Patriots 25 - Bills 24 (Brady's Back! Patriots pull off a come from behind victory!)
If you shut off the TV with six minutes to go in the game, figuring the Bills were winning 24 to 13 over the Patriots, then you missed quite a game! Never count the Patriots out! The Patriots played well most of the game, but seemed to be out of rhythm in the first half. Then again, Tom Brady has not played in a significant game since Super Bowl 42! The Patriots did not seem to have an answer for shutting down RB Fred Jackson, but did keep Mr. Owens in check for the night. The Patriots definitely have some things to work on, but came up big when it counted!
The Good:
The Patriots pull out an improbable 25-24 triumph over the Bills as TE Benjamin Watson catches two TD passes from QB Tom Brady over the final 130 seconds of play.
Bills returner Leodis McKelvin fumbled on the kickoff return with Pierre Woods stripping the ball after Brandon Meriweather made the initial stop. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski recovered for the Patriots at the Buffalo 31 with 1:56 to go giving the Patriots one more chance to win the game (and they did!).
Terrell Owens was held to just two catches for 46 yards! He looked slow from all the popcorn he has been eating.
Quarterback Tom Brady threw for 378 yards and two TDs and even rushed for 9 yards to try and get a first down!
The Bad:
Fred Jackson produced a 10-yard touchdown reception on a screen pass from Trent Edwards (Bills 24 - Pats 13) with 5:32 left in the fourth quarter.
Linebacker Adalius Thomas picked up a personal foul penalty for unnecessary roughness after whipping Buffalo QB Trent Edwards to ground at the end of a 10-yard sack.
Aaron Schobel intercepted a Tom Brady offering and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown. Coming off a play-action fake, Brady seemed to want to flip the ball over the oncoming defensive linemen to Sammy Morris, but Schobel simply reached up and grabbed the ball, then outraced Morris to the end zone.
The Ugly:
Patriots second-year linebacker Jerod Mayo was shaken up on a play at 4:19 of the first quarter. Trainers attended to Mayo, looking at his right leg (knee area), before he walked off the field under his own power. Mayo never returned to play in the game.
Scoring:
Stephen Gostkowski missed a 41-yard field goal attempt badly to the right (Patriots 0 - Bills 0).
Buffalo quarterback Trent Edwards tossed an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Shawn Nelson. The drive covered 68 yards on six players over 3:17. (Patriots 0 - Bills 7)
Fred Taylor's 1-yard touchdown run capped a 14-play, 72-yard drive that spanned 7:12. (Patriots 7 - Bills 7)
Aaron Schobel intercepted a Tom Brady offering and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown. (Patriots 7 - Bills 14)
Buffalo came up with a defensive stand inside its 10 and the Patriots settled for Stephen Gostkowski's 20-yard field goal on the final play of the first half. (Patriots 10 - Bills 14)
Bills kicker Rian Lindell booted a 40-yard field goal to cap a 42-yard, 7-play drive that spanned 3:25. (Patriots 10, bills 17)
Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski booted a 28-yard field goal to cap an 11-play, 66-yard drive that spanned 5:49. (Patriots 13 - Bills 17)
Fred Jackson produced a 10-yard touchdown reception on a screen pass from Trent Edwards. The scoring drive covered 62 yards on 13 over 6:11. (Patriots 13 - Bills 24)
Benjamin Watson reeled in an 18-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady, but the 2-point conversion pass to Watson failed, keeping Buffalo out front by five with little more than two minutes to play. (Patriots 19 - Bills 24)
Patriots tight end Benjamin Watson reeled in a 16-yard touchdown pass -- his second in little more than a minute -- from Tom Brady as the Patriots have improbably come from behind to take the lead over the Bills. (Patriots 25 - Bills 24) FINAL
Game Notes:
Wide Receiver Randy Moss caught back-to-back receptions on the Patriots' first drive of the second half. With 850 career receptions, Moss leapfrogged Rod Smith into 14th place on the NFL's all-time receptions list. For good measure, Moss caught a third straight pass for career reception No. 851, which tied him with Irving Fryar for 13th on the all-time list.
Notable Quotes:
"Well, that was an exciting game — got that one going. It was a great effort by our team. I’m really proud of the players; not that we played our best, but we hung in there. We kept playing, down by 11 with four or five minutes to go in the game and we came back and made the plays we had to make to win." --Patriots Coach Bill Belichick
"That was as close as it gets. There were a lot of situational plays that we needed at the end that we made, and had we not made them, we probably would not have won. But we put ourselves in that position." --Patriots QB Tom Brady
“There wasn’t a plan, you just have to step up. Everyone has to play. No mistakes. Correct your mistakes. If you make a mistake, hopefully you can come back and make a big play. That’s what happened and we came out with a win. That’s what we’re out here for, to win. Buffalo played a hell of a game, we just made the plays when they counted.” -- Patriots LB Pierre Woods
“If I ever had another chance, I would probably do the same thing. Next time I get the opportunity, I am going to hold on and make a better decision." -- Bills CB Leodis McKelvin
“When I caught the ball, I didn’t know if I had two feet inbounds or if my momentum took me into the end zone. If I downed it, it may have been a safety, so I decided to bring it out.” -- Bills CB Leodis McKelvin
info: boston.com
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