Tom Brady and Company Ruin “Pegula Day” in Buffalo

Patriots Take Control of 1st Place in the AFC East after 37-22 Win

It was a very special day in Orchard Park, New York this afternoon, as it was Terry and Kim Pegula’s first game as the new owners of the Buffalo Bills and with it brought together the Buffalo community as a whole.

The pregame ceremonies started off with a video on the scoreboard, narrated by ESPN’s Chris Berman, and afterwards Terry, Kim and the rest of the family took to the field, even including their dog Sidney, all decked out in personalized Bills jerseys.

The new owner would give a quick rah-rah speech, reminding the joyous fans a couple times to settle down that there was still a football game to be played that afternoon.  It seemed like the city of Buffalo would just continue to clap and cheer all afternoon to thank the man that has stabilized both of their professional sports teams along with pumping millions of dollars of his own money into the local economy.

How could you not want to thank him?

This is a man and family that the city of Buffalo appreciates as a hero, someone who was able to have the resources to give back to his community and make sure two of their biggest staples weren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

It isn’t just about sports here either.  The city of Buffalo is quietly on the rise, and Pegula is one of the biggest players when it comes to that regard.  The pre-game festivities just showed how connected the community is as a whole.

The pregame ceremonies ended with Mr. Pegula asking the crowd “Has anyone seen my dog?’  The poor thing was spooked when the sold out crowd went wild as the Pegulas walked through the tunnel.  She was suppose to come out and make it to midfield with the new owners, but was able to make it about 10 yards before nerves got the best of her.

The family was then surrounded by the Bills’ players at mid-field, as Mr. Pegula did his best to fire up the team.

Unfortunately the good vibes couldn’t affect the scoreboard.

Tom Brady threw for 361 yards and four touchdowns as the Patriots left Ralph Wilson Stadium with a 37-22 win.

In doing so, they improved to 4-2 on the year and now have sole control of the AFC East lead.

