Patriots vs. Bills: By the Numbers

Taking a look at a few numbers that stood out from the New England Patriots' 23-21 win over the Buffalo Bills:

0

Snaps played by Stevan Ridley following his second quarter fumble that was recovered for a touchdown by Bills' safety Da'Norris Searcy.

14

Targets for Patriots rookie receiver Kenbrell Thompkins. Thompkins only caught four of those 14 targets, and also had a bad drop in the end zone in the second half.

27

Number of receptions between Danny Amendola, Shane Vereen, and Julian Edelman. The team had a total of 32 completions. These three were the focal point of the offense, as the Patriots couldn't muster much success with their other skill position players.

101

Rushing yards for Shane Vereen, most of which came after Stevan Ridley was benched in the second quarter. Vereen showed great patience and burst, and could be seen with both hands on the ball every time he made contact with a defender.

2.4

Yards per carry for Bills running back C.J. Spiller. The Patriots came into today's game with the mentality that they would shut down the run, and that's exactly what they did. While Fred Jackson did have a bit more success than Spiller, the Patriots didn't allow a running back to have a gain longer than 13 yards all day.

31%

The Patriots 3rd down defense. The Bills ended up punting a total of nine times today. Aside from the Bills' opening drive of the second half, the Patriots' defense didn't allow Buffalo to have any long, sustained drives.

0

Sacks for the Patriots defense. The pass rush wasn't at its best today. In all fairness however, that may have been due more to the quick check-downs that Manuel was making more than anything else.

5.1

Tom Brady's yards per attempt through the air. In total, he went 29/52. A lot of balls hit the ground, and the protection for Brady was suspect at times. The passing attack will need to be much more efficient going forward.

11-20

The Patriots' 3rd down efficiency. It seemed like every time the Patriots got into a 3rd and long situation, they were able to bail themselves out. Tom Brady and Danny Amendola did it twice on the winning drive.

9

Receptions by Buffalo running backs. E.J. Manuel was perfectly comfortable going to the check-down, and the Patriots allowed a few too many completions in this area (although the tackling was generally solid).

-1

The Patriots turnover differential for the day. The Patriots ended up committing three turnovers, the most painful of which was a fumbled exchange on the snap on a 4th and goal from the one yard line in the 3rd quarter. These mistakes nearly cost the Patriots the game, and injected life into Buffalo on multiple occassions.

23-21

The final score of the game. It may not have been pretty, but a win is a win. The Patriots are 1-0, and at the end of the day, that's all that matters.