Bills receiver Stevie Johnson said before today’s game with the Patriots that Buffalo would need to “bring it” in order to pull the upset.
The Bills brought it, all right, storming back from an early deficit to beat the Patriots 34-31 with a game-winning field goal as time expired.
Yes, the Buffalo Bills are 3-0, and a game ahead of the Patriots in the AFC East.
More than anything else, the story of this game was that the Bills became the first team this season to even slow down the vaunted Patriots’ passing game. Tom Brady was plenty good on Sunday, completing 30 of 45 passes for 386 yards and four touchdowns. But the Bills’ defense made the most of the few opportunities they had to make big plays of their own, intercepting Brady four times -- the same number of times Brady was intercepted in the entire 2010 season.
The Patriots jumped out to an early 21-0 lead, and sports columnists across the country prepared to write, “Same old Patriots, same old Bills.” But Buffalo hung tough, led by quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who completed 27 of 40 passes for 369 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
The best player on the field on Sunday was Patriots receiver Wes Welker, who had 16 catches for 216 yards and two touchdowns. But the better team on the field on Sunday was the Bills. It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to say that on a day they played the Patriots.