The New England Patriots squandered the majority of a seemingly comfortable
lead last weekend, leaving an uneasy feeling even after their fourth straight
victory.

They left no such doubts the last time they faced the Washington Redskins.

The nation’s capital, however, remains the only NFL city where the Patriots
have never won, a distinction that will disappear Sunday unless the Redskins can
pull off the upset and avenge a historic rout four years ago.

New England (9-3) charged to a 28-point lead against winless Indianapolis
last Sunday, but was outgained 266-11 and outscored 21-0 in the final quarter,
securing a 31-24 victory only after pouncing on an onside kick in the final
minute.

Although the Patriots are tied for the AFC’s best record, the near-meltdown
reinforced concerns about a patchwork defense that ranks last in the NFL both
overall (412.1 yards allowed per game) and against the pass (310.0).

New England’s starting safeties against the Colts were Nate Jones, who was
making his Patriots debut, and Matthew Slater(notes) – typically a wide receiver.

“It’s disappointing. Go back to the drawing board and try to improve,”
linebacker Jerod Mayo(notes) said. “We just have to learn how to put two halves
together next week.”

The Patriots certainly did that against Washington during their perfect
regular season in 2007, opening the game with 52 straight points before a late
Redskins touchdown made it a 52-7 final.

That remains Washington’s most lopsided loss since the AFL-NFL merger in
1970.

Losing has become all too familiar for the Redskins in recent seasons. The
Patriots have won eight division titles – they would clinch another Sunday with
a win and a New York Jets loss to Kansas City – since Washington last won the
NFC East in 1999.

The Redskins (4-8) lost 34-19 to the Jets last weekend, falling to 0-4 in
their last four home games, 0-3 against AFC foes this season and 1-7 since their
promising 3-1 start.

They got even more troubling news after the game, learning that tight end
Fred Davis(notes) and left tackle Trent Williams(notes) would be suspended for four games -
the rest of the regular season – by the NFL for repeated violations of the
league’s substance abuse policy.

“Am I disappointed in them? Big time, yeah,” coach Mike Shanahan said.
“Because they affect not only themselves but this organization and their
teammates. That’s a bad decision, and they know they put us in a heck of a
position.”

The Redskins selected Williams with the No. 4 overall draft pick in 2010,
and Davis leads the team with 59 receptions and 796 receiving yards.

The Patriots have also used their tight ends as major weapons in the passing
game – particularly Rob Gronkowski(notes), who scored three more touchdowns last week.
One went down as a rushing score because it was ruled a lateral by Tom Brady(notes),
leaving Gronkowski with 13 receiving TDs – tied with Vernon Davis(notes) (2009) and
Antonio Gates(notes) (2004) for the single-season NFL record for tight ends.

“He is a tough kid and he knows how to run the routes,” Colts defensive back
Jerraud Powers(notes) said of Gronkowski. “It also helps when you have one of the
greatest quarterbacks.”

Brady may face a bit of a challenge against a Washington defense that has
not allowed a 300-yard passer all season. The reigning NFL MVP has averaged
303.3 passing yards during New England’s four-game winning streak, throwing 10
touchdowns and no interceptions in that stretch.

Brady, though, struggled against Shanahan’s teams when the coach was in
Denver. Including a postseason loss, he went 1-5 against Shanahan’s Broncos,
completing just 56.5 percent of his passes and posting a 78.1 passer rating.

Teammate Andre Carter(notes) played for Shanahan last season, his fifth year with
the Redskins, but the defensive end didn’t fit in the 3-4 scheme. With the
Patriots moving largely to a 4-3 this year, the veteran has clicked, leading the
team with nine sacks.

“He’s a very professional guy that’s smart, a well-conditioned athlete,”
coach Bill Belichick said. “He really works hard at football and things are
really falling into place for him here.”

Two former Patriots – Jabar Gaffney(notes) and Donte’ Stallworth(notes) – are now wide
receivers for the Redskins, but one player is notable in his absence from both
rosters. Each club has parted ways with Albert Haynesworth(notes) this year, with
Washington trading the controversial defensive tackle to the Patriots, who
waived him last month.

The Patriots, who’ve won at every other NFL franchise’s home venue, are
favorites to defeat the Redskins on the road for the first time. New England has
only played two previous regular-season games at Washington, most recently
losing 20-17 in 2003 – a game in which Brady threw three interceptions.

