Patriots at Bills
THE STORY: Next stop for the Tom Brady passing clinic is the Buffalo Bills. Brady became the first player in NFL history to follow up a 500-yard passing performance with a 400-yard effort last week as the New England Patriots grabbed a home win over the San Diego Chargers. Not to be left out, Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick put on a show of his own in Week 2 against the Oakland Raiders, leading touchdown drives on all five second-half possessions in a dramatic victory. The Bills have lost 15 in a row to their tormentors from New England and will be looking to snap that streak in Orchard Park on Sunday afternoon.
TV: CBS, 1 p.m. ET. LINE: Patriots -8.5. O/U 53.5
ABOUT THE PATRIOTS (2-0): Brady went for 517 yards in Week 1 and might have been even better in a 423-yard performance in Week 2, completing 31 of 40 passes with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Brady has relied heavily on Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski in the red zone, finding the tight ends for five of his seven TDs. Hernandez, however, has been ruled out for Sunday with a knee injury. Obscured once again last Sunday was the sieve-like performance of the New England secondary, which allowed Philip Rivers to throw for 378 yards after watching Miami’s Chad Henne put up 416 in Week 1. The banged-up unit had five players listed as questionable for Sunday.
ABOUT THE BILLS (2-0): As prolific as the New England offense has been, it is actually Buffalo that leads the NFL in scoring with 39.5 points per game. Fitzpatrick has matched Brady with seven TDs, and Fred Jackson leads the NFL in rushing with 229 yards. After blowing out the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1, the Bills overcame an 18-point deficit and scored the winning touchdown against Oakland last week when Fitzpatrick found David Nelson on fourth down with 14 seconds left for a 38-35 win.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. The Patriots won 34-3 in Orchard Park last December. Fitzpatrick accounted for five turnovers with three interceptions and two fumbles lost.
2. Buffalo is one of three teams that have not made the playoffs since realignment in 2002. All three (Houston, Detroit and the Bills) are 2-0 this season.
3. Dan Gronkowski, brother of Rob, will likely take Hernandez’s place for the Patriots. The Gronkowskis are from nearby Amherst, N.Y.