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| CAR at NO | CHI at HOU | CLE at PIT | DAL at PHI | DEN at SD | DET at GB | JAX at BAL | KC at CIN |
| MIA at NYJ | NE at BUF | NYG at MIN | OAK at TB | SEA at ARI | STL at ATL | TEN at IND | WAS at SF |
Week 17 Game Recap: New England Patriots 13, Buffalo Bills 0
What you need to know
| New England Patriots |
In what was one of the windiest games in NFL history, K Stephen Gostkowski's two field goals ended up proving to be unnecessary thanks to the Patriots ground and pound TD drive late in the third quarter.
The Patriots only threw the ball eight times while rushing 44 times with the RB combo of Sammy Morris and LaMont Jordan.
Matt Cassel also converted two crucial first downs with his legs en route to the shutout which kept the door open for the Patriots to make the playoffs. However the door was closed later in the day when both the Dolphins and Ravens won their four o'clock games to clinch the AFC East and Wild Card berth respectively.
| Buffalo Bills |
Despite having nothing to play for, the Bills looked to want no part in rolling over for their division rivals. Despite not scoring for the entire game, the Bills played a hard fought and respectable game which was led in large part by Fred Jackson and his 136 rushing yards.
Unlike the Patriots, the Bills weren't scared of throwing in the wind and Trent Edwards let it fly 25 times which converted into only 14 completions for 128 yards.
What you ought to know
| QB Matt Cassel, Pass: 6 - 8 - 78 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - 19 - 0 |
Cassel wasn't given too much opportunity to let it all air out but he did manage to complete six of eight of his passes for 78 yards as well as a crucial 19 yards on the ground with three attempts. It was the very definition of game management in such windy conditions.
| RB Sammy Morris, Rush: 24 - 85 - 0 |
Morris didn't find the end zone on Sunday on any of his 24 carries; however he did see frequent positive yardage runs en route to 85 yards.
| RB LaMont Jordan, Rush: 20 - 64 - 1 |
Jordan pounded the ball all day along with Sammy Morris, rushing for 64 yards and a TD on an even 20 attempts.
| RB Heath Evans, Rec: 2 - 31 - 0 (2 targets) |
Evans converted both of his targets into receptions for 31 yards -- both of which were also for first downs.
| WR Wes Welker, Rec: 2 - 26 - 0 (3 targets) |
Welker managed to catch two of his three targets for 26 yards and just missed holding onto the third catch which was knocked out by a defender midway through the first quarter.
| WR Randy Moss, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (2 targets) |
Moss wasn't much of a factor during the game with only one reception for 13 yards. He did however, as Randy Moss always does, draw extra defenders to open up the rest of the field for the other Patriots receivers.
| PK Stephen Gostkowski 2 - 3 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points |
Gostkowski managed to drill through two of his three field goals and one extra point try in the face of what were up to 60 MPH wind gusts pre-kickoff.
| NE Rush Defense |
On one hand you can say that the unit did a poor job by letting up 141 rushing yards to the Fred Jackson/Xavier Omon duo, but then on the other you can say that they didn't manage to score so it wasn't necessarily as bad as it sounds. Still though, letting up 136 yards to one RB is never good.
| NE Pass Defense |
The passing unit managed to keep Trent Edwards and his questionably high 25 passing attempts (in regards to the weather) in check, allowing just 128 yards.
| QB Trent Edwards, Pass: 14 - 25 - 128 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - 20 - 0 |
Trent Edwards received many opportunities to win the game through the air but was never really able to gun it very long nor was he able to complete his passes very often. He finished the game with 128 passing yards on 14/25 completions.
| RB Fred Jackson, Rush: 27 - 136 - 0, Rec: 1 - 0 - 0 (2 targets) |
Jackson made a strong case for the team to spell Marshawn Lynch with him more often next year with 136 yards on 27 attempts on the ground and one reception for no yards.
| RB Xavier Omon, Rush: 4 - 5 - 0 |
Omon didn't do much to outshine Fred Jackson with just five rushing yards on four attempts.
| WR Lee Evans, Rec: 5 - 63 - 0 (7 targets) |
Despite a bad day overall for the passing game, Evans still managed to put up respectable numbers with 63 receiving yards on five receptions.
| WR Josh Reed, Rec: 2 - 21 - 0 (2 targets) |
Reed was only able to convert two of his six targets into receptions for a total of 21 yards.
| TE Robert Royal, Rec: 2 - 30 - 0 (5 targets) |
Royal was a frequent target of QB Trent Edwards, but only could manage two receptions for 30 yards. Again, it wasn't the best day for the Bills passing offense due in large part to the elements.
| PK Rian Lindell 0 - 1 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 0 points |
Lindell's only kick came in the second quarter and literally was pulled by the wind to be wide right despite the kick being aimed wide left of the left goal post.
| BUF Rush Defense |
The Bills rushing defense unit couldn't seem to really do much to slow down the freight train that was the Sammy Morris/LaMont Jordan on Sunday, letting up 149 yards and one TD on 44 attempts.
| BUF Pass Defense |
The passing defense unit managed to hold Cassel to just 78 yards through the air, but then again, he only threw it a total of eight times. Take that as you will.