Read More: Dan Orlovsky (QB – IND), Curtis Painter (QB – IND), Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots, Dec 4, 2011 1:00 PM EST

The Indianapolis Colts have benched starting quarterback Curtis Painter in favor of back-up player Dan Orlovsky for this Sunday’s match-up against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

While it’s not exactly an upgrade, the hapless Colts are 0-11 and desperate times call for desperate measures.

On the plus side, Orlovsky has plenty of experience playing for a winless team, having started seven games for the 2008 Detroit Lions, who own the dubious distinction of finishing that season 0-16.

Yahoo! Sports compares the two:

In nine games this season, Painter has done nothing to show that he has earned a job in the NFL. He threw for 1,541 yards and six touchdowns in his nine games. Painter only completed 54.3% of his passes, threw nine interceptions, and took 16 sacks.

Orlovsky has played in 16 total games in his career and saw most his playing time with the Detroit Lions during the 2008 season. In 10 games in 2008 he had a 66.7% completion percentage and threw for eight touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Colts fans have seen Orlovsky on three separate occasions this year but his contributions were nothing to celebrate. There’s no better time or place to get out of the doghouse than with a career-defining performance against one of the best teams in the division.

Unlikely, but you know the old saying about “any given Sunday.”

For more New England Patriots coverage, visit our team page and blog, Pats Pulpit.

More In Sports

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Tom Brady and the New England Patriots got off to a slow start against the Kansas City Chiefs during last night’s Monday Night Football game in Foxboro, MA. In fact, they trailed the Chiefs 3-0 after the first quarter. But after Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski caught a career-long 52-yard TD pass from Tom Brady in the second quarter, New England took a lead it won’t not relinquish. Gronk would add another TD later, making it an even 10 for the season. That adds to the 10 TDs he caught in his rookie season last year, making him the fastest TE in NFL history to reach 20 TDs.

Swingman Julian Edelman also had a big night, with his 72-yard punt return for a TD in the second half, as did cornerback Kyle Arrington, who intercepted rookie KC quarterback Tyler Palko twice, for his NFL-leading sixth and seventh such picks on the season.

Filling in for former Patriots QB Matt Cassel, who suffered a season-ending hand injury last week, Palko managed the Chiefs offense ably for much of the first half. But he and the Chiefs could not finish many drives as the game went on. He threw for two yards more than Brady (236 passing yards) and WR Dwayne Bowe caught seven passes for 87 yards, but the team was 0-2 in red zone opportunities, and came away with no touchdowns on the night. Running back Thomas Jones lead the Chiefs’ ground game with only 48 yards.

By contrast, the Patriots were 2-4 in the red zone, and ran for 157 yards, with BenJarvis Green-Ellis leading the way with 81 yards on 20 carries.

The 7-3 NE Patriots are in first place by two games over the 5-5 New York Jets in the AFC East division and play the 4-6 Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday, while the KC Chiefs are now 4-6 and face the 7-3 Pittsburgh Steelers.

The New England Patriots not only won a game Sunday night, they survived a war of attrition. New England displayed an aggressive defensive attack not yet seen through their first eight games of play; led by AFC defensive player of the week Andre Carter, who established a franchise record 4.5 sacks and frustrated the New York Jets on way to a 37-16 rout. The win helped wrangle the division lead from their heated rivals; completing a two game sweep of Jets and lock up a key playoff tie-breaker which becomes more important as the playoffs approach.

Sunday’s game was clearly one that the fans would be unable to identify many of the players in the defensive backfield without a game program. The NFL’s last ranked defense in yards allowed played perhaps their most complete game; more impressive considering the players that missed action on Sunday night. Starters Brandon Spikes and Patrick Chung missed the game; while Kyle Love, Kyle Arrington and James Ihedigbo left the game due to injury.

The series of injuries provided a national spotlight for previously unknown names such as Jeff Tarpinian, Sterling Moore, Antwaun Molden and Tracey White; all of whom played well in their limited roles. The situation in the defensive secondary became so dire that reserve wide receiver and special team contributor, Julian Edelman was inserted as a slot cornerback late in the game. Edelman made an immediate impact with his tackle of Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson; which resulted in Tomlinson limping off the field with a leg injury.

The linebackers stepped up their performance as well against the Jets; led by Rob Ninkovich, who intercepted Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez twice; returning one for a touchdown to put the game out of reach.

