Final, Patriots 41-25: And that will do it. The New England Patriots exact their revenge on the Buffalo Bills to improve to 7-1 on the season.
Tom Brady put on a clinic in the blowout win, completing 22 of 33 passes for 315 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. Danny Amendola, Rob Gronkowski, Chris Hogan and Julian Edelman each caught one touchdown pass, and four Patriots players finished with four or more catches.
The Patriots now will enjoy a week off before hosting the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Nov. 13.
Fourth quarter, 0:30, Patriots 41-25: Jonathan Williams bulled his way into the end zone for a garbage-time touchdown for Buffalo. This is the first time a team has scored 20 points on the Patriots’ defense since Week 2. — Z.C.
Fourth quarter, 2:26, Patriots 41-17: Garoppolo’s first drive since Week 5 was a brief one. The Patriots went three-and-out. A Ryan Allen punt gives the ball back to Buffalo. — Z.C.
Fourth quarter, 4:43, Patriots 41-17: Taylor drove the Bills deep into Patriots territory, but Buffalo’s drive stalled after Taylor’s pass to Robert Woods on fourth down came up just shy of the first-down marker.
Jimmy Garoppolo will take over at quarterback for the Pats, meaning Tom Brady’s highly productive afternoon is over. Brady completed 22 of 33 passes for 315 yards and four touchdowns. He still has yet to throw an interception this season. — Z.C.
Fourth quarter, 7:06, Patriots 41-17: Gostkowski’s second field goal of the afternoon pushed the Patriots over the 40-point plateau for the first time this season. It might be Jimmy Garoppolo time for New England. — Zack Cox
Fourth quarter, 14:49, Patriots 38-17: The Patriots let the Bills get into the red zone but halted them. Buffalo turned the ball over on downs on an incompletion by Taylor and now is just 1 of 3 in the red zone.
Third quarter, 3:05, Patriots 38-17: The Patriots are back to a three-score lead after a 1-yard touchdown run by Blount. Buffalo’s defense didn’t help itself with three penalties.
Blount has 12 carries for 34 yards with the score.
Brady is 19 of 28 for 259 yards with four touchdowns and no picks.
Third quarter, 7:57, Patriots 31-17: New England forgot to contain, and the Bills now have made this a two-score game. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor scored on a 26-yard run on fourth and 3.
Third quarter, 14:00, Patriots 31-10: It only took the Patriots one minute to score.
Danny Amendola brought back the kickoff 73 yards to give New England tremendous field position. Brady then hit Bennett for 12 yards and Edelman for a 12-yard touchdown.
The NFL’s leader in sacks, Bills pass rusher Lorenzo Alexander, is out for the rest of the game with a hamstring injury.
End half, Patriots 24-10: The Pats go into the half with a 14-point lead after Stephen Gostkowski barely hit a 51-yard field goal. The ball skidded the left goal post.
Second quarter, 0:27, Patriots 21-10: The Patriots’ defense is lucky the Bills came out of that drive scoreless. Eric Rowe was called for an illegal contact penalty and was yanked from the game for Logan Ryan and Justin Coleman. Dan Carpenter missed a 49-yard field goal for Buffalo.
Second quarter, 4:18, Patriots 21-10: Gronkowski just set a new Patriots record with 69 touchdowns. Brady hit him deep for a 53-yard connection.
Second quarter, 6:26, Patriots 14-10: The Patriots’ defense let the Bills back into the game on that drive. Cornerback Eric Rowe was flagged for a 29-yard pass interference penalty. On the next play, Reggie Bush burned linebacker Shea McClellin for a 25-yard completion. New England then was flagged for having 12 men on the field. The team then had to burn a timeout on the next play because it had 10 men on the field.
Mike Gillislee scored on a rushing TD from 3 yards out.
Second quarter, 8:40, Patriots 14-3: New England went three-and-out after a 2-yard completion to Martellus Bennett, a throwaway and a sack. Left tackle Nate Solder has allowed both sacks.
Second quarter, 10:09, Patriots 14-3: The Bills picked up one first down then were forced to punt after two offensive penalties.
The Patriots have the ball on their own 18 -yard line.
Second quarter, 13:55, Patriots 14-3: The Bills quickly responded with by forcing a New England three-and-out. Brady threw two incompletions and was sacked on third down.
