Two Bills Drive

‘Bledsoe on a bootleg?’

‘It was a classic case of giving the Patriots too many extra chances to win the game, and the Patriots made good on all the gifts that were given them.’

18-wheeler (Boston Globe)

Stung by one that got away (Boston Globe)

Offenses veer in 4th quarter (Boston Globe)

Another opponent is left smarting (Boston Globe)

Already 3-0, they are hard to contend with (Boston Globe)

Neal is paying attention in class (Boston Globe)

Pats wobble, don’t fall (Boston Herald)

Brady blows off blitz (Boston Herald)

Mistakes, penalties a two-sided story (Boston Herald)

Win cushions Dillon’s loss (Boston Herald)

Nothing special about this win (Boston Herald)

Mistakes baffle Bledsoe (Boston Herald)

Pats pull one out of hat (Boston Herald)

Pats receiving corps on march (Boston Herald)

Seymour cashes in on Drew fumble (Boston Herald)

Pats squarely on the mark (Providence Journal)

New England defense keeps Bills bumbling (Providence Journal)

Even on a bad day, Pats good enough to win (Providence Journal)

Despite injuries, Pats potent because of offensive depth (Providence Journal)

Bruschi’s sleight of hand fills the bill for Patriots (Providence Journal)

The Drill (Providence Journal)

Special teams’ performance earns some ugly reviews (Providence Journal)

One to go (Providence Journal)

He’s number three (Providence Journal)

18 in a row (Providence Journal)

Patriots poised to set new NFL victory mark (Woonsocket Call)

Minus three key players, Patriots’ depth plugs holes (Woonsocket Call)

Pats Pick It Up In Second Half (Hartford Courant)

He Can Dish It Out (Hartford Courant)

Patriots evade Bills, tie record for victories (Springfield Republican)

Once again, Bruschi delivers defining play (Springfield Republican)

Familiar formula continues to pay (Manchester Union Leader)

Pats streak up to 18 (Attleboro Sun Chronicle)

Bootleg doesn’t pay off (Attleboro Sun Chronicle)

Equal to the task (Lawrence Eagle Tribune)

Buffalo blitz proves big bust (Lawrence Eagle Tribune)

Neal tough as nails; Light shines on line (Lawrence Eagle Tribune)

Patriots-Bills Game Notes (Patriots.com)

A Great Bills Effort Ruined By Mistakes (PatsFans.com)

‘”We figured the last thing they would be expecting at that point would be to fake the run and boot it around the edge,” said Bledsoe, who was sacked seven times. The play crumbled when linebacker Tedy Bruschi came through the middle of the line, forcing Bledsoe to fumble. Defensive end Richard Seymour picked up the ball and lumbered 68 yards for a touchdown.’

‘New England’s Bruschi, a 6-1, 247-pound linebacker who always stands tall, had stormed into the backfield untouched. “They had been faking play-action. I had seen it a couple of times,” Bruschi said. “I just wasn’t going to bite on it this time. I thought they would keep it in Drew’s hands to make a big play.”‘

‘And in the end, the bottom line read the same as it has each time the Patriots have played a meaningful game in the past year: New England, enough, Other Guys, too little. The Patriots haven’t lost since Sept. 28, 2003, at Washington, and what’s more is they’ll tell you they should have won that game (and they’d be right). The Patriots don’t lose because they never seem to lose control of the game or themselves. The guess is that they don’t commit as many mental errors as their opponents, and the fact is that when they do, they pick the right time to do it.’

‘Funny, I never saw New England pick up a back after an incomplete pass and throw him to the turf, I didn’t see the Pats jumping offsides on a field goal attempt that wound up being the game winning touchdown. I didn’t see Corey Dillon fall with a gapping hole on third and one. I didn’t see Dillon go the wrong way on fourth and three. I didn’t see Tom Brady get sacked five times the final two times New England touched the ball.’

‘It was a costly loss for Buffalo. Safety Troy Vincent left the game after hurting a knee in the first quarter. Center Trey Teague also suffered a knee injury in the second quarter. Offensive tackle Jonas Jennings was knocked cold after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit from Vince Wilfork.’

‘While Bledsoe isn’t always the positive you’d like him to be, like Brady for instance, he isn’t the main reason the Bills find themselves 0-3. The Bills also have no real alternatives at this point.’

‘They gave up a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. They allowed punter Brian Moorman to run 34 yards for a first down after he dropped a snap. They gave up big plays on defense. They had miscues on offense. They had too many penalties. Yet, they always seemed to keep their collective cool. At least, they do so when they need to.’

‘Bruschi came up the middle nearly untouched to get to Bledsoe. Henry said the missed blitz pickup was a mental error. "I was faking the run, so I don’t know what happened," Henry said. "(I don’t know) why he came up the middle like that, but it was a miscommunication somewhere."’

‘The gritty Bills’ goal was to tie the game at 24 as the fourth quarter hit dusk. It looked like they were well on their way to achieving that goal as the running of Henry and a 21-yard catch by Moulds had the Bills at the Patriots 16. But on third and 2, Henry stumbled for no gain. With around three minutes to play, Bills coach Mike Mularky was faced with whether to go for the three points and hope for a quick defensive stop or go for the first down. He went with the latter only to see disaster strike when Bledsoe was blitzed by at least three Patriots, most notably Tedy Bruschi, who forced Bledsoe to fumble. Richard Seymour picked up the ball and he and his Patriots escort went 68 yards to seal the game.’

The Bills worked two weeks on getting ready for this game and while they did show up and give the champs all they could handle, a tremendous amount of mistakes inevitably did them in once again.

With New England ahead 24-17, the victory was clinched when Seymour picked up quarterback Drew Bledsoe’s fumble and ran it 68 yards for a touchdown with 2:44 remaining. The play came as the Bills were facing fourth-and-3 at the New England 18. Whatever play Buffalo prepared was blown up by linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who was untouched in bullying his way up the middle to force the fumble.’

‘Bledsoe, who lost his job to Brady in New England’s first Super Bowl-winning season in 2001, beat the Patriots here last year and tried his best to end the streak. But the immobile quarterback had problems escaping New England’s relentless pass rush and was unable to direct any scoring drives in the second half.’