The outlook for New England was not very positive heading into week 10, as the team was looking to avoid the first three game losing streak in 10 years. As much as underperformance and inconsistency has hampered this team, the effort on Sunday provided a much needed spark and generated some measure of optimism; as the remaining schedule for the Patriots is the easiest in the entire league.

The lack of consistency and a healthy roster will continue to be key factors in determining how far this team goes in 2011. If the young reserves can continue to hold down the fort while the starters return from injury, the Patriots will be better prepared for a playoff push with a game-tested roster. Performances by Carter and Ninkovich give hope that the defensive front seven is ready to improve on their previously lackluster defense. This edition of the Patriots have several vulnerabilities thus far and do not compare with that of their championship predecessors; but a weak schedule with prove beneficial as the team competes in a wide open AFC; where inconsistency has been the norm.

With a potent offense and a defense filled with many young unproven players, there are many games left in the season for Belichick to form a defense that can build on Sunday’s win and make another run at a Lombardi trophy.

Scott Duhaime is a fan and follower of the New England Patriots for over 30 years, witnessing the team’s ascent from league irrelevance to among the league’s elite franchises. His professional career includes a solid foundation of analytics that contributes to a better appreciation of player and team contributions.

Sources:

Yahoo! Sports New England Patriots roster, schedule, and player statistics

Yahoo! Sports NFL Box Score: New England Patriots 37 @ New York Jets 16

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

By rallying with 17 unanswered points in the second half, the Jets kept themselves alive the AFC East on Sunday. With a 27-21 triumph, they improved to 4-3 on the season, avoided falling below .500, and managed to stay within a win of first place in the division.

And believe it or not, New York’s victory was actually good news for the New England Patriots.

The victim of the Jets’ comeback was the Chargers, and as of the kick off to Sunday’s action San Diego was one of three AFC teams with just one loss to this point. When they were beaten, it left only the Patriots and Raves with a single blemish — and meant the Pats will come out of their bye week controlling their own destiny when it comes to deciding who gets the two first-round playoff byes.

The downside, of course, is that the Jets continued coming back to life a bit. When they left Foxborough two weeks ago they were a wounded bunch, owners of a disappointing 2-3 record, losers of three straight, and looking largely incapable offensively.

Last week they shut down the Dolphins (still winless) to right themselves with a 24-6 win, then Sunday they used a much maligned aerial attack to come from behind against a Chargers team that began the day second in the league in terms of passing yards yielded per game (179.6) and with a 7-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

The Jets relied on their ground-and-pound game to move the ball down the field, with Shonn Greene rushing for 112 yards, and Mark Sanchez throwing for just 173. But when they got in position to convert on their opportunities, they kept the ball in Sanchez’s hands — and he then put it in the hands of a red-zone threat with whom Patriots fans are all too familiar.

From just outside the goal line, the New York quarterback found Plaxico Burress for scores of 3, 4 and 3 yards, the last of those strikes putting the Jets ahead for the first time midway through the fourth quarter, and ultimately proving the difference maker.

Because of the way they play defense, the Jets become infinitely more dangerous if Burress’ big day becomes the start of his integration, and if the dimension he adds with his size makes their offense formidable enough to win games moving forward.

But by going 5-1 to this point, and beating both the Chargers and Jets en route, the Patriots have put themselves in a position where even if New York does make a run in the East, New England is still on ground in the bigger conference picture that will determine who makes the playoffs.

Cincinnati and Buffalo were both idle on Sunday, each at 4-2, and Pittsburgh pounded Arizona to get itself to 5-2. But otherwise every AFC team is either a division leader, or now has at least three losses. Of those, Oakland (4-3) would lose a tiebreaker because of their head-to-head loss to the Pats, Houston (4-3) may wind up the default winner of a subpar South, while Kansas City, Cleveland and Tennessee (all 3-3) have a lot to prove before any of them can really be considered threats to the Patriots’ playoff hopes.

Those hopes can get even brighter if the Pats can take wins in at least two the next three weeks, when they go Pittsburgh and the Jets, with a home game against the Giants sandwiched in between. After that, New England will have seven games to play, four of which will be at Gillette Stadium, and all of them contests in which they’re likely to be favored.

After facing the Jets on Sunday night, Nov. 13, they host a Chiefs team that even after three straight wins has been outscored 150-105 on the season; they travel to the underachieving, 2-4 Eagles; they host the winless Colts; they travel to the quarterback-deficient Redskins (3-3); they go to Tim Tebow’s Broncos (2-4); then they finish with home games against the 0-6 Dolphins and the 4-2 Bills.