Quick Slants

• After this week, I am wondering if CJ Spiller has officially taken a step back in his development. After busting onto the scene in 2012 with a 1,244 yards season in which he averaged six yards a carry, Spiller has seen a great downfall in production this year. Last season Spiller was robbed of some of his explosiveness due to a high ankle sprain that he battled through all year. This year he just looks like a different back. What is so frustrating is that talent level is still there. Spiller is a big-play threat that can take it to the house on any touch. He isn’t getting much help from his lineman, but he also tends to dance too much instead of just taking it up field. We saw it again this week, as Spiller was only able to manage just 19 yards on 6 carries (3.2 average) as his struggles have continued. This is a trend that will be interesting to monitor as the season goes on. Spiller is a free agent at the end of the season, and the Bills have a young developing back in Bryce Brown that I am sure they would love to get some game action (he has been inactive for the Bills first six games this season).
• What a day for Bills tight end Scott Chandler, as he had one of the most productive days from the position in Bills history. His 105 yard effort made him the first Bills tight end to eclipse 100 yards for the first time since 1992. He was a constant threat down the field and was most productive in the clutch when his team needed it most. 5 of his catches went for 1^st downs and 4 of those came on third down plays to keep drives alive. It was a career day for a player who usually plays his best against the Patriots. You have to remember how big the output was for a player who had just 137 receiving yards coming into this game.
• Speaking of tight ends, Buffalo native Rob Gronkowski returned home in a big fashion yet again. The star was uncoverable all game, as the Bills could not come up with anyway to slow down the big target. Although a 6-game touchdown streak against his hometown team was snapped this week (he did have one called back due to a penalty), he still finished with 7 receptions for 94 yards.
• With Darrelle Revis shadowing rookie Sammy Watkins all game, receiver Robert Woods was able to take advantage of the lack of concentration on him, and had one of his best days as a pro. Woods had 10 targets and was able to turn 7 of those into catches. He also hauled in a 7-yard touchdown pass and converted a two-point conversion on a very tough pass in traffic at the goal line.
• Turnovers killed the Bills in this one. Coming into the game, Buffalo was tied for first in turnover differential at +6, but in this one they gave the ball away three times (two fumbles and one interception). Those three turnovers all led to New England points, with the worst being the CJ Spiller fumble. The Bills were trying to run out the half, and gave it to Spiller who tried to do too much and fumbled the ball away back to New England at the Buffalo 42. After a 7-yard pass to Julian Edelman, Stephen Gostkowski nailed a 53-yard field goal to give them a 13-7 lead heading into the half.
• Speaking of Edelman, he was yet another receiving weapon that the Bills couldn’t contain. He was open all game, hauling in 9 receptions for 91 yards as he was constantly moving the chains for his team.
• I think its safe to say that Tom Brady is not in any sort of career free fall that many people like to believe he is. His line stepped up today, and he got a lot of time in the pocket to step up and into his throws.
• I was a little shocked about the defense’s gameplan coming into this one. I did not like the rush four and drop everyone back in coverage approach. Tom Brady is a quarterback who could pick apart zone defenses in his sleep. In order to be effective against him, you need to get him moving around and under pressure so he is forced to rush his throws. While the four-man rush was effective at times (due to the skill the Bills have on their line), it left Brady way too much time in the pocket on multiple occasions. I wish the defense would’ve sent a lot more different blitzes at him. What’s the worse that could happen; he throws for four touchdowns against you?
• The Bills did a great job in keeping drives going. They went 8 for 15 (53%) on third down attempts. If the turnovers would have been cut out, this was a game the Bills certainly had for the taking. It was nice to see the offense convert third and longs too, a spot that they have struggled in for way too long.
• Jerry Hughes is really coming into his own as a defensive player. He isn’t just a rush guy anymore, and is becoming a complete defensive end. He was all over the field today, and finished the game with 5 tackles, 2 assists and a sack.
• It was easy to see early on that the Bills were being very careful with running back Fred Jackson.  Jackson is a warrior and has played through multiple injuries (big and small) through his time here with the Bills.  He is battling an ankle injury that he suffered last week, and the Bills didn’t want him to aggravate it.  He didn’t receive his first carry until the second quarter and finished the game with with just 14 touches (10 rushes and 4 receptions).

Stats to Like

Kyle Orton: 24 for 28, 299 yards, 2 Touchdowns, 1 Interception, 94.1 QB Rating

It was an up and down game for Orton, as he had some good moments and bad ones. Overall, he throws a good ball and I even forget myself that this is a guy playing just his second full game in quite sometime. It has really impressed me that Orton, who didn’t attend any training camp practices, has been able to step into the lineup with limited work and still produce. It will be nice to see this connection between Orton and his receivers develop more as the season goes on. He isn’t elite, but Orton is keeping the Bills in games and can make plays down the wire when given the chance. It was a good move by the Bills to turn to Orton if they are trying to go after wins (and the playoffs). It makes you kind of wish the Kevin Kolb experiment would’ve worked out so EJ Manuel wasn’t forced right into the lineup when he clearly wasn’t ready.

Stats to Dislike

CJ Spiller: 6 carries for 19 (3.2 yard per carry average)

We touched on it earlier so I don’t want to continue to beat a dead horse. Talent-wise, Spiller is one of the most explosive players in the league. He needs to get it right so it takes some pressure off of the passing game.

Game MVP: Tom Brady

This was vintage Brady in this one, as he made perfect throws all afternoon. He finished the day 27 of 37 for 361 yards and four touchdowns.

On Tap for Next Week

The Minnesota Vikings (2-4) come to Ralph Wilson Stadium to take on the Bills at 1:00 PM (eastern).

Bottomline

The Patriots came into Buffalo and showed why they are still the team to beat in the AFC East. When this team is clicking, they are still one of the best teams in football. Never count Tom Brady or head coach Bill Belichick out of it. The Bills have to forget about this tough loss and come back strong next week against a very young Minnesota team. A win next week would keep them right in the AFC playoff race, along with keeping them above .500 for the season.

Photos by Derek Zeller