Nov

9

Patriots Learn How To Run; Shut Down Bills 20-10

Posted by Jeff Sack under Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots 

Defending AFC Champion the New England Patriots now sport a 6-3 record after defeating division rivals the Buffalo Bills Sunday 20-10. The victory puts the Patriots in a tie for first place in the AFC East with  the New York Jets. New England controlled the flow of the game, as their defense kept the Bills out of sync during the entire second half.  But the real weapon of the game for the Patriots was a concept that had been foreign at Gillette Stadium the last few seasons, a running game.

When your team is built around one of the best quarterbacks of his generation in Tom Brady, a running game can be an after thought. But when Brady was lost to injury in the first game of the season, it radically changed the dynamic. Matt Cassel is not Tom Brady, another option had to be opened up. A running game had to be established. The primary candidate to do that was Laurence Maroney, but the ever fragile running back is also lost to the season due to injury. The next man who tried was Sammy Morris, who came up big earlier in the season giving the Patriots a win, but he has been side lined with injury ever since.

An undrafted rookie with an unusual name saw an opportunity for himself to make an impact in New England this season. He started to creep up on the periphery over the last few weeks, slowly starting to make his presence felt. Sunday afternoon in front of “Patriots Nation” in Foxborough he had his coming out party as he rushed for 105 yards, and 1 touchdown. BenJarvus Green-Ellis at least for one day basked in the adulation of being the newest New England star.

It was a very low scoring first half, the only points scored in the first quarter came on a Cassel rushing touchdown, as he scampered 13 yards into the end zone for a touchdown with 10:39 remaining. Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski put the extra point through the uprights, and it was a 7-0 game at the end of the first quarter. The two opponents traded field goals in the second quarter, Gostkoswski kicked one for 32 yards with 13:25 left in the period putting the Patriots up 10-0. Bills kicker Rian Linder put him team on the scoreboard as he put one through  the goal posts from 25 yards out with 7:05 left in the half. The two clubs would walk into the locker room at the half with New England leading 10-3.

The Patriots defense was also a strong factor in this win, as they kept the Buffalo offense off the field. New England would dominate time of possession in the contest, as they had the ball for 37:40, while the Bills would have it for just 22:20. As the old saying goes, you can’t score if you don’t have the ball. The only points in the third came via another field goal from Gostkowski for 37 yards with 8:11 left in the period, making it a 13-3 game. If there was any doubt remaining that the Patriots would get the victory it was taken away when Green-Ellis sprinted one yard into the end zone for his team’s second touchdown of the day. Gostkowski’s extra point was good making it a 20-3 contest. Buffalo made the final score less embarrassing as Trent Edwards connected with James Hardy for a 14 yard pass as the Bills scored their first touchdown with 1:42 left to play. Linder put the extra point through the uprights, and the final score would be New England 20 Buffalo 10.

Cassel who has gone from hot to cold for New England all season, was more than  serviceable for the Patriots on Sunday. Besides his rushing touchdown, the QB was 23/34 for 234 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions.  Green-Ellis carried the ball 26 times for 105 yards, to be a major component of the win. Edwards did not have a good game, as he was 13/23 for 120 yards,1 touchdown, and 2 picks,easy to see why they have gone 1-4 in their last 5 games. The Patriots who are now 6-3, have a short week as they host division rivals and AFC East co-leaders the Jets Thursday night. Buffalo has an extra day to prepare as the 5-4 team host the Cleveland Browns in the Monday night game.

© Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net


Updates, Fresh From the Oven, Straight to Your Inbox

Comments

Leave a Reply