At this stage, Buffalo is the only team in that bunch with more wins than losses.

And that’s why seeing the Jets win, at the expense of the Chargers, wasn’t a bad way for the Patriots to spend their Sunday. After early round failures the past two years, this season is about advancing in the playoffs. It’s about getting to the Super Bowl. It’s about winning the whole thing.

The upcoming schedule has the potential to help the Patriots give themselves every advantage to make a run at those goals come January. A bye would be the biggest of those advantages. And with San Diego’s loss, there’s nobody standing in New England’s way.

Dave D’Onofrio covers the Patriots for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. His e-mail address is ddonof13@gmail.com.

FOXBOROUGH — The New England Patriots’ quick start is over and the once-rosy outlook significantly dimmer just three weeks into the season.

After blowing a 21-point lead in a loss to Buffalo on Sunday, the Patriots find themselves trying to avoid a .500 start instead of making a big run through the early part of their schedule.

New England was still a little stunned Monday. The Patriots often jump out to big leads, but rarely let them slip away — especially against the Bills. And Tom Brady regularly throws for hundreds of yards and multiple touchdowns, not interceptions.

Brady matched his career worst with four picks on Sunday and the defense couldn’t hold the big lead, allowing the Bills 448 yards of offense as Buffalo rallied and won 34-31 on a last-second field goal. The winning kick was set up by a 38-yard pass on one of several defensive breakdowns by New England.

“The game came down to us on the defensive side of the ball and we just didn’t make the plays that were needed to win the game,” linebacker Jerod Mayo said Monday. “Plays were being made on both sides of the ball. Buffalo just made more.”

So instead of playing for a 4-0 start, the Patriots will be trying to avoid opening the season 2-2 when they visit Oakland on Sunday. The surprising Raiders are also 2-1 and could really set back the Patriots before they return home for their first showdown of the season against the rival New York Jets on Oct. 9.

The loss overshadowed a record start for Brady, whose 1,327 yards passing are the most in any three-week span in NFL history. Brady surpassed the 1,257 yards Drew Brees compiled in 2006 and already has 11 touchdowns with five interceptions, four of which came Sunday in the debacle at Buffalo.

“It’s like a boxing match. We’re going to get hit, and they’re going to get hit, and hopefully at the end you connect more times than they do. I thought we had our opportunities,” Brady said Monday during his weekly appearance on WEEI radio. “I don’t think we come out of the game … thinking that we’re a bad football team. It’s just, if we play the way that we played, we’re not going to be very good.”

Brady also threw for four touchdowns on Sunday, including two on New England’s first two possessions. The Patriots added another on a 26-yard pass from Brady to Rob Gronkowski with 6:01 left in the second quarter for a 21-0 lead.

But Buffalo cut the margin to 21-10 by halftime, then outplayed New England in the second half. The Patriots needed a 6-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Wes Welker with 3:25 left — on fourth down — to tie it at 31,

Then the resilient Bills broke through the New England defense again.

Ryan Fitzpatrick found Fred Jackson on a short pass over the middle and Jackson broke it all the way to the goal line with 1:48 remaining. The play was called a touchdown, reviewed and overturned after officials ruled that Devin McCourty pulled down Jackson at the 1-yard line.

Had McCourty let Jackson cross into the end zone, Brady and the Patriots would have had plenty of time to engineer another drive and possibly force overtime. Instead, Buffalo was able to run down the clock and end a 15-game losing streak to the Patriots on Rian Lindell’s 28-yard field goal as time expired.

So now both the Patriots and Jets trail the Bills in the AFC East.

Coach Bill Belichick said McCourty acted on instinct and wouldn’t fault a defensive player for tackling an opponent on his way to the end zone.

After all, there were plenty of other blunders Belichick and his staff can focus on when the Patriots return to practice Wednesday.

“They did a better of job executing some plays than we did defending them,” Belichick said. “We made some plays. They made some. In the end they made more than we did. We’ve just got to do a better job of coaching and playing.”

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP)—The New England Patriots’ quick start is over and
the once-rosy outlook significantly dimmer just three weeks into the season.

After blowing a 21-point lead in a loss to Buffalo on Sunday, the Patriots
find themselves trying to avoid a .500 start instead of making a big run through
the early part of their schedule.

