FOXBORO, MA -- In probably one of the most anticipated match-ups
since the trade was announced, the Patriots (3-4) are now poised to face former
New England quarterback Drew Bledsoe in an AFC East divisional game this
Sunday against the Buffalo Bills (5-3) at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
But forget about all the hype that surrounds this game. New England
currently sits at 3-4 after dropping their last four games following a
3-0 start, and now find themselves in a game they can't afford to lose.
Regardless of who the opposing quarterback is.
While the majority of talk this week has been about current Pats QB
Tom Brady vs. Bledsoe (again) and whether or not the trade was a good decision
by Pats head coach Bill Belichick back in April, the biggest problem that
the Patriots face isn't this now infamous trade, it's the fact they are
on the verge of putting themselves further out of playoff contention with
over a month of football left to be played.
With one less Wild Card spot this season, the need for a victory is
now that much more important.
| 3rd Down Rec Leaders |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD |
| Branch, Deion WR | 12 | 153 | 2 |
| Brown, Troy WR | 11 | 138 | 0 |
| Patten, David WR | 7 | 128 | 1 |
In 1994, the Patriots rebounded from a four-game losing streak to win
their last seven games of the regular season to qualify for the playoffs.
Last season they were 3-4 before finishing the season by winning 8 out
of their final 9 games. Both of those clubs were heading in different
directions however, with New England's current losing streak showing no
immediate signs of ending. They are on the verge of losing their
fifth in a row, something they haven't done since 1995.
It's time to turn it around, and quarterback Tom Brady says it needs
to happen this weekend.
"Any time you lose four straight your looking for something positive
to build on," said Brady earlier this week. "It's going to be a dogfight
[against Buffalo], and we need to go out there and win."
It's been just that the past five games, with four of those last five
games being decided in overtime. In last year's first match-up the
Patriots won 21-11, but they were up by just three points in the final
minute of play when Antowain
Smith put the game away with a 42-yard touchdown run.
| 1st Quarter Rec Leaders |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD |
| Brown, Troy WR | 12 | 117 | 0 |
| Branch, Deion WR | 12 | 111 | 0 |
| Fauria, Christian TE | 5 | 36 | 2 |
The real drama last year came in their second meeting, this time in
Buffalo when New
England escaped with a 12-9 overtime victory against a 2-10 Bills team
that played them extremely tough throughout the game. They led New
England 9-6 late in the game, until the Patriots drove for a fourth quarter,
game-tying score. Then, in overtime, the Patriots were the beneficiaries
of a dead ball rule which ended up being the difference in the football
game. Brady completed a pass along the sideline to wideout David
Patten, who was hit hard by Bills safety Keion Carpenter. Patten was knocked
unconscious on the play and fumbled the football. While his head lay out
of bounds, his feet were touching the ball, and the Bills recovered and
returned downfield. But after reviewing the play the officials ruled
the ball was dead by virtue of the fact it was touching an unconscious
and out of bounds Patten. One play later Antowain Smith raced 38
yards to the 3-yard line which set up Adam Vinatieri's game winning field
goal.
In those two victories last season Drew Bledsoe was a New England Patriot.
This time around he's a Buffalo Bill and a quarterback who has thrown for
2500-yards and 16-touchdowns. Wide receivers Eric Moulds and Peerless
Price are both in the middle of All-Pro caliber seasons, combining for
11 of those touchdowns and 1525 of Bledsoe's passing yards.
"The passing game is good and it's efficient," said Belichick on Thursday.
"Drew's using all his receivers, his tight ends, his backs, the wide outs,
and he's making plays scrambling, stepping up in the pocket, hitting big
plays down the field."
Those big plays came last week against Detroit, with Bledsoe connecting
with Eric Moulds for 42-yards to set up a 5-yard run by Travis Henry, and
then later connecting with Peerless Price from 59-yards out for a touchdown.
The Bills have a potentially deadly offense which also includes runningback
Travis Henry who's only problem has been his inability to hold onto the
football, losing the ball on five of his six times he's fumbled this season.
Henry has been effective this season, rushing for 695-yards on 151-carries
this season, including 9-touchdowns. He's also been used out of the
backfield, catching 24-balls for 178-yards including a 26-yard touchdown.
Factor in tight end Jay Riemersma and fullback Larry Centers and receiver
Josh Reed, and Bledsoe has enough weapons to be dangerous against a Patriots
defense that played better last week against Denver but is still trying
to find themselves.
Now the question will be can Bill Belichick continue his success against
Bledsoe which is something he'd done so well during his time with the New
York Jets.
"I think that's a little bit of a misnomer," said Belichick when asked
why he's been so successful against Bledsoe in the past. "He's certainly
made plenty of good plays against teams that I've coached, and he's won
some and we've won some."
"He's a good player, he's going to make plays against everybody, and
hopefully we can make a few too."
INJURY REPORT
| QUESTIONABLE |
| TE Daniel Graham (Shoulder) |
| LB Larry Izzo (Leg) |
| DE Anthony Pleasant (Shoulder) |
| C Greg Ruegamer (Foot) |
| CB Otis Smith (Arm) |
NOTES ON INJURIES
Otis Smith apparently suffered an arm injury last weekend against Denver
and may not play in Sunday's game. In the event Smith can't go Terrell
Buckley may get the call in his place. "If Otis weren't able to play, then
the other corners would," said Belichick on Thursday. "Terrell [Buckely],
Ben [Kelly] , and Jimmy [Hitchcock], Antwoine [Womack]. Leonard Myers
is practicing, that could be another option, we would have to activate
him and so forth, but it's a possibility."
OTHER TIDBITS
New England is currently ranked 2nd in the league in pass defense.
Bills RB Travis Henry is currently 2nd in the league with 10 TD's.
The Patriots are 7-1 in their last eight games against AFC East opponents.
New England RB Antowain Smith hasn't had a 100-yard rushing performance
since December 22nd of last season.
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