The Patriots had their hands full last night with the Buffalo Bills, but managed to pull out a last minute win, 21-16, thanks to the clutch defensive play of linebacker Rosevelt Colvin, who strip-sacked Bills QB Kelly Holcomb and recovered the fumble. Two plays later it was Corey Dillon in the end zone and the Patriots were on their way to a comeback. The win raises the Patriots to a record of 4-3. Tom Curran of the Providence Journal, *Fluto Shinzawa of the *Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, Michael Felger of the Boston Herald *all *offer a recap of the game.
Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe writes that Deion Branch provided most of the offensive highlights in last nights come from behind win over the Buffalo Bills. Overall, Branch had three catches for 92 yards and a touchdown. All three catches came on scoring drives. "I'm never shocked at anything Deion does," Brady said. ''He made three of the most critical plays in the game." Shalise Manza Young of the Providence Journal also offers a similar article on Deion Branch.
Ron Borges of the Boston Globe and Jim Donaldson of the Providence Journal report that Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi made his 2005 debut last night against the Bills. Bruschi saw game action for the first time in nearly nine months since suffering a mild stroke. Overall Bruschi had a solid night with 2 solo tackles and 5 assists. "It feels good back to doing what I love," Bruschi said. "Getting this game under my belt meant a lot to me. It was a] relief. There was so much going into this. I didn't just jump into this. I physically prepared myself the best I could knowing playing a lot was a possibility. I been training for this for a long time. But I feel I can get a lot better." [John Tomase and Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald also offer similar articles.
John Tomase of the Boston Herald reports that Patriots defensive lineman Richard Seymour was among the missing from last nights game. Seymour had verified earlier in the week that he would indeed be playing, yet was listed as inactive for last nights matchup. Tomase is reporting that Seymour has a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. Typical recovery time from the injury is 4 - 6 weeks. Last night marked the fourth week in Seymours rehab from the injury.
Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan writes that the Patriots may have gotten the win, but it's still unclear which direction the Patriots are going. For the first 50 minutes, the Patriots' negatives far outweighed the positives. The Bills deserved to have that 16-7 lead. And given the nature of their sputtering offense and poor tackling, the Patriots deserved to be trailing by a lot more. The fact that the Bills only had a 9-point lead after all that told you far more about their true nature than it did about anything involving the Patriots.
Shalise Manza Young of the Providence Journal reports that Corey DIllon saw action for the first time in over three weeks as he filled in for injured running back Patrick Pass, who suffered an unspecified leg injury on the second play of the second quarter. Overall, Dillon finished with 72 yards rushing and two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
Tom Curran of the Providence Journal offer his in-depth analysis of last nights 21-16 win over the Buffalo Bills.
Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe offers his daily sports blog with Patriots notes. Reiss also offers his latest mailbag where he answers your questions.
Tom Curran of the Providence Journal offers his daily sports blog with Patriots notes and commentary.
