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One blowout was enough for the New England Patriots.
A 31-0 opening-game loss to the Buffalo Bills provided motivation. Since then, they've made clutch plays and haven't needed a dominating performance to win 13 of their last 14.
``We haven't blown
anybody out, but that's the style of football we've been accustomed to playing
around here for a long time,'' Patriots guard Damien Woody said. ``We play sound
in all areas of the game.''
The Patriots and Bills meet again Saturday in the regular-season finale. If
there's a blowout this time, it likely will go the other way.
New England (13-2) is seeking its franchise-best 12th straight win. That or a tie would clinch the top playoff seed in the AFC, but linebacker Tedy Bruschi isn't thinking about that reward.
``We focus on how we beat Buffalo,'' he said. ``It's about putting pressure on Drew Bledsoe and trying to stop Travis Henry and the running game.''
Buffalo (6-9) was an AFC East favorite after winning its first two games but has struggled, with most of the problems coming on offense. It doesn't figure to get better Saturday against a team that has allowed one touchdown in its last five home games.
The Bills need 250 yards to avoid matching a franchise-low record of 4,092 in a 16-game season. Their 243 points are their second fewest in a 16-game season.
``There was a stretch where we didn't protect the ball very well,'' Buffalo coach Gregg Williams said. ``The times where we protected the football, we played pretty good.''
The Bills were hit by injuries on the offensive line and at wide receiver, where Eric Moulds missed three games with a groin injury.
``It's sort of like a bad dream,'' Moulds, who should play Saturday, said of the team's problems.
The Patriots suffered key injuries on defense but are healthier now than at any time this season. And they brushed off the shock of that opening loss.
``Whether you get beat 31-0 or 3-0 you're still 0-1,'' Bruschi said. ``We lost the game. There's 15 more to go, guys. Let's just turn it around.''
The Patriots leave little room for error. In their 13 victories, they began the fourth quarter leading by at least 10 points only three times.
Against Denver, they scored the winning touchdown with 30 seconds left. Against Houston, they forced overtime with a touchdown with 40 seconds left. Against Indianapolis, they made stops at the 1-yard line on the Colts' last three plays in a 38-34 win.
``You are always concerned when you are not scoring as many points as you would like to. We really haven't played the way we are capable,'' New England quarterback Tom Brady said.
Buffalo has the NFL's second-ranked defense so one mistake -- an interception or fumble returned for a touchdown -- could be costly for the Patriots. In the Bills previous six games before last Sunday's 20-3 loss to Miami, they won twice and had four losses by a total of 11 points.
There may not be that much difference between a team with the NFL's best record and another that missed the playoffs.
``Through a lot of adversity, we're still giving this team chances to win ball games,'' Buffalo safety Lawyer Milloy said.
The Patriots cut him five days before the season opener and the surprise of losing one of their top players affected them when he joined the Bills for that game.
``It felt like you were just getting beat up play after play,'' Brady said. ``They were hitting us harder than we were hitting them. We came out of that game not feeling very good about ourselves.''
They rebounded by winning their next two before losing at Washington 20-17 but haven't lost in the last three months. They have their best record ever and a chance to go to the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons.
``They're right now probably playing better team football than anybody in the league,'' said Bledsoe, who spent nine seasons with the Patriots before joining Buffalo last season. ``It is special to go back there, and now we need to go back there and win.''
That would send the Bills into the offseason with a good memory. For the Patriots, a win would send them into the playoffs with greater momentum than they already have.
``They obviously wiped up
on us in the first game,'' Brady said. ``Having them the last game of the year
is pretty meaningful for us.''