Patriots vs. Bills: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2014 Regular Season

In an early battle for AFC East supremacy, the New England Patriots (4-2) took down the Buffalo Bills (3-3), 37-22, at Ralph Wilson Stadium in a game that was much closer than the final score would let on.    

Buffalo made a late surge on offense to close in on New England in the fourth quarter, but quarterback Tom Brady and the New England offense were too strong. The Patriots' official Twitter account reported the score following the tight contest:

Brady led the team to its second straight win, going 27-of-37 for 361 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Coming into the game, Brady was questionable to start due to an ankle injury but made the start and provided a huge spark for the Pats offense.

Despite the quarterback being injured, Bills coach Doug Marrone offered his take on the future Hall of Famer, per Mike Rodak of ESPN Boston:

Brady's dominance over the Bills continued as well, per SportsCenter:

The veteran quarterback leaned heavily on his top receiving targets in Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman, who combined for 16 receptions and 185 yards.

As for the touchdowns thrown by Brady, it was three surprising targets who got going in the end zone. Timothy Wright and Brandon LaFell had an impact in the win over the Cincinnati Bengals and touched paydirt once again on Sunday against the Bills.

The first touchdown in the second half, however, went to a second-year receiver in Brian Tyms. The former Florida A&M wideout's 43-yard touchdown was noted by Mike Reiss of ESPN.com:

On the Bills side, Kyle Orton had another consistent game under center but had two costly turnovers.

Orton didn't mirror Brady's stats but still went 24-of-38 for 299 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also led the team on a fourth-quarter drive for a touchdown and two-point conversion. Unfortunately, Brady did the same and threw yet another touchdown to LaFell on a 56-yard passing play to secure the win.

Matt Miller of Bleacher Report gave his take on the former backup quarterback:

Thanks to good play from Orton, Scott Chandler, Robert Woods and Chris Hogan had notable performances. Hogan had 72 receiving yards and was the recipient of the late touchdown. Chandler led the team with 105 yards while Woods had seven receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown.

It was a career day for Woods, per the Twitter account of the Bills' media relations department:

A lot of good occurred for the Pats on Sunday, but injuries marred some of the positive vibes. Linebacker Jerod Mayo suffered a knee injury, per Reiss, and Stevan Ridley was also lost for much of the contest with a knee ailment.

Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald noted the injury for the Pats running back:

The Patriots have a short week before facing the New York Jets. The two teams meet on Thursday Night Football, but New England comes in as a much-improved team against a New York squad that has now lost five straight.

Injuries might be costly, though, as Ridley and Mayo play significant roles for New England. If they are unable to play during the short week, the Patriots will need others to step up on both sides of the ball against the Jets.

Meanwhile, the Bills have a much easier task in Week 7, as they will play at home against the Minnesota Vikings. Facing the Jets, Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins afterward in consecutive weeks, Buffalo has a chance to recover and move back to the top of the division.

The two teams won't match up again until the final contest of the season, with both franchises hoping to have a chance at the AFC East crown at that point. A tight contest in Week 6 proves both teams are contenders, but only one can claim the division.

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