New England was still a little stunned Monday. The Patriots often jump out
to big leads, but rarely let them slip away—especially against the Bills. And
Tom Brady(notes) regularly throws for hundreds of yards and multiple touchdowns, not
interceptions.

Brady matched his career worst with four picks on Sunday and the defense
couldn’t hold the big lead, allowing the Bills 448 yards of offense as Buffalo
rallied and won 34-31 on a last-second field goal. The winning kick was set up
by a 38-yard pass on one of several defensive breakdowns by New England.

“The game came down to us on the defensive side of the ball and we just
didn’t make the plays that were needed to win the game,” linebacker Jerod Mayo(notes)
said Monday. “Plays were being made on both sides of the ball. Buffalo just
made more.”

So instead of playing for a 4-0 start, the Patriots will be trying to avoid
opening the season 2-2 when they visit Oakland on Sunday. The surprising Raiders
are also 2-1 and could really set back the Patriots before they return home for
their first showdown of the season against the rival New York Jets on Oct. 9.

The loss overshadowed a record start for Brady, whose 1,327 yards passing
are the most in any three-week span in NFL history. Brady surpassed the 1,257
yards Drew Brees(notes) compiled in 2006 and already has 11 touchdowns with five
interceptions, four of which came Sunday in the debacle at Buffalo.

“It’s like a boxing match. We’re going to get hit, and they’re going to get
hit, and hopefully at the end you connect more times than they do. I thought we
had our opportunities,” Brady said Monday during his weekly appearance on WEEI
radio. “I don’t think we come out of the game … thinking that we’re a bad
football team. It’s just, if we play the way that we played, we’re not going to
be very good.”

Brady also threw for four touchdowns on Sunday, including two on New
England’s first two possessions. The Patriots added another on a 26-yard pass
from Brady to Rob Gronkowski(notes) with 6:01 left in the second quarter for a 21-0
lead.

But Buffalo cut the margin to 21-10 by halftime, then outplayed New England
in the second half. The Patriots needed a 6-yard touchdown pass from Brady to
Wes Welker(notes) with 3:25 left—on fourth down—to tie it at 31,

Then the resilient Bills broke through the New England defense again.

Ryan Fitzpatrick(notes) found Fred Jackson(notes) on a short pass over the middle and
Jackson broke it all the way to the goal line with 1:48 remaining. The play was
called a touchdown, reviewed and overturned after officials ruled that Devin
McCourty(notes) pulled down Jackson at the 1-yard line.

Had McCourty let Jackson cross into the end zone, Brady and the Patriots
would have had plenty of time to engineer another drive and possibly force
overtime. Instead, Buffalo was able to run down the clock and end a 15-game
losing streak to the Patriots on Rian Lindell’s(notes) 28-yard field goal as time
expired.

So now both the Patriots and Jets trail the Bills in the AFC East.

Coach Bill Belichick said McCourty acted on instinct and wouldn’t fault a
defensive player for tackling an opponent on his way to the end zone.

After all, there were plenty of other blunders Belichick and his staff can
focus on when the Patriots return to practice Wednesday.

“They did a better of job executing some plays than we did defending
them,” Belichick said. “We made some plays. They made some. In the end they
made more than we did. We’ve just got to do a better job of coaching and
playing.”

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots’ quick start is over and the once-rosy outlook significantly dimmer just three weeks into the season.

After blowing a 21-point lead in a loss to Buffalo on Sunday, the Patriots find themselves trying to avoid a .500 start instead of making a big run through the early part of their schedule.

New England was still a little stunned Monday. The Patriots often jump out to big leads, but rarely let them slip away — especially against the Bills. And Tom Brady regularly throws for hundreds of yards and multiple touchdowns, not interceptions.

Brady matched his career worst with four picks on Sunday and the defence couldn’t hold the big lead, allowing the Bills 448 yards of offence as Buffalo rallied and won 34-31 on a last-second field goal. The winning kick was set up by a 38-yard pass on one of several defensive breakdowns by New England.

“The game came down to us on the defensive side of the ball and we just didn’t make the plays that were needed to win the game,” linebacker Jerod Mayo said Monday. “Plays were being made on both sides of the ball. Buffalo just made more.”

So instead of playing for a 4-0 start, the Patriots will be trying to avoid opening the season 2-2 when they visit Oakland on Sunday. The surprising Raiders are also 2-1 and could really set back the Patriots before they return home for their first showdown of the season against the rival New York Jets on Oct. 9.

