Patriots vs. Bills: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Patriots Game 9: Patriots 20 – Bills 10

The Good:

Rookie running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis topped the 100-yard rushing mark, totaling 26 rushes for 105 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was his fourth of the season and his fourth in as many weeks.

Wide Receiver Wes Welker ended the game with a season-high 10 receptions for a season-best 107 yards. The game was his first 100-yard receiving game of the season

Defensive end Ty Warren quietly continues to have a solid season, leading the team with seven tackles while adding a sack.

Cornerbacks Ellis Hobbs and Deltha O'Neal come up with interceptions and a physical approach against Lee Evans pays off. Cornerback Ellis Hobbs intercepted a Trent Edwards offering with 13 seconds to play in the first quarter. Cornerback Deltha O'Neal stepped in front of Bills tight end Robert Royal to intercept a Trent Edwards offering.

The Patriots tied the longest drive in team history (in terms of number of plays) when they embarked on a 19-play, 92-yard drive in the fourth quarter, chewing up 9:08 of clock time and protecting what was then a 13-3 lead.

The Patriots allowed just one sack on Matt Cassel. After allowing Cassel to be sacked 28 times through their first seven games, the Patriots have given up one sack over their last two games.

The Patriots once again had a decisive time-of-possession advantage, marking the seventh time in their nine games that they've won the clock battle. The team is averaging 32:59 per game, which ranks fourth in the NFL.

The Bad:

Kicker Stephen Gostkowski mishits a kickoff that sails out of bounds and gives the Bills the ball at the 40, in addition to missing a tough 49-yard field goal attempt.

Leodis McKelvin's 69-yard kickoff return set up a 1-play drive in which James Hardy reeled in a 14-yard touchdown pass from Trent Edwards. McKelvin finishes with three returns for 138 yards.

Bills defensive tackle Marcus Stroud came up with a strip-sack of Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel and Buffalo safety George Wilson recovered. The Bills took over at their own 44 with 13:43 remaining in the game.

The Ugly:

There are health concerns for the Patriots with Adalius Thomas, who left the game in the second quarter with an arm injury (most likely broken). He’s played 99 percent of the team’s snaps this season, so the Patriots have a sizable void to fill he doesn’t return.

Final Thoughts:

The Patriots have won 10 straight games against the Bills. Under Bill Belichick, New England has not lost to the Bills at home. The Patriots (6-3) moved a game ahead of the Bills (5-4), who are 1-4 since winning their first four games. The New York Jets routed St. Louis 47-3 and remained tied with New England. Miami (5-4) beat Seattle.

“The New England Patriots put their pants on just like we do and they get paid just as well as we do and the coaches scheme just like we do. Whether it was them outdueling us or out-scheming us or us shooting ourselves in the foot, we just can’t have that. ” -- Bill Tackle Langston Walker

"It’s good to win. It is good to get back on the winning track. I am really proud of the way our team held up there. I thought defensively we played a pretty solid game. I was certainly concerned about Lee Evans and their passing game but I thought our secondary did a pretty good job against them. Offensively, I thought overall Josh [McDaniels] and the offense - those guys did a great job of controlling the ball. That last drive was awesome and took a lot of time off the clock and ended up getting seven points. I thought it was real good time management and execution offensively when we needed it especially in the second half in the fourth quarter." -- Patriots Coach Bill Belichick

Wes Welker recorded season highs in receptions (10) and yards (107), passing former Jaguars receiver Jimmy Smith to become the only player in NFL history with at least six catches in his team's first nine games.