Second quarter, 14:50, Patriots 14-3: The Pats’ defense just forced another three and out. The Bills’ offense is playing conservative early. This game could get away from them fast.
First quarter, 1:33, Patriots 14-3: The Chris Hogan revenge game begins.
The former Bills wideout just caught a 53-yard bomb from Brady over cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who inexplicably turned around to yell at a teammate rather than trying to tackle Hogan.
The Patriots lead 14-3.
First quarter, 3:41, Patriots 7-3: New England’s defense, aided by two dropped passes by the Bills, forced a three-and-out. It’s Patriots’ ball on the Bills’ 45-yard line.
First quarter, 4:35, Patriots 7-3: As has become a weekly tradition, the Patriots were surgical in moving down the field for a touchdown. Brady was 7 of 9 for 54 yards with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Amendola. LeGarrette Blount also had four carries for 11 yards. Edelman leads the team so far with two catches for 18 yards.
First quarter, 11:05, Bills 3-0: New England’s red-zone defense was tested early, and it passed. The Patriots let the Bills inside the 10-yard line after giving up big chunks of yards on plays to running back Mike Gillisslee and fullback Jerome Felton.
Dan Carpenter hit a 23-yard field goal to give the Bills a 3-0 lead.
First quarter, 15:00: Matthew Slater called heads, and the Patriots won the coin toss. They chose to defer, meaning the Bills will receive to start the game.
Let’s go.
12:55 p.m.: The Patriots entered the field to a heavy dose of boos. Bills Mafia is fired up for this matchup.
12:30 p.m.: Here’s New England’s starting defense, based on pregame warmups:
Malcom Brown
Alan Branch
Jabaal Sheard
Chris Long
Rob Ninkovich
Dont’a Hightower
Jamie Collins
Malcolm Butler
Eric Rowe
Devin McCourty
Patrick Chung
Noon: James White, Patrick Chung and Matthew Slater are catching kickoffs during warmups while Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola and Chris Hogan are warming up catching punts.
Tom Brady is going through his warmups indoors.
11:30 a.m.: Rookie cornerback Cyrus Jones is in the dog house for another week.
Here are the Patriots’ inactives:
RB Tyler Gaffney
RB D.J. Foster
WR Malcolm Mitchell
OT LaAdrian Waddle
DT Woodrow Hamilton (shoulder)
LB Kyle Van Noy
CB Cyrus Jones
Jones has been inactive since he was ejected from the Patriots’ Week 5 win over the Cleveland Browns. Gaffney, Foster, Mitchell, Waddle, Van Noy and Jones are healthy scratches.
Van Noy was acquired in a trade Tuesday. Gaffney won’t make his NFL debut after being signed off the Patriots’ practice squad Saturday. Gaffney spent the first two years of his career on injured reserve.
This will be the first game in which Mitchell is inactive.
10:35 a.m.: We’re posted up at New Era Field (previously Ralph Wilson Stadium).
Tom Brady already scoped out the conditions on the field, and Julian Edelman went through his one-handed catch warmup.
Tight end Martellus Bennett reportedly is expected to play this afternoon despite missing practice Friday with an ankle injury. Bennett and Rob Gronkowski are the only tight ends on the roster.
8 a.m. ET: The Buffalo Bills are out to prove a team other than the Patriots can win the AFC East in their Week 8 matchup with New England.
The 4-3 Bills already shut out New England this season, but their win came while Patriots rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett was under center with a bandaged thumb. The Patriots are 6-1 and riding high with a three-game winning streak since starting quarterback Tom Brady returned from a four-game suspension.
New England’s defense is out to prove it’s legit. And there’s no better time to prove it than this week, when the team could all but clinch the AFC East with a win.
The Patriots already ruled out defensive tackle Woodrow Hamilton. They signed running back Tyler Gaffney off the practice squad.
Our prediction for the remaining inactives: RB D.J. Foster, RB Brandon Bolden, OT LaAdrian Waddle, DT Woodrow Hamilton, LB Kyle Van Noy, CB Cyrus Jones, S Jordan Richards.
The game kicks off at 1 p.m., on CBS.
Thumbnail photo via Timothy T. Ludwig/USA TODAY Sports Images