The Patriots travel to Buffalo to kick off the 2003 season against the Bills this Sunday. Six weeks of on-field preparation and an offseason of improvement will be on display as the Patriots look to start the season on a winning note against their divisional rival. New England is fresh off of its first undefeated preseason in 22 years and will hope to translate its exhibition success into a strong start to the regular season.
But with the preseason slate wiped clean, the Patriots have turned the page to the regular season to begin their quest to return to the playoffs. It all kicks off against the Bills, a team against whom they have had recent success. New England swept the season series with Buffalo in 2002 and owns a string of five straight wins over the Bills. The victories have not been without drama though, with four of the five wins coming by 10 points or less and two coming in overtime.
Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe will face his former team for the third time, leading a Buffalo attack that ranked fifth in the NFL in pass offense a season ago. Bledsoe and leading receiver Eric Moulds will see an improved Patriots defense in front of them, with linebacker Rosevelt Colvin, nose tackle Ted Washington and safety Rodney Harrison all looking to make noise in their Patriots debuts alongside 2002 Pro Bowlers Richard Seymour, and Ty Law.
The Patriots offense put up a total of 65 points against the Bills in 2002 as quarterback Tom Brady threw for five touchdowns without an interception. This year, the New England offense will have to contend with a revamped Buffalo defense featuring two key free agent signings: linebacker Takeo Spikes and defensive tackle Sam Adams.
TELEVISON:
This week's game will be televised by CBS. The game can be seen locally on WBZ-TV Channel 4 in Boston. Verne Lundquist will handle the play-by-play duties and Dan Dierdorf will provide analysis. Bonnie Bernstein will provide reports from the sidelines throughout the game. Following the game, the Fifth Quarter postgame show can be seen on WSBK-TV Channel 38 in Boston.
RADIO:
WBCN 104.1 FM is the flagship station for the Patriots Rock Radio Network. Play-by-play broadcaster Gil Santos is in his 27th season as the voice of the Patriots, and calls the action along with Patriots Hall of Famer Gino Cappelletti. In 2003, Santos and Cappelletti celebrate their 20th season as a broadcast tandem.
PATRIOTS VS. AFC EAST
The Patriots are 9-2 in their last 11 games against AFC East opponents, dating back to the 2001 season. In 2002, the Patriots finished the season with a 4-2 record against their divisional rivals. The Patriots have not opened the season against an AFC East team since the 1999 season. That year, the Patriots traveled to the Meadowlands and defeated the New York Jets 30-28 on Sept. 12, 1999. The Patriots are 11-7 (.611) throughout their history when opening the season against divisional opponents.
PERFECT PRESEASON
New England won all four of its preseason contests, finishing the exhibition slate undefeated for the third time in club history. The Patriots were also perfect in the preseason in 1978 and 1981. By finishing the exhibition schedule with a 4-0 record, the Patriots posted a winning record in the preseason for the fourth straight year and for the seventh time in the past eight years. The Patriots have translated preseason success into the regular season by qualifying for the playoffs four of the past six times they have recorded a winning record in the preseason. The last six times the Patriots have made the playoffs they have had a winning preseason record.
The Patriots had a successful preseason on both sides of the ball. The defense previewed its muscle, allowing just one rushing touchdown while leading the NFL with 19 preseason sacks. On offense, the Patriots led the AFC by scoring 108 points in the preseason, just two shy of the NFL lead. Quarterback Tom Brady had the best preseason of any quarterback in the league, throwing an NFL-high six touchdowns and compiling a league-leading 116.7 quarterback rating.
SERIES HISTORY
This week, the Patriots and Bills will meet for the 87th time since the series between the AFC East rivals began in 1960. The Patriots lead the series 46-39, with one tie. The Patriots' 46 wins over Buffalo are their most over any opponent, seven more than they own over Indianapolis (39). New England has won its last five games against Buffalo, dating back to the 2000 season. The Patriots' five-game streak is their longest active winning streak over an opponent and their longest winning streak against the Bills since they won 11 straight from 1982-87. The teams have had many memorable matchups over the years, including a five-game span from 1999 to 2001 where four of the five contests were decided in overtime.
