Tom Brady threw four touchdowns to four different receivers as the Patriots coasted to a 41-25 win over the Bills on a rainy Sunday in Buffalo.
By beating the Bills, New England avenged its only loss of the season, a Week 4 shutout in Foxborough with Jacoby Brissett dealing with an injured thumb in relief of Brady. In fact, since Brady returned from his four-game suspension, no team has come close to beating the Patriots.
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On Sunday, the Bills took the first lead of the game when Dan Carpenter kicked a 23-yard field goal on the game’s opening possession.
On the Pats’ ensuing drive, Brady moved the Pats 70 yards for a touchdown, culminating with a 9-yard pass to Danny Amendola. The Pats got the ball back after a Bills three-and-out, and Brady found a wide-open Chris Hogan for a 53-yard touchdown pass.
A 3-yard touchdown run by Buffalo’s Mike Gillislee made the score 14-10 with 6:26 left in the second quarter, giving Bills fans hope they might be able to hang with their long-time nemesis. But it took just over two minutes for the Patriots’ answer — another 53-yard touchdown pass by Brady, this time to Rob Gronkowski, who set a record-setting 69th career touchdown for New England.
The Pats took a 24-10 lead into halftime, and whatever magic Bills coach Rex Ryan may have cooked up in the locker room was dispelled when Danny Amendola returned the second-half opening kickoff to the Bills’ 24-yard line. Brady and Julian Edelman connected two plays later for a 12-yard score.
Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor scored on a 26-yard run on a fourth-and-3, but the Pats answered again as LeGarrette Blount plunged in from a yard out with roughly three minutes left in the third quarter to open the lead back up to 38-17.
While there were a few basically meaningless scores in the fourth quarter, by then it was pretty much over for Buffalo.
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Improving to 7-1, New England looks like a lock to win the AFC East for the eighth straight season.
Moreover, the Pats continue to distance themselves from the rest of the NFL field. According to odds updated at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook after last week’s games, the Patriots are massive favorites to win the Super Bowl, at 2-to-1 odds. The Seahawks had the next shortest price at 6/1.
Unless Brady gets hurt, New England will be favored in its remaining eight games. In their two toughest games in the second half of the season, the Pats are 7-point favorites at home vs. the Seahawks in two weeks, and 3-point favorites at Denver on Dec. 18.
The Pats have a bye next week, while Buffalo visits Seattle on Monday night.
Sure, it’s only Week 9, but at this point of the season, the Patriots look easily the NFL’s best.