Player of the Game
Laurence Maroney had 19 carries for 103 yards. His long was a 19-yard run.
Defensive Player of the Game
Ellis Hobbs who had a sack, a forced fumble that lead to a FG, broke up a long pass attempt with a nice play and added 3 tackles. Plus for good measure on special teams he had a 33-yard kick off return.
Turning Point(s) of the Game
The Patriots kept Buffalo pinned at the their own 1 yard line in 2nd quarter. After a 29-yard punt return (on a 75-yard punt) by Wes Welker they had ball at the Bills 47. It was the second time the Pats started a drive in Buffalo territory. They would score when Brady threw a TD pass to Ben Watson to reclaim the lead, 10-7.
Offensive Leaders/Notes
Tom Brady completed 23 of 29 passes for 311 yards, 4 TD’s and he lost 1 fumble. Randy Moss had 5 catches for 115 yards and two TD’s while Wes Welker added 6 catches for 69 yards. In addition to Maroney, Sammy Morris toted the ball 12 times for 46 yards and a TD.
Pats failed to get a touchdown on their first possession getting stopped at the Bills 7. They did get a FG though and have scored on their first possession all three weeks.
Two motion penalties (one declined) on the same series put the Pats in a bad 3rd and 8 in the first quarter.
Laurence Maroney had two good drives in the second quarter with several large runs but one ended when Brady fumbled on the goal line.
After looking out of synch in the first quarter the Patriots seemingly righted themselves part way into the second quarter and took off from there behind some great runs of Maroney, passes by Brady and offensive line play.
The offensive line allowed just one sack.
Sammy Morris once again provided the Patriots with a good second back to spell Maroney.
Defensive Leaders/Notes
Adalius Thomas had 9 tackles, Roosevelt Colvin had 7, while James Sanders and Mike Vrabel each had 6.
Ellis Hobbs caused the fumble that was recovered by Jarvis Green leading to a Patriots FG.
Coverage on the Bills first scoring drive appeared to be too soft allowing Edwards, a rookie QB, to get a few good gains on passes notably 16 and 22 yards back-to-back.
Allowed Marshawn Lynch to get 46 yards on 10 first quarter carries. He finished the day with 74 yards on 20 carries and 1 TD.
Junior Seau had two straight tackles for loss in the second quarter.
They forced the Bills to go 3 and out on five of six possessions. The only one that wasn’t a three and out was the two plays they ran prior to the half for negative yards.
After the Bills second drive of the game the defense seemed to settle in forcing several three and outs and making Edwards have to hurry. They had him confused with several different looks.
With 2 and half minutes left in the 3rd quarter the Bills got a first down their first since the first quarter scoring drive.
Asante Samuel had his first pick of the year and returned it 43 yards to the Bills 12.
Special Teams Leaders/Notes
Stephen Gostkowski was 1 for 1 in FGA and 5 for 5 on extra points.
Wes Welker looks really quick returning punts. He has good acceleration and see’s the field well. He had punt returns of 16, 29, 27 yards.
The kick off team stopped Buffalo at their own 14 on a kick off return after the Patriots had scored the go ahead TD.
Mel Mitchell made two big hits on kick off returns.
At least twice the Patriots have kept the Bills inside the 20 on kick off returns. And in the 4th quarter the Bills finally took a knee when Gostkowski put it nine yards deep.
Kevin Faulk let a late third quarter punt go and the Bills ended up pinning the Pats on their 2-yard line.
Coaching Decisions
I was surprised they didn’t blitz Trent Edwards, the rookie QB, more on his first drive and put more pressure on him seeing as he had never played an NFL down before today.
I wanted a FG late in the fourth with the Pats up 38-7. If they had Gostkowski kick the field goal I would have predicted the final score.
Injuries
JP Losman took a hit to his knee from Vince Wilfork on the games first play. He stayed in the game despite what looked like a bad injury. Losman re-injured himself in the same drive on the 1st quarter fumble and limped off the field. He was walked to the locker room and replaced by Trent Edwards on the second series. He did not return.
Jason Whittle (BUF) tore a hamstring, he did not return.
Paul Posluszny (BUF) was carted off the field, he suffered a broken left forearm. Out indefinitely.
Josh Scobey (BUF) took a hit to the knee on a kick off return – returned
The Officials
Today’s referee was Scott Green (17th year as an NFL official).
Pats got called for a false start but the Bills ended up with a personal foul on the same play right at the snap inthe first quarter. The 15 yarder took precedent and put the Pats well into Bills territory.
Patriots challenged the Brady fumble near the goal line in the 2nd quarter, the call was upheld Buffalo ball on their own 1.
Patriots challenge whether Edwards stepped out of bounds in the end zone for a safety in the 2nd quarter, the call was upheld and the Bills kept the ball on their own 1.
Game Notes
Patriots wore their alternate third jersey today, the silver top with the blue road uniform pants putting the Bills into their blue jersey’s with the blue pants. Teams are allowed by the NFL to wear their alternate jersey twice during the regular season.
I’d imagine that Vince Wilfork will get a fine at the very least for the hit on Losman
Pats had three first half drives that started in Bills territory. All three led to scores (2 TD’s, 1 FG).
Moss is 5th all-time in TD receptions with 106.
Patriots went three and out on the first drive of second half. It was only their second 3 and out of the season.
Is it me or does Robert Kraft’s wife, Myra, look a little like a younger version of Dr. Ruth? I’d wet myself if she could do the German accent and talk about orgasms.
The Bills dropped like flies during the game, as noted above there were four injuries with three guys not returning.
After his 2nd TD catch Moss gave the ball to a kid in the front row.
I really like Buffalo RB Marshawn Lynch the rookie out of Cal. He’s going to be good if he doesn’t end up getting killed by opposing defenses first. The Bills need to get better personnel around him starting at QB.
Matt Cassel replaced Brady with 8 minutes left in the game.
It was the third consecutive game that the Patriots have scored 38 points.
Post Game Press Conferences
Post game interviews with head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady.
Press conferences are via Patriots.com
Things To Work On For Next Week
They will need to contain Carson Palmer and the dangerous Bengal receivers. They will not be able to get away playing soft like they did in the first quarter against Buffalo because the Cincinnati wide outs will kill them.
Next Week’s Opponent
The Patriots travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals on Monday Night at Paul Brown Stadium, game time is 8:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN and along the Patriots Rock Radio Network.
Rest of the AFC East Results
NY Jets get their first win of the year over Miami, 31-28
Other AFC Games of Note
Green Bay holds off San Diego, 31-24
Pittsburgh whips San Francisco, 37-16
Baltimore nips Arizona, 26-23
Indianapolis edges Houston, 30-24
Seattle holds off Cincinnati, 24-21
Jacksonville beats Denver, 23-14
Oakland downs Cleveland, 26-24
