What To Watch For When Patriots Visit Bills
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Earlier this week when talking to the Buffalo media, Bills head coach Rex Ryan laid out the task that awaited his team.
"I don't know when the last time they ever got swept is," Ryan said of the Patriots' season series vs. division teams. "It's probably been a long, long time. It's probably never happened to [Tom] Brady."
On that point, Rex is correct, as the Patriots haven't lost twice in the same season to any divisional opponent since 2000, Bill Belichick's first year in New England. Since then, the Patriots have managed to avoid season sweeps while delivering an impressive 25 sweeps of their own. The Bills have been the recipient of 12 of those sweeps, with the Jets (seven), Dolphins (five) and Colts (one) following.
And so, while it wasn't Brady under center in Week 4 when Rex and the Bills rolled into Foxboro and left with a shutout victory, the record is pretty extensive for Bill Belichick when it comes to not losing to the same team twice.
With that in mind, here's a look at what to watch for as the Patriots try to ensure they won't get swept in a season series for the first time since Bill Clinton still resided in the White House.
The Rough Stuff
What took place on the field during warmups in Week 4 seemed like an isolated incident. Rookies Jacoby Brissett and Malcolm Mitchell ran a pregame jog that was a few feet too close to the Bills' defensive backs, who were running through drills. Robert Blanton shoved Brissett (who was the Patriots' only healthy quarterback that day) and started a little shoving match, which led to Aaron Williams even whacking a Patriots coach upside the head.
It was a bit of an ugly scene, but ultimately nothing spilled over into the game. It seemed to be done.
But this week, the media asked both sides numerous questions about the incident. While the Patriots and also Rex downplayed the incident ... the Bills said they'd be happy to do it again.
"Of course. You're not going to let anybody push you around, you know what I'm saying?" Stephon Gilmore said this week. "But we have to play smart. We know them guys like to get under your skin and make you react a certain way, so we have to try to take it between the lines and play good football."
Nickell Robey-Coleman said the same thing when asked if a similar situation arises.
"Probably the same reaction they got last time," Robey-Coleman said. "There ain't no other way around that situation. You know, just respect each others' sideline."
Both players said they don't expect another pregame dust-up, but keep an eye out early on for any extra-curricular activity after whistles. The Bills are treating this game like a Super Bowl of sorts, and emotions may run high. And the Patriots, with a scuffle against the Bengals, showed they're susceptible to letting some emotions bubble over, too. So you never know what could happen in an environment that's typically pretty raucous over in Buffalo.
The Kicker
It's almost November. We still don't know what's going on with Stephen Gostkowski.
He missed a field goal in Week 2. He missed another one in Week 4. And another one in Week 5. In the past two weeks, he's missed an extra point attempt in each game.
For one of the most historically accurate kickers in the league, it's alarming. Obviously the new PAT rules skew the data, but those were two of his career three missed regular-season PATs.
And considering there's a definitive starting point of the troubles in the missed PAT in the AFC Championship Game, the short-term concern on Gostkowski is very real.
With that in mind, everything Gostkowski does will be examined with a watchful eye, as the expectation is for him to be perfect. It's not an easy job, kicking that oblong football, but with a long bye week coming up, Gostkowski would probably very much like to exclude himself from the narrative.
The Defense
Last time out, the Patriots looked like the little brother trying to chase the man with the ball. It was, at times, difficult to watch. As a result, the Bills possessed the ball for more than 19 minutes in the first half while building a 13-0 lead.
This time around, the Patriots are going to need a better game plan. It helps in a big way that they won't have to deal with LeSean McCoy, who got them for 70 rushing yards, 30 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in Week 4.
With the most dangerous threat removed, the Patriots are going to have to play with less fear of Tyrod Taylor breaking free from the pocket and scrambling for yardage. That was the strategy in Week 4, and the result was Taylor having all day to sit in the pocket and find his receivers to sustain long scoring drives.
While ultimately, a 16-point day defensively is one that's good enough for the Patriots to win, it was the time of possession that really sunk them last time these two teams met. And even with Brady back in the fold, the pressure will be on the defense to stop drives and get the ball back into the offense's hands.
The Record
Here are two facts:
1. When Rob Gronkowski catches his next pass in the end zone, he will set a Patriots franchise record for most touchdowns.
2. Rob Gronkowski is still just 27 years old.
It's remarkable that he's been able to reach the mark at such a young age, especially when you factor in the 13 games he missed across the 2011 and 2012 seasons. It speaks to the level of physical dominance of Gronkowski, who's scored 68 touchdowns in 85 games.
There's reason to believe he'll set the new mark on Sunday. For starters, he's been on a roll since Tom Brady returned to the team, catching 16 passes for 364 yards and scoring a touchdown in each of the past two games. He's also absolutely roasted the Bills in his career, catching 10 touchdown passes in 10 games while amassing 704 yards on 47 receptions. That's more yards and touchdowns than he has against any other team. He's been even better when playing in Buffalo, catching 30 passes for 474 yards and six touchdowns in five career games in his hometown.
Gronkowski said he doesn't have any special plans for a celebration, but this is a man who loves to celebrate. This is a man who tried to mimic a Buckingham Palace guard when scoring in London. This is a man who's going to set a franchise record for touchdowns at age 27. It might be safe to expect something beyond the usual Gronk spike.
You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.