The loss overshadowed a record start for Brady, whose 1,327 yards passing are the most in any three-week span in NFL history. Brady surpassed the 1,257 yards Drew Brees compiled in 2006 and already has 11 touchdowns with five interceptions, four of which came Sunday in the debacle at Buffalo.

“It’s like a boxing match. We’re going to get hit, and they’re going to get hit, and hopefully at the end you connect more times than they do. I thought we had our opportunities,” Brady said Monday during his weekly appearance on WEEI radio. “I don’t think we come out of the game … thinking that we’re a bad football team. It’s just, if we play the way that we played, we’re not going to be very good.”

Brady also threw for four touchdowns on Sunday, including two on New England’s first two possessions. The Patriots added another on a 26-yard pass from Brady to Rob Gronkowski with 6:01 left in the second quarter for a 21-0 lead.

But Buffalo cut the margin to 21-10 by halftime, then outplayed New England in the second half. The Patriots needed a 6-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Wes Welker with 3:25 left — on fourth down — to tie it at 31,

Then the resilient Bills broke through the New England defence again.

Ryan Fitzpatrick found Fred Jackson on a short pass over the middle and Jackson broke it all the way to the goal line with 1:48 remaining. The play was called a touchdown, reviewed and overturned after officials ruled that Devin McCourty pulled down Jackson at the 1-yard line.

Had McCourty let Jackson cross into the end zone, Brady and the Patriots would have had plenty of time to engineer another drive and possibly force overtime. Instead, Buffalo was able to run down the clock and end a 15-game losing streak to the Patriots on Rian Lindell’s 28-yard field goal as time expired.

So now both the Patriots and Jets trail the Bills in the AFC East.

Coach Bill Belichick said McCourty acted on instinct and wouldn’t fault a defensive player for tackling an opponent on his way to the end zone.

After all, there were plenty of other blunders Belichick and his staff can focus on when the Patriots return to practice Wednesday.

“They did a better of job executing some plays than we did defending them,” Belichick said. “We made some plays. They made some. In the end they made more than we did. We’ve just got to do a better job of coaching and playing.”

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – Stevie Johnson thinks the undefeated New England Patriots are still ahead of unbeaten Buffalo despite what the standings say. So he knows if the Bills want to show the football world they are for real, the litmus test will be Sunday when the two AFC East rivals meet.

“If we want to change things around here, this is where we’ve got to start,” Johnson said Monday, a day after Buffalo’s thrilling 38-35 comeback win over the Oakland Raiders. “We know that they’re the team above, but we feel like we can go out there and beat these guys.”

Saying they think they can beat the Patriots (2-0) and actually doing it, though, have been two totally different items, as Tom Brady and Co. have strung together 15 consecutive wins over the Bills. But No. 16 may not come easy, as Buffalo (2-0) enters armed with the seventh-ranked offence thanks in large part to the inspired play of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and running back Fred Jackson.

Fitzpatrick has thrown for seven touchdowns already, joining Hall of Famer Jim Kelly as the only two quarterbacks in team history to toss for seven or more scores in the first two games. Jackson, meanwhile, leads the league in rushing with 229 yards, and his 43-yard scamper to the end zone Sunday in the third quarter ignited Buffalo’s rally from an 18-point halftime deficit.

The Bills are also tops in the NFL in red zone efficiency, registering eight scores in 10 trips inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. Their 79 points are also the most in the league.

“In terms of the points, it’s a tough pace to keep up,” Fitzpatrick said. “We know we’re not going to go out and score 39, 40 points a game.

“It starts with the guys up front, and I think that’s what is getting us going and allowing plays to happen.”

As good as the Bills offence has been early on, the Patriots have been that much better. They have the top-ranked offensive attack, with Brady being as good as ever.

In Sunday’s win over San Diego, he became the first player in NFL history to follow a 500-yard passing performance with a 400-yard game.

“With Brady, it has to be one play at a time because he’s going to make plays,” defensive lineman Kyle Williams said. “If you get caught up on junk that happened before, I think that’s when he burns you.”

It won’t help Buffalo that Fitzpatrick will be short a weapon against New England, with Roscoe Parrish already ruled out because of a left ankle injury sustained in the second quarter Sunday against Oakland. Coach Chan Gailey said Parrish’s injury is more longterm, which could force the Bills into placing him on injured reserve in order to sign a free agent receiver or call one up from their practice squad since they only have four healthy ones.

