Patriots Bolden, Ridley Run Wild Against Bills
BOSTON (CBS) – After a slow start, the New England Patriots ran wild in Buffalo on Sunday.
Both Stevan Ridley and Brandon Bolden topped 100 rushing yards in New England's 52-28 victory, as the Patriots rumbled for 247 yards on the ground.
It was Bolden's first 100-yard rushing game, as he finished with 137 yards on the ground and a touchdown in his first game with significant touches. The undrafted rookie out of Ole Miss thanked the New England offensive line after the game, saying they made it pretty easy for him.
"It was a great job by the offensive line just spacing the run," said Bolden. "It wasn't just me, it was every back that was back there. Everyone had an opportunity; everybody had a chance and just had to capitalize."
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Ridley, who rushed for 106 yards and a pair of touchdowns, shared the same feeling towards the big bodies blocking in front of him.
"The line did an exceptional job, and this wouldn't have been done without them," he said. "It takes a team effort, with 10 other players out there to do what we did on the ground and I'm excited that those guys are doing work for us up front."
Even more impressive if the fact this all game without All Pro guard Logan Mankins, who was sidelined with a hip injury.
It was the first time in 32 years the Patriots had a pair of 100-yard rushers in the same game. They also had two 100-yard receivers in Wes Welker (129 yards) and Rob Gronkowski (107 yards) to make them just the second team in NFL history to have two 100-yard rushers and 100-yard receivers in the same game.
It was tough to guess the Patriots would have one 100-yard rusher, let alone two, when the team went down 21-7 early in the second half. But Bolden credits the team's composure for taking over, and scoring 35-unanswered points from that point on.
"You have to keep your composure no matter what happens on the field," said Bolden. "We could have been own four touchdowns; we could have been down 10 touchdowns. Everyone just needs to do their job."
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When asked how it felt after the game, Bolden had a little fun with the reporters surrounding his locker.
"That's just like you all work to ask questions. When you get that perfect answer, that's how it feels," he said with a smile. "We worked on the running game all week, and then we get out there and do however good we did; it feels great. That's what all the hard work and determination was for."
