New England Patriots 38, Buffalo Bills 7

38 Special
Patriots Batter Bills

I just got back from Foxboro. Here are a few notes and observations from this afternoon's game.

New England has scored 38 points against all three opponents so far this year. The Patriots probably could have easily scored late in the fourth quarter, but they elected a few simple rushing plays out of the I-formation, and then attempted to convert a 4th-and-6 (with another running play) instead of kicking a field goal or making a serious effort to convert. I really think Bill Belichick wanted Buffalo to score a touchdown to have all three games end with identical 38-14 scores.

Patriots fans showed class and sportsmanship for the second week in a row, applauding when Buffalo linebacker Paul Posluszny was shown to be OK before being carted off the field in the second quarter with a broken forearm. Patriots fans also applauded last Sunday night when San Diego offensive tackle Shane Olivea was OK after a scary moment early in that game. You'll remember that Jets fans cheered when their starting quarterback appeared to sustain a serious leg injury.

The Gillette crowd was noticeably subdued compared to last Sunday night's. I don't know if it was the weather, which was phenomenal (but not "football weather") or the expectation that the Buffalo game just didn't mean as much. Not only was San Diego expected to be a far fiercer opponent; and, of course, all that videotaping stuff had to be put to rest and the fans that night made their feelings for Belichick well known.

The crowd was very unhappy, more than usual, with the officiating (head referee Scott Green). There were several times the officials stopped the game, had conferences and never said what was happening. Coincidentally, the longest delays early in the game seemed to be when the Patriots were getting into a rhythm.

There were also a couple replay reviews that went against New England that the fans didn't like at all, especially that near safety in the second quarter on the play after Tom Brady's fumble was upheld. The Brady call was tough to call. It looked to us like his knee was down, but we really couldn't see it that well. Bills quarterback Trent Edwards certainly looked to have stepped on the endline on the video shown at the stadium. I still have to see some TV replays.

While fans were ecstatic for the Brady-to-Moss 45-yard touchdown, but I think most of us were just in awe.

Moss is the first wide receiver (and I'd have to assume first player) to change teams and have at least 100 yards receiving in his first three games with his new team.

Brady completed 79.3 percent of his passes and had a passer rating of 150.9 (perfect is 158.3. Brady, who has 10 touchdown passes in 3 games, is on a pace to throw 53.3 touchdowns. That's hardly likely, but it would shatter the current record of 49.