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| Other Week 11 Game Recaps | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARI at CIN | CAR at GB | CHI at SEA | CLE at BAL | KC at IND | MIA at PHI | NE at BUF | NO at HOU |
| NYG at DET | OAK at MIN | PIT at NYJ | SD at JAX | STL at SF | TB at ATL | TEN at DEN | WAS at DAL |
Week 11 Game Recap: New England Patriots 56, Buffalo Bills 10
What you need to know
| New England Patriots |
The New England Patriots continued their season long dominance over the rest of the NFL. The margin of victory says it all about this game.
It is likely that New England will once again face criticism for their offensive tactics. Twice in the red zone in the second half, the Patriots went for it on fourth down instead of kicking the easy chip shot field goal. They scored touchdowns on both of those drives.
QB Tom Brady and WR Randy Moss were simply unbeatable. They connected for four first half touchdowns and put this game out of reach early. RB Laurence Maroney scored his first touchdown of the season but only carried the ball six times and was not seen in the second half. RB Kevin Faulk also left the game with injury. RB Heath Evans and RB Kyle Eckel carried the ball for the entire second half.
The Patriots' defense was untested throughout this game by the Bills' offense. QB JP Losman and RB Anthony Thomas were unable to maintain any offensive momentum and the Bills only mustered two scores on the losing end of this drubbing. New England dominated the time of possession which kept their defense on the sidelines and the opposition's offense off the field. The Patriots did not punt until late in the fourth quarter.
| Buffalo Bills |
The Buffalo Bills were without RB Marshawn Lynch, but it is likely that even if he had played the outcome of this game would not be any different.
The Bills were outplayed in every facet of the football game. Offensively, they could not get anything going. QB J. P. Losman made a few nice throws early on in the game but overall he was outmatched by the New England defense. Even the sole touchdown pass for Losman was under thrown. WR Roscoe Parrish made a nice adjustment to catch the ball in the air and scamper into the end zone. Defensively, the Patriots scored at will against Buffalo, including touchdowns on their first seven drives of the game. WR Randy Moss looked like a giant among men while hauling in four first half touchdowns against the Bills' defense.
The game did not start out well for Buffalo as Losman threw an interception on the first possession of the game in the Buffalo zone. The Patriots put the ball in the end zone on only two plays and there was very little doubt where this game would end up.
What you ought to know
| QB Tom Brady, Pass: 31 - 39 - 373 - 5 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 9 - 0 |
Late in the first quarter, QB Tom Brady was called for an intentional grounding penalty. As soon as the official threw the flag, Brady began barking and complaining about the call. Later in the first half, he screamed at them again following what he perceived as a non-call against the Bills after he slid for a gain. Otherwise, Brady was impeccable against the Buffalo Bills. He had all the time in the world to make his passes and he hit his receivers all over the field including four first half touchdowns to WR Randy Moss. The offensive line allowed very little pressure from the Bills. He led the team down the field for a touchdown on their first seven possessions including five scores through the air.
He was relieved by QB Matt Cassel in the fourth quarter.
| QB Matt Cassel, Pass: 2 - 2 - 10 - 0 TD / 0 INT |
Cassel entered the game in the fourth quarter as most of the New England regulars were sent to the bench with the big lead.
| RB Heath Evans, Rush: 10 - 56 - 0, Rec: 2 - 10 - 0 (2 targets) |
Evans and RB Kyle Eckel handled most of the work on the ground for New England. Evans ran the ball well but his touches came later in the game where the Buffalo defense was likely tired and broken.
| RB Kyle Eckel, Rush: 10 - 40 - 1, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) |
Eckel saw most of his action late as RB Laurence Maroney and RB Kevin Faulk were out of the game early. He split time with RB Heath Evans and they both helped to run the clock down against Buffalo.
| RB Laurence Maroney, Rush: 6 - 19 - 1 |
Maroney only handled the ball six times. He did not appear in the game in the second half, as RB Heath Evans and RB Kyle Eckel took all of the remaining handoffs.
The touchdown in the first quarter was Maroney's first of the year.
| RB Kevin Faulk, Rec: 2 - 18 - 0 (2 targets) |
Faulk was slow to get up after apparently falling on the ball in the second quarter. He did not return.
| WR Randy Moss, Rec: 10 - 128 - 4 (13 targets) |
Two plays after WR Donte Stallworth dropped a pass, WR Randy Moss followed suit when a well thrown ball by QB Tom Brady bounced off the numbers of his jersey. On the very next play, Brady launched the ball deep to Moss, who caught it while trotting backwards into the end zone for the team's second touchdown of the day.
