Two Bills Drive

The sun shone brightly over Foxboro Stadium for most of New England’s 21-11 win over Buffalo on Sunday. At least above the Patriots’ sideline. “When it rains, it rains hard,” said Bills running back Travis Henry.”And it’s raining right now for us.” The Bills outgained the Patriots, but fatal penalties kept them out of the end zone until 2:43 remained and they trailed by 11 points. Buffalo held New England to 205 net yards, but gave the Patriots less than half a field to cover on both of their touchdown drives (one of which was sustained by a pair of defensive pass interference penalties). Rookie punter Brian Moorman, whose kicking was one of the scarce bright spots through the first seven games, couldn’t handle the southern Massachussetts wind as the Bills brace for the gusty portion of their home schedule.’

‘Was Johnson riding off into the sunset for the season? Or for his Bills career?’

‘The Bills had a season-high seven sacks to contribute to a good defensive effort in a 21-11 loss to the New England Patriots. It was the Bills’ highest total since getting seven against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 12th game of last season, and also the highest total allowed by the Patriots since the Colts recorded eight sacks Dec. 6, 1992. The Bills have been turning up the heat on opposing quarterbacks in recent weeks. After recording just four sacks in the first four games, the Bills’ defense has produced 17 in the last four contests.’

‘The crowning insult came on the first play after Johnson’s injury in the fourth quarter. They had, oh, half an hour to settle on a play while Johnson was being carted off. So what happens? Alex Van Pelt goes up to the line, gets a dazed look on his face and calls time.’

‘This was a game where Johnson may have been responsible for more of the sacks than the line.’

‘The Bills have now been outscored, 59-16, in first period of games this season. The have one offensive touchdown, a Johnson-to-Moulds pass in the Jets game. The Bills missed the point after. Their only other TD was an interception return by Nate Clements in the first Indianapolis game.’

‘So, it’s come to this: Patriots fans leaving Foxboro Stadium yesterday after New England’s 21-11 triumph over Buffalo were overheard complaining about how ugly a win it was. Ah, remember the good old days? Remember when Pats fans were happy with a win, no matter its beauty? Hard to believe it’s been, what, two months?’

‘It’s been 27 games since the Patriots have had a winning record.’

‘"He was very excited," Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said. "You could tell this morning when he walked in. It was good to hear some words out of his mouth. He really wanted to make an impression."’

‘The Patriots beat the Bills 21-11, and it was a messy, ugly game that has become typical when these division rivals meet. Tom Brady was sacked seven times, fumbled twice and was intercepted once. The young quarterback, who appeared so poised before the team left for three games on the road, now looked like a young quarterback playing in only his seventh game in the NFL. Which, of course, is exactly what Tom Brady is.’

‘Q: What did your former teammates say to you after the game? AS: They wished me luck. ‘Good game, stay healthy,’ and they’ll see me when we come to Buffalo. Q: It was all vanilla? AS: Yeah, because I had a good relationship with the players on the team. We always bonded. So they wished me well and I wished them well and stay healthy for the rest of the season and I’ll see them in Buffalo.’

‘In fact, if one looks closely, the Bills look very much like the Patriots – last season’s Patriots, that is.’

‘"I feel good," said Smith, who played four seasons with Buffalo before signing with New England in the off-season. "We got the win, that’s the main thing. It also helped that I had a pretty good performance out there."’

‘They aren’t the Marv Levy-Jim Kelly Buffalo Bills. They aren’t even the Wade Phillips-Doug Flutie Buffalo Bills. Even so, the team that squared off against the New England Patriots yesterday at Foxboro Stadium proved just as blue-collar tough as those more successful Buffalo teams of recent times.’

‘Should have, could have, would have. That has been the ongoing story of this dreadful season for the Bills.’