Buffalo Bills Winners and Losers: Bills/Patriots Edition

After a game like today, it's hard to find many winners.

The Buffalo Bills were absolutely embarrassed at home by the New England Patriots, 52-48. The loss moves the Bills to 2-2, but 0-2 within the division. In two contests against AFC East rivals, the Bills have given up 50 points on average.

Who were the biggest winners and losers for the Bills after getting thrashed at home? Read on to find out!

Winner: Scott Chandler

Scott Chandler was the lone bright spot in today's game on offense. Chandler is known for his sure hands, and against the Patriots, they were on display.

Chandler made two spectacular touchdown receptions against the Patriots. The first was over Patrick Chung in the corner of the end zone. Chung had tight coverage and even attempted to rip the ball out on the way down but Chandler hung onto the ball.

Chandler's second touchdown came on a 20-yard reception where he was hit hard after catching the ball. Once again, Chandler held onto the ball.

Chandler ended the game with four receptions for 62 yards and two touchdowns.

Loser: Ryan Fitzpatrick

The good Ryan Fitzpatrick was on display in the second quarter and early in the third quarter. During that stretch, Fitzpatrick threw three touchdowns and made accurate passes.

For the majority of the game, the bad version of Fitzpatrick was on display.

Fitzpatrick's accuracy was off. Look no further than his under-thrown pass to T.J. Graham, who had more than a step on Devin McCourty. The play would have resulted in a 90-yard touchdown if he had thrown the ball accurately.

Later in the game, Fitzpatrick had Stevie Johnson wide open on blown coverage and somehow threw the ball out of bounds.

It was another big-game where Fitzpatrick melted under the bright lights. The Bills need to hope that the good Fitzpatrick shows up for at least one of the two games out west against the 49ers and Cardinals.

Winner: Stephon Gilmore

When a team gives up 52 points, it's hard to justify picking any defensive player as a winner. That being said, Stephon Gilmore was outstanding against Tom Brady and the Patriots' wide receivers.

All game long, Gilmore played aggressively and did a great job blanketing the Patriots wide receivers. He jumped a Tom Brady pass that should have resulted in an interception, but the ball hit his mid-section and then the turf.

Gilmore is also responsible for breaking up a touchdown when he jarred a ball away from Rob Gronkowski in the first half.

Late in the game, Gilmore read Brady's eyes and once again almost intercepted the Patriots quarterback when he jumped in front of Rob Gronkowski. On his way down with the ball, he lost control.

While almost only counts in horseshoes and hand-grenades, Gilmore played a great game overall. Those almost-interceptions need to turn into actual interceptions as the season progresses for the Bills if they plan on making the postseason.

Loser: Mario Williams

When the Bills shelled out $100 million to Mario Williams, they imagined him creating havoc on the Patriots and getting to Tom Brady, Mark Sanchez, and the rest of the AFC East.

After two games against division rivals, Mario Williams has done nothing to earn the paycheck he is receiving from the team. Williams rarely got near Brady. The Patriots signal-caller had all the time in the world to find receivers, and he torched the Bills for 340 yards and three touchdowns in the air, as well as one on the ground.

Mario Williams can't shoulder all of the blame for Brady's performance, but the Bills surely are not getting their money's worth out of Super Mario.

Winner: Jairus Byrd

Forgive me for reusing this line: When a team gives up 52 points, it's hard to justify picking any defensive player as a winner. Jairus Byrd was the other Bills defensive player who performed well today.

Byrd caused two forced fumbles against the Patriots. Byrd stripped the ball away from Rob Gronkowski and hit Wes Welker on a play that jarred the ball free.

The two forced fumbles were all for naught at the end of the day, but Byrd deserves recognition for his solid game.

Loser: Dave Wannestedt

The Patriots started the day by marching down the field on the Bills and scoring a touchdown. After that, Dave Wannestedt appeared to make excellent adjustments, as Brady was off for the rest of the first half and the Bills had a 21-7 lead early in the third quarter.

Then, the wheels not only fell off of the Bills defense, but the entire car imploded. The Patriots scored 45 second-half points, 35 points unanswered at one point.

Wannestedt needs to shoulder the blame for applying no pressure on Tom Brady. He needs to be held responsible for giving up 247 yards on the ground.

Most of all, Wannestedt needs to make adjustments for a full four-quarter game. The Bills seldom sent extra rushers and did an awful job of making Tom Brady feel uncomfortable in the pocket.

The good news for the Bills is that their next three games are against the definition of below-average (Kolb and Matt Hasselbeck) to average (Alex Smith) quarterbacks.

The Bills need to find a way to be 2-1 after their next three games to continue to keep pace with other AFC teams in hopes of making the playoffs, and Wannestedt's defenses will play a large part in their success or failures.

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