Moss caught three more touchdown passes in the first half. His second touchdown was on a slant route and as soon as Moss caught the ball he cut back quickly the other way and ran into the end zone. The fourth touchdown catch was a nice grab on a corner route where Moss brought both feet to the ground before being pushed out of the end zone. Toward the end of the third quarter, with the score 43 to ten, the Patriots went for it on fourth and one in the red zone. Brady hit Moss quickly for a three yard gain and the first down conversion.
| WR Wes Welker, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0, Rec: 7 - 78 - 0 (8 targets) |
Welker took an end around handoff for only three yards but dodged a tackle in the backfield that prevented the play from being a loss. Late in the third quarter, with his team up big, Welker did not let up. He broke a few tackles and ran hard on a 24 yard screen pass from QB Tom Brady.
| WR Donte Stallworth, Rec: 5 - 56 - 0 (8 targets) |
Early in the first quarter, QB Tom Brady hit WR Donte Stallworth in stride with a perfectly placed pass but Stallworth let it bounce of his hands. There was only one defender between him and the endzone.
| WR Jabar Gaffney, Rec: 3 - 44 - 0 (3 targets) |
Gaffney made a clutch, sliding grab for a 31 yard gain on third and eight late in the first quarter that helped to set up Randy Moss' second touchdown of the day.
| TE Ben Watson, Rec: 3 - 43 - 1 (3 targets) |
Watson made the most of his opportunities against the Bills. His touchdown catch was a nice grab in the rear corner of the end zone. The pass was a little high but he was easily able to reel it in for the score.
| PK Stephen Gostkowski 0 - 0 FG, 8 - 8 XP, 8 points |
Gostkowski did what he has been doing all season -- hitting the extra point attempts.
| NE Rush Defense |
LB Tedy Bruschi was slow to get up after colliding with teammate Junior Seau in the second quarter. He returned to the game. DL Jarvis Green walked off the field limping on the final play of the game.
The Bills were unable to get anything going on the ground in the absence of RB Marshawn Lynch.
| NE Pass Defense |
The Patriots pass defense forced an interception and a fumble against the Bills. DB Ellis Hobbs ran back the fumble recovery for the Patriots' final score of the day, after RB Dwayne Wright was hit hard and coughed the ball up into the air. Hobbs pulled in the floating ball and easily brought it into the end zone.
The early interception by DB Randall Gay set the tone early for this game, as it helped setup a two play touchdown drive for New England.
| QB J.P. Losman, Pass: 15 - 26 - 173 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 4 - 31 - 0 |
Losman had a tough time with the stout New England defense.
Early in the game, Losman made a nice play when he was under pressure and fumbled the ball deep behind the line of scrimmage. He scooped the ball out and rolled toward the near sideline when he heaved the ball toward TE Michael Gaines. Gaines made a great one handed grab and rolled forward for a fourteen yard gain and the first down. A few plays later, Losman hit WR Roscoe Parrish deep down the sideline for a 47 yard touchdown pass.
After that exciting drive, however, Losman and the Bills were unable to muster any momentum on offense.
| RB Anthony Thomas, Rush: 11 - 31 - 0, Rec: 3 - 15 - 0 (4 targets) |
Thomas started in place of injured RB Marshawn Lynch. He was generally ineffective against the New England defense. The team fell behind quick and the running game was not utilized much beyond the first quarter.
| RB Dwayne Wright, Rush: 1 - 1 - 0, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets) |
Wright only ran the ball once for Buffalo in the defeat. On the very next play he caught a pass from Losman but the ball was knocked loose by the tackler's helmet. DB Randall Gay caught the fumble in midair and ran it into the end zone for the Patriots' final touchdown of the game.
| RB Marshawn Lynch |
RB Marshawn Lynch did not play because of injury.
| WR Lee Evans, Rec: 4 - 40 - 0 (6 targets) |
Evans had a reception overturned upon review by the officials as the ball clearly bounced off the ground before Evans corralled it.
| WR Josh Reed, Rec: 3 - 44 - 0 (8 targets) |
Reed made a nice run after catching the ball in the first quarter. He pushed through a few tackles on the way to a twelve yard gain and a first down.
| WR Roscoe Parrish, Rec: 1 - 47 - 1 (1 targets) |
Parrish made a stellar grab on the 47 yard touchdown pass from Losman. Parrish had man on man down the sideline on DB Ellis Hobbs but Losman's pass was slightly under thrown. Parrish made an adjustment and caught the ball mid-leap and trotted past the downed defensive back to put six on the board for Buffalo.
| TE Michael Gaines, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (1 targets) |
On a second and ten in the first quarter, Losman fumbled the ball deep behind the line of scrimmage. The quarterback picked the ball up and began to scramble to the sideline but then heaved it downfield to TE Michael Gaines who made a jumping one-handed grab and then stumbled forward for a 14 yard gain.
| PK Rian Lindell 1 - 1 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 4 points |
PK Rian Lindell's 52 yard field goal bounced off the camera which was mounted just behind the crossbars and bounced back onto the field. By rule, the kick was good.
| BUF Rush Defense |
The Bills' rush defense was virtually untested early on in the game, however, in the fourth quarter when New England was trying to run the clock down the Bills could not stop RB Heath Evans and RB Kyle Eckel. The Patriots' duo effectively chewed up the fourth quarter. Eventually on that drive, the Patriots kicked the ball on fourth and less than a yard despite perhaps being in field goal range for PK Stephen Gostkowski.
| BUF Pass Defense |
The Bills' pass defense was overmatched in every way possible. They were unable to get any significant pressure on QB Tom Brady which allowed the former Pro Bowl quarterback all the time he needed to find his crew of wide receivers all over the field.
WR Randy Moss caught four first half touchdowns and his teammates seemed to have just as easy of a time against the inexperienced Bills' pass defense.
