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8 year winning streak comes to end as patriots* lose
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Beantown Losers
Sep 25, 2011, 9:56:24 PM9/25/11
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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y.裕om Brady's turnovers and an undisciplined
New England team ultimately ended the Patriots eight-year
winning streak over the Buffalo Bills.
That also ruined Wes Welker's record-breaking day.
Despite setting a league record for yards passing over a three-
game stretch, Brady matched a career worst with four
interceptions, and the Patriots committed eight penalties in a
34-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills. It snapped New England's 15-
game winning streak over the AFC East rival dating back to 2003.
Brady threw interceptions on consecutive plays bridging the end
of the second quarter and the start of the third, and his final
interception was returned 27 yards for a touchdown by Buffalo's
Drayton Florence with 10:22 left. That came 14 seconds after
Buffalo's Fred Jackson tied the game at 24 with a 1-yard plunge.
"They're a good coverage team, and they made some good plays in
the passing game," said Brady, who went 30 of 45 for 386 yards
and four scores. "They took advantage of some opportunities that
they got. We fought to the end, but it just wasn't enough."
Welker had 16 catches for a franchise-record 217 yards and two
scores, but focused more on his team's inability to hang onto
the football than his own production.
"Pretty much it detracts everything," he said. "We lost the
game. What should be a fun day of breaking records and doing all
those things, it's totally the opposite."
After watching his team squander a 21-point first-half lead,
Brady was poised for yet another fourth-quarter comeback.
Jackson appeared to score on a 39-yard crossing route over the
middle that would have given the Bills the lead with 1:43 left.
Officials initially ruled Jackson got into the end zone before
overturning the call on video review.
That wound up an advantage to the Bills, who ran down the clock
by kneeling. The Patriots ran out of timeouts -- and composure.
An unsportmanlike conduct penalty against Vince Wilfork gave
Buffalo another set of downs at the 1.
"They got a good break," said Brady, who finished with four
interceptions all last season. "I wish (Jackson) would have went
into the end zone, that would have given us a chance to get the
ball back. But he didn't ... the refs changed the call, and they
had an opportunity to run the clock out and kick a field goal.
Smart football."
Rian Lindell followed with a 28-yard field goal as time expired
to cap the stunning comeback. The win sparked a wild celebration
in which stadium officials guarded the goal posts to ensure fans
didn't bring them down.
As Lindell's kick sailed through the uprights, holder Brian
Moorman jumped on Lindell's shoulders, and receiver David Nelson
went running down the other end of the field pumping his fist.
"When you can beat a team like that, it's definitely a step in
the right direction," Lindell said.
The Bills (3-0) won courtesy of yet another Ryan Fitzpatrick-led
rally. It was reminiscent to what the Bills did in a 38-35 win
over Oakland a week earlier, when they scored touchdowns on
their final five possession to overcome a 21-3 deficit.
This time, they did it against their longtime nemesis.
New England (2-1) had a 10-game regular-season winning string
ended.
"We turned the ball over four times," New England coach Bill
Belichick said. "You don't win many games that way."
Though Brady led the Patriots back to tie the score at 31 on a 6-
yard touchdown pass to Welker -- on fourth-and-goal, no less --
the Bills would not be denied.
Dating to 1950, the Bills became the only team to overcome
deficits of at least 18 points to win in consecutive weeks,
according to STATS LLC. In fact, only six teams have won twice
in one season when trailing by 18 or more points.
The last team to do so: the Patriots in 1996.
This comeback started before halftime. Down 21-0, Fitzpatrick
capped a 96-yard drive by hitting Stevie Johnson for an 11-yard
touchdown. Brady's first interception came on the following
possession, which led to Lindell's 42-yard field goal.
Johnson had eight catches for 94 yards and a touchdown for
Buffalo. Tight end Scott Chandler also scored on a 3-yard catch.
It was a back-and-forth game featuring two of the NFL's top-
scoring teams. The Bills racked up 448 yards on offense and 24
first downs. The Patriots were even more productive, finishing
with 495 yards offense and 30 first downs.
Brady's 387 yards passing gave him 1,326 in three games. That
eclipsed the record of 1,257 set in 2006 by New Orleans QB Drew
Brees. It was also Brady's 37th 300-yard career game, moving him
into ninth place, one ahead of John Elway.
Brady's four touchdowns gave him 272, one short of tying Joe
Montana for ninth place on the NFL list.
