PHOTO: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, left, passes
under pressure from Buffalo Bills Chris Kelsay (90) and Pat Williams (93) in
the third quarter Sunday, Nov. 14, 2004, in Foxboro, Mass. The Patriots won
26-6. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
REPORT CARD VS. BILLS
PASSING OFFENSE: B
This was a solid, but unspectacular day for Tom Brady and the Patriots passing
attack. For the third straight week, Brady didn't seem to be his sharp, accurate
self, but he still made enough plays to move the offense in big chunks. He finished
19-for-35 for 233 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, the latter
of which came when wideout Bethel Johnson fell down. He also completed passes
to 10 different receivers led, not surprisingly, by David Givens' five catches
for 66 yards. Brady used the whole field, throwing to his backs, tight ends
and receivers while taking care of the football until the one turnover late
in the game. He also completed six passes of 15 or more yards as the game plan
called for him to attack vertically. He had trouble getting his team in the
end zone, as the Patriots went 2-for-6 in the red zone, but he helped the offense
convert 7-of-17 third downs with some clutch throws. One of Buffalo's two sacks
came when Brady tripped on his guard dropping back on a third-and-goal from
the 2 play.
RUSHING OFFENSE: A
Only the goal line offense prevented this from being an A-plus in what was an
otherwise dominant performance. The Patriots ran for 200 yards for the first
time in six years by rushing 45 times for 208 yards. Corey Dillon was terrific
in carrying 25 times for 151 yards against a Bills defense that had now allowed
a single 100-yard rusher this season. He ran up the middle and sprinted around
the corner chewing up yards in big clumps while averaging 5.8 yards per carry
against a defense that was allowing 3.5 yards per carry coming in. Dillon set
the tone on the Patriots first possession, running five times for 42 yards and
he controlled the game from there. Kevin Faulk chipped in with 13 runs for 61
yards. But the Patriots could not run it in from inside the 5-yard line with
Dillon carrying four times for 5 yards from in close.
PASS DEFENSE: A-plus
Drew Bledsoe never looked so bad. He completed only 8 of his 19 passes and that
came after he completed all three of his throws on the game's opening possession.
He threw for a woeful 76 yards with three interceptions, was sacked twice and
never guided his team inside the Patriots red zone. He was inaccurate and made
terrible decisions, throwing into coverage. His first interception was an ill-advised
throw into double coverage and Eugene Wilson made a fine diving catch to pick
the ball off at the 3-yard line. Tedy Bruschi intercepted him to set up what
amounted to a game-clinching touchdown before the half, a score that gave New
England a 20-0 lead at the break. Troy Brown also picked off his former quarterback
when Bledsoe threw behind Eric Moulds. Despite playing without its top three
cornerbacks, the Patriots defense dominated Buffalo. Tully Banta-Cain picked
up 1.5 of the Patriots two sacks and also intercepted rookie quarterback J.P. Losman after Bledsoe went to the bench in the fourth quarter. The pass rush
wasn't consistent, but Bledsoe didn't have open receivers, which is a credit
to a reserve-filled secondary. This was just flat out impressive.
RUSH DEFENSE: A-plus
New England knew coming into the game that if it wanted to win, it had to stop
Willis McGahee, who had given Buffalo some life with three 100-yard performances
in three starts, all Buffalo wins. His heavy workload had taken some heat off
the pass protection and allowed Buffalo to play a mistake-free brand of football.
The Patriots disrupted that formula by bottling up McGahee, holding him to 37
yards on 14 carries. His longest run was an 11-yarder that came on a play where
the Bills appeared to have a flea-flicker called, but when McGahee saw a defender
rushing at Bledsoe, he held the ball and ran around the end for a rare double-digit
gain. The Patriots front seven was superb, which allowed safety Rodney Harrison
to remain in coverage. He finished with a season-low two tackles while linebackers
Mike Vrabel and Tedy Bruschi led the way with 6 apiece. Defensive end Ty Warren
may have had his best game as a pro, finishing with five tackles, most of which
came at the point of attack.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B-minus
A 70-yard punt return for a touchdown and Buffalo's only points ruined an otherwise
solid performance. Beyond that, Buffalo returned one punt for no yards while
explosive kickoff returner Terrence McGee, who returned a kickoff 98 yards for
a touchdown in the first meeting between the teams, was held in check. Josh Miller punted well in some windy conditions and Adam Vinatieri was a perfect
5-for-5 on field goals, connecting from 27, 24, 20, 45 and 37 yards. Kevin Faulk
averaged 11.3 yards on three punt returns and Bethel Johnson returned his only
kickoff 32 yards, although that return was mostly nullified by a holding penalty.
COACHING: A-plus
Bill Belichick has the Midas touch. Troy Brown with an interception? Everything
he does seems to work. The coaches did a marvelous job preparing for the Bills
and instituted a perfect game plan that was perfectly executed. The Patriots
challenged Buffalo to run the ball against a seven-man front and then stopped
it with those seven defenders, which forced Drew Bledsoe to throw into two-deep
coverage, something he is ill equipped to do since he likes to throw down the
field regularly. The coaches have to get credit for preparing fourth, fifth
and sixth cornerbacks Randall Gay, Earthwind Moreland and Troy Brown to perform
well, which they all did. New England scored first for the 17th straight game
and 14th straight regular season game, a sign of strong preparation. The Patriots
have survived injuries to their best wide receiver, Deion Branch, their starting
right tackle, Tom Ashworth, and their top three corners, Ty Law, Tyrone Poole
and Asante Samuel, yet they keep churning along. Belichick and his staff are
innovative and unafraid to try new things and use personnel in new ways.
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