Two Bills Drive

‘"They had nothing to lose at 1-6, so they threw the kitchen sink at us," said Patriots veteran inside linebacker Ted Johnson. "It was fun because we made the big plays in the game when we had to."’

‘Smith still has a number of friends on the Bills, and he wanted to show the Buffalo media and fans that he wasn’t a bust, as many of them had said. That was motivation enough for Smith, but he acted all week as if he were going to face his old coaches. His teammates knew he was acting differently. The usually quiet Smith was gabbing continually.’

‘Bills quarterback Rob Johnson will miss a minimum of four weeks after suffering a broken right clavicle in the fourth quarter of a 21-11 loss to the Patriots on Sunday, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported. Johnson suffered the injury when he was sacked by Terrell Buckley with 4:17 left in the game.’

‘Buffalo’s offensive disarray was largely responsible for the Patriots’ 21-11 win. A false start by Jonas Jennings killed one should-have-been touchdown. Jay Riemersma’s holding infraction not only erased another, but made necessary the play on which Rob Johnson’s season very possibly ended. Penalties were only part of Buffalo’s miseries. Just getting out of the huddle was more than the Bills could handle at times, leading to two wasted second-half timeouts. Those would have been pretty handy at the end, after Buffalo cut New England’s lead to three points and desperately needed to stop the clock.’

‘The Bills lost 21-11 to New England Sunday, and lost Rob Johnson indefinitely. Johnson broke his collarbone after being sacked Terrell Buckley late in the fourth quarter. It was his 5th sack of the game. The Bills defense sacked Tom Brady seven times, and held him to just 107 yards passing with one interception by Antoine Winfield.’

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.’