| NEW ENGLAND 46, BUFFALO 39 (1 TIE) | ||
| YR | RESULT | /- |
| 1960 | Buffalo 13, at NE 0 | -13 |
| at Buffalo 38, NE 14 | -24 | |
| 1961 | NE 23, at Buffalo 21 | 2 |
| at NE 52, Buffalo 21 | 31 | |
| 1962 | at Buffalo 28, NE 28 | tie |
| at NE 21, Buffalo 10 | 11 | |
| 1963 | at Buffalo 28, NE 21 | -7 |
| at NE 17, Buffalo 7 | 10 | |
| *NE 26, at Buffalo 8 | 18 | |
| 1964 | NE 36, at Buffalo 28 | 8 |
| Buffalo 24, at NE 14 | -10 | |
| 1965 | at Buffalo 24, NE 7 | -17 |
| Buffalo 23, at NE 7 | -16 | |
| 1966 | NE 20, at Buffalo 10 | 10 |
| at NE 14, Buffalo 3 | 11 | |
| 1967 | NE 23, at Buffalo 0 | 23 |
| Buffalo 44, at NE 16 | -28 | |
| 1968 | NE 16, at Buffalo 7 | 9 |
| at NE 23, Buffalo 6 | 17 | |
| 1969 | at Buffalo 23, NE 16 | -7 |
| at NE 35, Buffalo 21 | 14 | |
| 1970 | Buffalo 45, at NE 10 | -35 |
| NE 14, at Buffalo 10 | 4 | |
| 1971 | at NE 38, Buffalo 33 | 5 |
| at Buffalo 27, NE 20 | -7 | |
| 1972 | at Buffalo 38, NE 14 | -24 |
| Buffalo 27, at NE 24 | -3 | |
| 1973 | Buffalo 31, at NE 13 | -18 |
| at Buffalo 37, NE 13 | -24 | |
| 1974 | at Buffalo 30, NE 28 | -2 |
| Buffalo 29, at NE 28 | -1 | |
| 1975 | at Buffalo 45, NE 31 | -14 |
| Buffalo 34, at NE 14 | -20 | |
| 1976 | NE 26, at Buffalo 22 | 4 |
| at NE 20, Buffalo 10 | 10 | |
| 1977 | Buffalo 24, at NE 14 | -10 |
| NE 20, at Buffalo 7 | 13 | |
| 1978 | NE 14, at Buffalo 10 | 4 |
| at NE 26, Buffalo 24 | 2 | |
| 1979 | NE 26, at Buffalo 6 | 20 |
| Buffalo 16, at NE 13(OT) | -3 | |
| 1980 | at Buffalo 31, NE 13 | -18 |
| at NE 24, Buffalo 2 | 22 | |
BY THE NUMBERS
SETTLING THE BILLS
5: The number of consecutive games the Patriots have won against Buffalo.
3: The number of consecutive games the Patriots have won at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
5-1: Bill Belichick's career record against the Bills as head coach of the Patriots.
4: The number of the last seven games between the Patriots and Bills that have been decided in overtime.
6: The number of consecutive overtime games the Patriots have won, including two over the Bills (includes postseason games).
A PERFECT PRESEASON
16.7: Tom Brady's NFL-leading passer rating for the 2003 preseason.
08: The total number of points the Patriots scored in their four preseason games, to lead all AFC teams.
6: The league-leading number of touchdown passes Tom Brady tossed in the preseason.
19: The number of sacks the Patriots defense registered in the preseason, which led the NFL.
0.5: The number of the sacks registered by first-year Patriots in the preseason.
33: The number of points the Patriots amassed in the first quarter this preseason.
7: The number of points the Patriots opponents recorded in the first quarter this preseason.
1 : The number of rushing touchdowns the Patriots allowed in the preseason, which tied for the league-best mark.
PRESEASON PROFICIENCY
8-2: The Patriots' record in their last 10 preseason games.
7: The number of consecutive preseason games the Patriots have won.
8: The longest preseason winning streak in Patriots history (08/28/77 to 08/04/79)
6-4: The Patriots' record at home in the preseason since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994 (.800 winning percentage).
4: The number of consecutive preseasons the Patriots have posted a winning record (including 2003).
7: The number of times in the past eight preseasons that the Patriots have finished their exhibition slate with a winning record (including 2003).
6: The last six times the Patriots have qualified for the playoffs they have had a winning preseason record.
SEVEN YEARS AND COUNTING
90-61: The Patriots' record in preseason, regular-season and postseason games since 1996 (.596 win pct.).
63-49: The Patriots' regular season record since 1996 (.563 win pct).
6-3: The Patriots' postseason record since 1996 (.667 win pct.).
21-9: The Patriots' preseason record since 1996 (.700 win pct).
THE KRAFT ERA
94: The number of consecutive Patriots preseason, regular season and postseason home games that have been sold out since Robert Kraft bought the team in 1994.
196: The number of consecutive Patriots games that have been televised locally.
63-33: The Patriots record at home since 1994, including preseason, regular season and postseason games.
9-3: The Patriots record at Gillette Stadium, including preseason and regular season games (.818 winning percentage)
TOMMY GUN
30-11: Tom Brady's record as a starting quarterback in the NFL, including preseason, regular season and postseason games.
.732: Brady's winning percentage as a starter (including all games).
3-0: Brady's career postseason record.
5-0: Brady's career overtime record (including postseason).
SCHEDULE FACTS
0: The number of games the Patriots will play against teams that finished the 2002 season at .500 or better.
7: The number of games the Patriots will play against teams that qualified for the 2002 playoffs.
8: The Patriots have the eighth hardest schedule in the NFL this season, based on opponents' 2002 winning percentage.
4,770: The total number of air miles the Patriots will log in 2003, including the preseason and the regular season. Seattle will travel the furthest, logging 31,976 miles, and the New York Giants will travel the least, at 9,076 miles.
NOT HALF BAD
6-0: The Patriots record in 2002 when leading at halftime.
3: The number of consecutive games the Patriots have won when leading at halftime.
6-1: The Patriots record in their last 17 games in which they have led at halftime.
6: The number of consecutive games the Patriots have won when leading after three quarters.
