Week 3 - Patriots Beat Bills, But Barely - stp2081's Dynasty

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Week 3 - Patriots Beat Bills, But Barely

Posted on September 22, 2010 at 10:10 PM.

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After manhandling the Bengals and taking care of the Jets, many thought the Patriots would blowout the visiting 0-2 Bills. Many were wrong. After electing to receive, Bills starting QB Trent Edwards moved down the field with surgically precise passing, dissecting the Patriots' defense at an alarming rate. Before 3 minutes had elapsed into the drive, Edwards connected with WR Lee Evans for a 22-yard touchdown pass. A quick 3-and-out by the Pats' offense, and Bills K Ryan Lindell was busy adding some field goals to increase the Bills' lead, first from 57(!) yards, and then about a minute later, after the over-eager Pats turned it over on an interception, from 30 yards. This allowed the Bills to present a 13-0 lead over the Pats, all within the first quarter of play. The Pats knew that the Bills could easily run away with this one, if something wasn't done, and done quickly. With a revamped mixture of run and pass, the Patriots found their second wind in the second quarter. A pass-heavy touchdown drive was capped off by Pats RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis running it into the endzone, putting the Pats back within striking distance. However, on the ensuing drive, the Bills somehow managed to get back into field goal range, and once again Lindell came through.

The Pats knew this could have become a true slugfest if they didn't respond by taking the lead with a touchdown, and then carrying that momentum into the second half. That's precisely what they did, fueled by a short pass to Wes Welker who, in his trademark style, turned it into a YAC-heavy touchdown pass. The Pats felt they were firing on all cylinders, and Pats RB Fred Taylor made his presence felt, averaging excellent yardage, and after a check-out at the line of scrimmage, Brady handed it off to Taylor, who burst through the line and took it 67 yards to the house, showing that the old man still had some left in the tank. The Bills never fully recovered from that, and the Pats hung on for the eventual five point victory.

PLAY OF THE GAME:
In a singleback 2-TE set, after reading what appeared to be a rush-outside blitz setup by Buffalo, Patriots QB Tom Brady audibles into a run up the gut for HB Fred Taylor, knowing that if Taylor can break through the line, he will have daylight. And that's exactly what happened:
http://www.easports.com/media/play/video/37420591

PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Patriots RB Fred Taylor. The 35 year old running back recorded over 100 yards rushing, with two trips reaching paydirt.