**The official Patriots vs Bills POST game thread**

[Uncle Rico]

Coaching: A

Belichick accustomed to having his way in Buffalo. Dared Gailey to run against bigger front on game's second possession and Bills blinked.

To the more astute here: Is there really why the Bills stopped running after such a successful first possession? Second possession was a 3-and-out, all passes and pretty much game over. I don't remember seeing this mentioned before as the reason. (Did the Pats even have enough D linemen to make such a change?)

 

[Deus Irae]

To the more astute here: Is there really why the Bills stopped running after such a successful first possession? Second possession was a 3-and-out, all passes and pretty much game over. I don't remember seeing this mentioned before as the reason. (Did the Pats even have enough D linemen to make such a change?)

BB was talking about this with Smerlas and DeOssie. One adjustment the Patriots made was to stop using nickel as much, and to stick with more 3-4. Gailey tried to take advantage of this by going through the air instead of testing the 3-4.

 

[jmt57]

Sal Maiorana reviews what were his keys to the game.

Buffalo Bills: Two-minute read | democratandchronicle.com | Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

1. Is this the day the streak comes to an end? No, not quite. It looked good for about five minutes, and then reality set in, harshly. The Patriots are so superior to the Bills in every way, it's hard to even fathom this winning streak — now at 15 games — ever coming to an end.

2. Is this the day the Tom Brady's non-interception streak comes to an end? Uh, another no. Brady wasn't even great, he was just pretty good, though pretty good for a future Hall of Famer is good enough, certainly to beat the Bills. He threw for a measly 140 yards, though he also had three TDs. He has now gone 319 passes without a pick. Unreal.

3. How badly will New England's tight ends out-play Buffalo's? What a joke this has become. Rob Gronkowski scored two TDs and Alge Crumpler — yes, blocking TE Alge Crumpler — scored one, running the season total of TDs by tight ends against the Bills to 11. Buffalo's TE's had no catches Sunday, and have a combined 14 TDs from their tight ends since the start of 2006. Really.

4. Can the Bills' young receivers win battles against New England's young secondary? Not at all. It was a gruesome day for the Bills and their offense. Ryan Fitzpatrick didn't give the young guys much chance as he kept throwing the ball to the Patriots in the form of three interceptions, not to mention two lost fumbles. One young WR, David Nelson, was knocked out of the game, and Donald Jones almost got knocked out. It was a mismatch, but that was the case at every position.

5. Will Danny Woodhead be a factor the way Kevin Faulk always seems to be against the Bills? He sure was. Why did the Jets cut this guy? He rushed for 93 yards and scored the go-ahead TD in the first quarter with a 29-yard run. He also had three receptions for 32 yards. The other back, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, had 104 yards rushing.

6. Is Ryan Fitzpatrick up to a duel with Tom Brady? Please hold your laughter until the end. Hey, Fitz threw for 111 more yards than Brady. Of course, Brady had three TDs to zero for Fitz, and Brady had five fewer turnovers. It would be quite a stretch to believe that the Bills will ever beat the Patriots if this continues to be the quarterback matchup.

 

[jmt57]

Click the link below to see what grades Jeff Howe, and NESN readers gave the Pats three units in the game at Buffalo.

Patriots Report Card: What Grade Do You Give Patriots After Blowout Win Over Bills? - New England Patriots - NESN.com - Jeff Howe

Offense Aside from some shortcomings in the second half when the game was already in hand, the offense was rolling through the air and on the ground. Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes, while BenJarvus Green-Ellis (104 rushing yards) and Danny Woodhead (93 rushing yards, one touchdown) controlled the game against the league's worst run defense. And for the seventh consecutive game, they scored at least 31 points without committing a turnover.

Defense The Bills got off to a hot start with 64 rushing yards on the game's initial drive, but the Patriots' defense locked it down after that, forcing a season-high six turnovers (the seventh turnover came on special teams). The Pats' opportunistic defense has forced at least four turnovers four times this season.

Special Teams The Patriots' coverage units completely neutralized returner C.J. Spiller, who beat the Patriots for a touchdown in Week 3, and Shayne Graham made both of his field-goal attempts. Graham is 11-for-11 since signing with New England.

Coaching It was crucial to neutralize Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams, who is having a Pro Bowl-caliber season in the middle of Buffalo's line. This was more significant because right guard Ryan Wendell was making his first career start in place of the injured Dan Connolly. The Bills don’t have much talent in their front seven, so the Patriots had to contain their one true threat. Williams was limited to three tackles and never so much as sniffed Brady.

Curran: A thought-filled drive | CSNNE.com

2. BRADY LOVES STUPID ROOKIES

Here's yet another flip-flop from 2009. While the veterans dotting last year's roster may have eye-rolled at Bill Belichick's instructions and not given the necessary buy-in, that's not the case this year with a much younger team. "The rookies don't really know anything," said Tom Brady. "Really, what you tell them is what they believe. They don't look two weeks ahead. They're just not smart enough or experienced enough to do that. [The veterans] are just like, 'This is what you do.' And that's what they do. Having those guys like Aaron [Hernandez], Rob [Gronkowski] and Devin [McCourty], they just think this is just the way it is. They've really listened to the veterans, listened to the guys at their positions and listened to our coach."


4. WRIGHT MUST REALLY BE WRONG

The fact we haven't seen Mike Wright on the field in more than a month is becoming a big concern. Out a month with a concussion? You have to start wondering about his long-term health. He's their best interior pass-rusher when healthy and his playoff status would seem to be in serious jeopardy.

 

[Fencer]

Crazy stat of the year. Wes Welker has dropped 14 passes on the season.. That's more than his 1st 3 seasons as a Pat... COMBINED.

Which suggest that Welker will be a better weapon for Brady than he has been this season.

Despite the speed with which they regained considerable chemistry, the same is probably true of Branch. Ditto for all the young receivers.

Injuries aside, the skill-position talent is just headed up.

The OL is at risk of declining year over year, but that's about the only unit on the team I'd have that worry about. (Again, injuries and work stoppages aside.)