SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 12, 2014
Patriots 37, Bills 22: Tom Brady threw for a season-high 361 yards and four touchdowns as visiting New England continued its dominance of Buffalo.
Brady went 27-of-37 and led four straight scoring drives in the second half to guide the Patriots (4-2) to their 21st win in the last 22 meetings with the Bills. Brandon LaFell made four catches for 97 yards and a pair of TDs, Brian Tyms hauled in his first scoring pass and Rob Gronkowski racked up 94 receiving yards for New England.
Kyle Orton completed 24-of-38 passes for 299 yards with two touchdowns and an interception as Buffalo (3-3) fell for the third time in four games. Robert Woods caught a career-high seven passes, including one for a TD, but rookie Sammy Watkins was limited to two receptions while being shadowed by Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis.
A pass interference penalty in the end zone set up a 1-yard TD pass from Brady to tight end Tim Wright 1:56 into the second quarter to get New England on the board, and a pair of field goals by Stephen Gostkowski sent the Patriots into the locker room with a 13-7 cushion. New England got the ball to start the third and Brady dropped a perfect pass into triple coverage to Tyms for a 43-yard touchdown to make it 20-7.
Fred Jackson busted in for a 1-yard score to close the gap, but Gostkowski connected on a 40-yard attempt and LaFell hauled in an 18-yard TD pass over the middle with 8:42 remaining in the fourth to increase the lead to 30-14. Orton’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Hogan and a two-point conversion made it a one-score game, but Brady hooked up with Gronkowski for a key third-down conversion and capped the ensuing drive with a 56-yard scoring toss down the right sideline to LaFell.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Patriots LB Jerod Mayo (knee) was carted off in the first half, while G Dan Connelly (head) and RB Stevan Ridley (knee) exited in the third quarter. Ridley is expected to undergo an MRI on Monday, with the fear that he tore his ACL. … Brady has 58 TD passes in 25 career games against the Bills – his most against any opponent. … Buffalo introduced new owner Terry Pegula prior to the game.