Patriots Bounce the Bills, 49-21

Patriots Bounce the Bills, 49-21

Sure, the top overall seed in the AFC was at stake in this one. For the New England Patriots however, the regular season finale against the Buffalo Bills meant more than just a playoff spot.

It also meant getting even.

But against a team that had absolutely nothing to lose, sometimes revenge doesn’t matter. Swagger does. And the Bills definitely had the swagger. But the Patriots had the dominant hand in a 49-21 win Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

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Buoyed by the fact they beat the Patriots 34-31 in September, on the opening drive of the game the Bills moved the ball 80 yards in eight plays, helped immeasurably by a successful fake punt on 4th and one, followed by a 47-yard pass interference penalty against Antwaun Molden. Tashard Choice scored on a 4-yard run to give Buffalo an early 7-0 advantage – and plenty of renewed confidence. After forcing a three-and-out on the first Pats possession, Buffalo went right back at the NE defense – again converting on a 4th-and-four to keep the drive alive – and Ryan Fitzpatrick connected with Stevie Johnson from 18 yards out to give the Bills a stunning 14-0 first quarter lead.

And before the first quarter could end, the boos began to rain down from the upper seats within Gillette Stadium, as the Bills sliced right through the Patriots’ defense for a third straight time – 82 yards in a mere six plays, with Fitzpatrick hitting C. J. Spiller up the middle from 15 yards out. Stunningly, Buffalo led 21-0, with :48 seconds left in the first quarter. As the period came to an end, the NE offense finally managed a first down – their first earned first down – of the game against the Bills defense.

Just like last week against Miami, it was hard to tell which team was headed to the playoffs. However, the Patriots did lead the Bills by 21 points in the second quarter of their first meeting back in September…only to lose it in the end.

Perhaps it took spotting Buffalo the 21 points to wake the Patriots up this time around? Utilizing the no huddle, “hurry up” look, Tom Brady finally got the offense untracked with a nine play, 77 yard drive, with BenJarvus Green-Ellis finishing it off with a one yard dive for the score. And on the next drive, Brady hooked up with Aaron Hernandez for a 39 yard touchdown to pull New England back into it at 21-14, with 5:42 to play before the half.

"I don’t feel like the guys on the sidelines really panic," Brady said.  "I just feel like it’s really a matter of execution and we started executing better and we put points on the board.  It was a fun day to finish 13-3 and to win our last eight in a row has been really good.  We just have to continue to get better and have a good week this week and get ready for our toughest game of the year."

After holding Buffalo on another 4th down attempt at the NE 36 yard line, the Pats took over in an effort to tie the score before the break. Buffalo linebacker Nick Barnett ended the threat, however, picking off a tipped Brady pass intended for Wes Welker. Buffalo’s Brandon Couto missed on a 45-yard field goal attempt to end the first half with a 21-14 Buffalo lead.

Opening the third quarter on offense, the Patriots got a 47-yard field goal from Stephen Gostkowski to pull within 21-17, with 12:15 to play. After forcing a Bills’ punt, Brady found Green-Ellis for a 53 yard completion, setting up another Gostkowski field goal from 20 yards after the drive stalled at the Buffalo two. The comeback not quite complete, it was 21-20 Bills with 5:13 remaining in the 3rd quarter.

And then, the breakthrough.

Sterling Moore stepped in front of a Fitzpatrick pass and returned it to the Bills’ 25 yard line. The ensuing drive was kept alive thanks to an illegal contact penalty on 3rd down, bringing the Pats a first down at the 25. Three plays later, Brady hit Rob Gronkowski from 17 yards for the score, and Danny Woodhead added a two-point conversion run to give New England their first lead of the game – 28-21 – with 1:32 to play in the third.

With 12:04 to play in the 4th quarter, once again, the oft-maligned NE defense came up with another play…stopping a Buffalo drive as Devin McCourty intercepted a tipped Fitzpatrick pass and returned it to the Bills’ 47. On the next play, Brady hit Hernandez for 45 yards to the two, where Green-Ellis capped it with his second TD run of the day to bring the count to 35-21, and 11:16 left on the clock.

The capper came with 3:02 remaining, as Brady hit Gronkowski for a seven yard score that put the game out of reach. Sterling Moore added insult to the injury with an interception return for a TD from 21 yards out just before the two-minute warning…forty nine unanswered points for New England in a 49-21 final.

"The players stepped up and made some plays, Bill Belichick said in the post-game media interview.  "We didn’t turn the ball over, got a few stops on third down.  All those things were good.  The same thing offensively; we couldn’t do anything offensively and then finally we got it going, made a few plays.  That’s what it’s about."

Turnabout, fair play? Or perhaps, revenge is a dish best served cold?

Either way, now we know which team is headed to the playoffs.

Post Game Notes & Superlatives

With the win, the Patriots now hold home field advantage throughout the entire AFC playoffs as the #1 seed, and finish the season with a 13-3 record…on the inactive list prior to kickoff for the Patriots, running back Kevin Faulk and guard Logan Mankins…Bill Belichick is now the first head coach in NFL history to win 13 or more games in five different seasons...TE Rob Gronkowski finished the season with 1,327 receiving yards, surpassing San Diego’s Kellen Winslow’s 1980 record of 1,290 receiving yards for most receiving yards in a season by a tight end. New Orleans’s Jimmy Graham also broke Winslow’s old record, but finished the season with 1,310 receiving yards, 17 shy of Gronkowski’s new record...the Patriots came back from a 21-0 first-quarter deficit to defeat the Bills 49-21. Last week, the Patriots came back from a 17-0 deficit to beat Miami 27-24. It is the first time in franchise history that the Patriots have had comeback wins from deficits of 17 or more points in back-to-back games...Sunday's comeback was the largest comeback since November 10, 2002 when the Pats trailed Chicago by 21 and came back to win 33-30...Tom Brady finished the season with 5,235 passing yards and joined Drew Brees (5,476 in 2011 and 5,069 in 2008) and Dan Marino (5,084 in 1984) as the only players in NFL history to reach 5,000 passing yards in a single season. Brady eclipsed the 5,000-yard mark on his 39-yard touchdown pass to TE Aaron Hernandez...Wes Welker finished the season with 122 receptions, a total that is tied for the fourth-highest single-season total in NFL history. The 120-plus catch season was the second time in Welker’s career he has passed the 120-reception mark (123 in 2009 and 122 in 2011), joining Cris Carter (122 in 1995 and 122 in 1994 as the only players to have 120-plus receptions twice in career...Welker also finished the season with 122 catches for 1,569 receiving yards, with the yardage total the most in Patriots history, topping Randy Moss’s previous mark of 1,493 receiving yards in 2007...Brady threw three touchdown passes against Buffalo to finish the season with 300 career touchdown passes. Brady is the sixth player in NFL history to reach 300 touchdown passes, joining Brett Favre, Dan Marino, Peyton Manning, Fran Tarkenton, and John Elway...Brady is also the only player in NFL history with at least two different seasons with 39 or more touchdown passes...DE Mark Anderson finished the season with 10 sacks, giving the Patriots two players with double-digit sacks (Andre Carter also had 10) for the first time since 1985...the Patriots are now 22-1 when BenJarvus Green-Ellis scores a touchdown...the Patriots finished the 2011 season with 6,848 total net yards, setting a new franchise record for most total net yards in a season...Gronkowski (90) and Hernandez (79) combined for 169 receptions in 2011, the most by a pair of tight ends in the same season in NFL history...