At halftime, the defenses were the most impressive part of the Patriots and Bills on Sunday.
The Patriots offense found its footing in the second half. Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes after halftime, including a 56-yarder to Brandon LaFell that put the 37-22 victory comfortably in New England’s pocket in the fourth quarter. The Bills had drawn within eight behind Kyle Orton’s second touchdown pass of the afternoon, but Brady found LaFell down the right sideline for the clinching score.
That was LaFell’s second score of the game and Brian Tyms caught the other one on a 43-yard strike as Brady spread the ball around all day. He completed 27 passes to 10 different receivers to finish the day with 361 yards and four touchdowns overall. It’s the second straight good week for the Patriots offense and the big plays are a welcome addition to the attack.
New England’s concern will now likely turn to their health. They have to play the Jets on Thursday and facing even that hapless team will be more difficult if linebacker Jerod Mayo, running back Stevan Ridley and guard Dan Connolly are all out after leaving this game with injuries.
The Bills had their chances, but three first half turnovers, five sacks and 107 penalty yards helped make sure that they couldn’t make anything out of them. The defense is strong in Buffalo and the offense has to do a better job of making life more difficult for that unit if the team is going to remain in the mix for a playoff spot into the second half of the season.