Parrish is expected to undergo further tests later this week to get the true extent of the problem.

“He’s a big part of what we do and what we wanted to do,” Fitzpatrick said. “That’s going to be hard for us.”

Right guard Kraig Urbik will also be out at least two weeks because of a left knee injury.

Without those two, the Bills are still ready to see how they measure up against a team they haven’t beaten since a 31-0 blowout win at home to open the 2003 season.

“It’ll be a great test for us,” Jackson said. “They’re a great team and they’ve established themselves as a great team, but we feel like we’re a good team, too.

“It will be a good way for us to establish ourselves as one of the best teams in the league if we can go out and get this win this weekend.”

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Due to power outages that have affected Gillette Stadium, the New England Patriots moved offsite on Monday, and canceled their media availability.

The outages also led to the cancellation of coach Bill Belichick’s media conference call on Sunday, though that is slated to be made up on Monday afternoon.

The Patriots had off on Sunday, after Saturday’s 34-10 loss to the Lions in Detroit. They conclude the preseason vs. the New York Giants on Thursday night at home.

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FOXBORO (CBS) — The New England Patriots have released the 2011 regular season schedule, and it starts of in Miami on September 12.

This will be the first season-opener on the road for the Pats in four years. The Pats have not lost a season-opener since 2003 when they lost on the road to Buffalo.

When the Pats faced the Dolphins on Monday Night Football last year the Patriots became the first team in NFL history to score a touchdown five different ways. They won 41-14.

After the season opener on September 12 in Miami, the Pats will come home to face San Diego on Sunday, September 18 at 4:15 p.m.

The next two games are on the road, first in Buffalo on Sunday, September 25 at 1 p.m. and then in Oakland on Sunday, October 2 at 4:15 p.m.

The Patriots come back home to face the New York Jets on Sunday, October 9 at 4:15 p.m. and Dallas on Sunday, October 16 at 4:15 p.m.

They’ll head to Pittsburgh on Sunday, October 30 with a 4:15 p.m. start. And back home on Sunday, November 6 to play the New York Giants.

The second time they face the Jets they’ll do so in New Meadowlands on Sunday, November 13 at 8:20 p.m.

On Monday, November 21 at 8:30 p.m. the Patriots will play Kansas City at home. Then on Sunday, November 27, they’ll head to Philadelphia for a 4:15 p.m. game.

On Sunday, December 4 New England will play Indianapolis in Foxboro at 8:20 p.m. The following week on Sunday, December 11, they’ll head to Washington for a 1 p.m. game.

On Sunday, December 18, the Pats will be in Denver for a 4:15 p.m. game.

Rounding out the regular season schedule the Pats will play at home on Saturday, December 24 against Miami at 1 p.m. and Buffalo on Sunday, January 1 at 1 p.m.

2011 PATRIOTS PRESEASON SCHEDULE
Thursday, Aug. 11 Jacksonville 7:30 p.m. ET
Preseason Week 2 Aug. 18-22 at Tampa Bay Time TBA
Saturday, Aug. 27 at Detroit 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 1 N.Y. Giants 7:30 p.m. ET

2011 PATRIOTS REGULAR SEASON

Monday, Sept. 12 at Miami 7:00 p.m. ET
Sunday, Sept. 18 San Diego 4:15 p.m. ET
Sunday, Sept. 25 at Buffalo 1:00 p.m. ET
Sunday, Oct. 2 at Oakland 4:15 p.m. ET
Sunday, Oct. 9 New York Jets 4:15 p.m. ET
Sunday, Oct. 16 Dallas 4:15 p.m. ET
Sunday, Oct. 23 BYE WEEK
Sunday, Oct. 30 at Pittsburgh 4:15 p.m. ET
Sunday, Nov. 6 New York Giants 4:15 p.m. ET
Sunday, Nov. 13 at New York Jets 8:20 p.m. ET
Monday, Nov. 21 Kansas City 8:30 p.m. ET
Sunday, Nov. 27 at Philadelphia 4:15 p.m. ET
Sunday, Dec. 4 Indianapolis 8:20 p.m. ET
Sunday, Dec. 11 at Washington 1:00 p.m. ET
Sunday, Dec. 18 at Denver 4:15 p.m. ET
Saturday, Dec. 24 Miami 1:00 p.m. ET
Sunday, Jan. 1 Buffalo 1:00 p.m. ET