Game 3: Bills at Patriots
Greetings from Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots appear to have the ideal opponent to help them put last week’s frustrating loss to the Jets behind him.
The Buffalo Bills are 0-2 this season, have already implemented a change at quarterback (former Harvard standout Ryan Fitzpatrick takes over for Trent Edwards today), and have not beaten the Patriots since the opening game (the Lawyer Milloy Bowl) of the 2003 season, having lost their last 13 meetings.
Could this be a trap game for the Patriots? We doubt it, though the Bills do have a talented defensive backfield led by safety Donte Whitner and a trio of talented running backs, including 2010 first-round pick C.J. Spiller and workmanlike Fred Jackson, who has given the Patriots fits in the past.
We’ll have updates throughout in Extra Points from the Globe’s team of reporters. To get you warmed up, here’s a quick preview:
Kickoff: 1 p.m.
Records: Patriots 1-1; Bills 0-2
TV: CBS, Channel 4 (Kevin Harlan, Solomon Wilcots)
Projected starting lineups (based on depth charts)
- Patriots offense: WR Wes Welker, LT Matt Light, LG Dan Connolly, C Dan Koppen, RG Stephen Neal, RT Sebastian Vollmer, TE Alge Crumpler, WR Randy Moss, QB Tom Brady, RB Fred Taylor, RB Sammy Morris.
- Bills offense: WR Lee Evans, LT Demetrius Bell, LG Andy Levitre, C Geoff Hangartner, RG Eric Wood, RT Cornell Green, TE Jonathan Stupar, QB Ryan Fitzpartick, FB Corey McIntyre, RB C.J. Spiller, WR Steve Johnson.
- Patriots defense: LE Gerard Warren, NT Vince Wilfork, RE Mike Wright, OLB Tully Banta-Cain, ILB Jerod Mayo, ILB Gary Guyton, OLB Rob Ninkovich, LCB Darius Butler, RCB Devin McCourty, S Brandon Meriweather, S James Sanders.
- Bills defense: LDE Marcus Stroud, NT Kyle Williams, RDE Dwan Edwards, SLB Chris Kelsay., MLB Andra Davis, WLB Keith Ellison, JLB Reggie Torbor, LCB Terrence McGee, SS Donte Whitner, FS Jairus Byrd, RCB Drayton Florence.
Inactives:
- Patriots: DL Brandon Deaderick, LB Dane Fletcher, T Nick Kaczur, NT Kyle Love, WR Taylor Price, CB Terrence Wheatley, G Quinn Ojinnaka, T Steve Maneri.
- Bills: QB Brian Brohm (third QB), S Cary Harris, LB Paul Posluszny, LB Antonio Coleman, T Jamon Meredith, T Ed Wang, DE Alex Carrington, DE John McCargo.
Lopsided rivalry:
The Patriots’ 13 consecutive victories over the Bills is tied for the fourth-longest winning streak over a single opponent in NFL history. The Miami Dolphins beat the Bills 20 consecutive times from 1970-79. The Patriots have an all-time mark of 59-40-1 against the Bills, their highest win total against any opponent.
Good to see you: Tom Brady is 15-1 against the Bills in his career and has thrown more touchdown passes against Buffalo than any other opponent (33). In what amounts to a full season of action, Brady has thrown for 3,713 yards, with 12 interceptions and a 100.6 rating against the Bills.
Safeties first: Patriots safety Patrick Chung and Bills safety Jairus Byrd were four-year teammates at the University of Oregon from 2005-08. They were drafted just eight picks apart in the 2009 NFL Draft, with Chung going to the Patriots at No. 34 and Byrd at No. 42. Byrd had nine interceptions as a rookie and was named to the Pro Bowl. He could not play because of an injury and was replaced by the Patriots’ Brandon Meriweather.
Half-full, half-empty: The Patriots lead the AFC East in points scored (52) and points allowed . . . also 52.
Third-down question: With the news this week that versatile running back Kevin Faulk is out for the season with a torn ACL, it will be fascinating to see what the Patriots coaching staff attempts to do to replace him. Among his many attributes, Faulk was a standout receiver on third-down and also the Patriots’ best pass-blocking running back, and coach Bill Belichick admitted it would take more than one player to replace him. Sammy Morris and Julian Edelman could see a spike in playing time and in their third-down responsibilities, and what the Patriots do on situations that often called for Faulk bears watching. Running back Danny Woodhead, signed a week ago, is also active today and could see some third-down action.
Fallout? After last week’s loss to the Jets, it bears watching whether there are any significant personnel changes for the Patriots. While Darius Butler is still listed as a starter at cornerback, it is expected that Kyle Arrington will take his place in the lineup after he was picked on by Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez last week.
Waiting on Spikes: Rookie linebacker Brandon Spikes was a late addition to the injury report Saturday, listed as probable with a calf injury. He was on the field testing his injury under the watchful eye of team trainers a little past 10 a.m. today. (Update, 11:43 a.m.: Spikes will play, as will fellow linebacker Shawn Crable, who will make his NFL debut after missing the two previous seasons with leg injuries. Crable, a third-round pick in 2008, was added to the active roster from the practice squad yesterday.)
Officials: The referee today is John Parry. The rest of his crew is umpire Dan Ferrell, head linesman Derick Bowers, line judge Rusty Baynes, field judge Scott Edwards, side judge Keith Washington, and back judge Perry Paganelli.
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