The Patriots extended their franchise-record streak to 11 games
of scoring 30 points or more, three short of matching the NFL
record set by the St. Louis Rams in 1999-2000.
http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2011/09/
25/mistakes_doom_pats_in_34_31_loss_to_bills/?page=2
New England team ultimately ended the Patriots eight-year
winning streak over the Buffalo Bills.
That also ruined Wes Welker's record-breaking day.
Despite setting a league record for yards passing over a three-
game stretch, Brady matched a career worst with four
interceptions, and the Patriots committed eight penalties in a
34-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills. It snapped New England's 15-
game winning streak over the AFC East rival dating back to 2003.
Brady threw interceptions on consecutive plays bridging the end
of the second quarter and the start of the third, and his final
interception was returned 27 yards for a touchdown by Buffalo's
Drayton Florence with 10:22 left. That came 14 seconds after
Buffalo's Fred Jackson tied the game at 24 with a 1-yard plunge.
"They're a good coverage team, and they made some good plays in
the passing game," said Brady, who went 30 of 45 for 386 yards
and four scores. "They took advantage of some opportunities that
they got. We fought to the end, but it just wasn't enough."
Welker had 16 catches for a franchise-record 217 yards and two
scores, but focused more on his team's inability to hang onto
the football than his own production.
"Pretty much it detracts everything," he said. "We lost the
game. What should be a fun day of breaking records and doing all
those things, it's totally the opposite."
After watching his team squander a 21-point first-half lead,
Brady was poised for yet another fourth-quarter comeback.
Jackson appeared to score on a 39-yard crossing route over the
middle that would have given the Bills the lead with 1:43 left.
Officials initially ruled Jackson got into the end zone before
overturning the call on video review.
That wound up an advantage to the Bills, who ran down the clock
by kneeling. The Patriots ran out of timeouts -- and composure.
An unsportmanlike conduct penalty against Vince Wilfork gave
Buffalo another set of downs at the 1.
"They got a good break," said Brady, who finished with four
interceptions all last season. "I wish (Jackson) would have went
into the end zone, that would have given us a chance to get the
ball back. But he didn't ... the refs changed the call, and they
had an opportunity to run the clock out and kick a field goal.
Smart football."
Rian Lindell followed with a 28-yard field goal as time expired
to cap the stunning comeback. The win sparked a wild celebration
in which stadium officials guarded the goal posts to ensure fans
didn't bring them down.
As Lindell's kick sailed through the uprights, holder Brian
Moorman jumped on Lindell's shoulders, and receiver David Nelson
went running down the other end of the field pumping his fist.
"When you can beat a team like that, it's definitely a step in
the right direction," Lindell said.
The Bills (3-0) won courtesy of yet another Ryan Fitzpatrick-led
rally. It was reminiscent to what the Bills did in a 38-35 win
over Oakland a week earlier, when they scored touchdowns on
their final five possession to overcome a 21-3 deficit.
This time, they did it against their longtime nemesis.
New England (2-1) had a 10-game regular-season winning string
ended.
"We turned the ball over four times," New England coach Bill
Belichick said. "You don't win many games that way."
Though Brady led the Patriots back to tie the score at 31 on a 6-
yard touchdown pass to Welker -- on fourth-and-goal, no less --
the Bills would not be denied.
Dating to 1950, the Bills became the only team to overcome
deficits of at least 18 points to win in consecutive weeks,
according to STATS LLC. In fact, only six teams have won twice
in one season when trailing by 18 or more points.
The last team to do so: the Patriots in 1996.
This comeback started before halftime. Down 21-0, Fitzpatrick
capped a 96-yard drive by hitting Stevie Johnson for an 11-yard
touchdown. Brady's first interception came on the following
possession, which led to Lindell's 42-yard field goal.
Johnson had eight catches for 94 yards and a touchdown for
Buffalo. Tight end Scott Chandler also scored on a 3-yard catch.
It was a back-and-forth game featuring two of the NFL's top-
scoring teams. The Bills racked up 448 yards on offense and 24
first downs. The Patriots were even more productive, finishing
with 495 yards offense and 30 first downs.
Brady's 387 yards passing gave him 1,326 in three games. That
eclipsed the record of 1,257 set in 2006 by New Orleans QB Drew
Brees. It was also Brady's 37th 300-yard career game, moving him
into ninth place, one ahead of John Elway.
Brady's four touchdowns gave him 272, one short of tying Joe
Montana for ninth place on the NFL list.
The Patriots extended their franchise-record streak to 11 games
of scoring 30 points or more, three short of matching the NFL
record set by the St. Louis Rams in 1999-2000.
http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2011/09/
25/mistakes_doom_pats_in_34_31_loss_to_bills/?page=2
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