Patriots vs. Bills: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Regular Season

The Buffalo Bills talked a big game ahead of their Week 2 AFC East showdown with the New England Patriots, but the visitors, as per usual, let their play do the talking.

New England quarterback Tom Brady picked apart the vaunted Bills defense for 466 yards passing and three touchdowns in leading the reigning Super Bowl champions to a 40-32 victory at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller had an appropriate reaction to what unfolded in Buffalo:    

Despite the athleticism that Tyrod Taylor brings to the gridiron, the Patriots smothered the inexperienced signal-caller in the opening half. They forced him into two interceptions and sacked him four times to put the Bills in too big of a hole to ultimately climb out of.

The home fans were charged up after Taylor marched the Bills down on a 10-play, 80-yard TD drive to begin the contest, capped by Karlos Williams' two-yard plunge to paydirt. Taylor ripped off a 23-yard run to keep the possession going early as well.

It wasn't enough to rattle the seemingly indomitable Patriots, as they re-emphasized the notion they're still the team to beat in the AFC East.

Sunday's clash featured plenty of sloppy play, something Bills head coach Rex Ryan didn't appear pleased about afterward.

"They had 11 penalties, we had 14. I guess the refs thought they came to see them today," said Ryan, per ESPN's Britt McHenry.

A pregame tweet by Bill Simmons proved to be prescient:

Ryan spoke before the game about his eagerness to take a shot at the perennial division winners, per Newsday's Bob Glauber:

"

You know I'm excited about this game, man. I mean, this will be great. ... It is a personal challenge because you want to go against the very best. I'd much rather have a win against, and compete against a first ballot Hall of Fame coach in Belichick than a slappy coach. Shoot, he's gonna get what I got, and he knows it.

"

Ryan should be careful what he wishes for, at least to the general public. ESPN's Field Yates put into context just how brilliant Brady was in laying waste to Ryan's complex defensive schemes:

Brady was 18-of-28 passing for 194 yards and two scores in the first half. The usual suspects were on the receiving end of Brady's TD tosses in superstar tight end Rob Gronkowski and scrappy slot receiver Julian Edelman.

It was Brady who showed off some unusual out-of-the-pocket mobility as he waited for Edelman to break open, while Buffalo did all it could to stop him:

That first score to Edelman was an eight-yard strike. Bills cornerback Aaron Williams struggled to guard Edelman and let frustration get the best of him, allowing New England to regain momentum after Buffalo had scored on its opening drive.

Skip Bayless of ESPN commented on the notable sequence involving Edelman and Williams:

It was yet another banner, business-as-usual Sunday for Edelman on the gridiron, per the Patriots' official Twitter account:

The Brady-to-Edelman connection devastated the Bills for a second scoring hookup from 22 yards away, all but putting to rest any hopes of a Buffalo comeback bid in stretching the lead to 34-13.

Unfortunately, Williams suffered what looked to be a severe injury on that play and had to be taken away from the field in an ambulance, per the Boston Globe's Ben Volin:

Edelman finished with 11 catches and 97 yards; Gronkowski had seven receptions, 113 yards and was his typical self, serving as a matchup nightmare and helping the Patriots get some breathing room in the second quarter on a two-yard touchdown grab to make it 21-7.

NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano commented on Gronkowski's knack for lighting up the scoreboard:

Before then, Dion Lewis cashed in on great field position at the Buffalo 13, finding the end zone on the second play of the drive with a six-yard TD dash to give New England a lead it wouldn't relinquish.

After being out of football entirely last season, Lewis has proved capable as a complete back and playmaker, registering another solid outing with seven carries for 40 yards and six receptions for 98 yards. The lone blemish was a fumble by Lewis, though it didn't cost the Pats in the end. 

Even when Taylor hit Charles Clay on a nine-yard TD pass to make it 21-13, the Bills weren't able to convert the extra point, which made the climb to get back into the game even greater. Taylor continued to be under siege all afternoon, eventually being sacked a whopping eight times.

Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com believed pass protection wasn't always the primary culprit for Taylor going down so often:

ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert alluded to how the Patriots showed no mercy:

But the boldness to continue passing late in the game backfired in the fourth quarter, starting when Brady failed to hit Edelman on a 4th-and-1 from the Buffalo 41.

That led to Taylor running into the end zone from seven yards out followed by a Brady fumble and a Sammy Watkins 24-yard TD, cutting the lead to 37-32 on 19 unanswered points and with 4:16 remaining.

Brady and Co. didn't stop their aerial assault, though, promptly responding to the adversity with a field-goal drive to stretch the score to 40-32 with 1:19 remaining. Taylor threw his third interception of the game as Logan Ryan sealed the contest for the Patriots on the Bills' final play from scrimmage.

ESPN's Mike Greenberg reacted to the sensational display from the Pats offense:

Week 3 offers plenty of promise for New England's bid to improve to 3-0. The Patriots will take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Foxborough and have to be considered double-digit favorites in that one.

Brady passed perhaps too often on Sunday. Given how well Lewis has fared with his limited touches, look for New England to pound the ball on the ground more often in the games to come.

A tougher test looms for Buffalo as the Bills travel to Miami to take on the Dolphins in another divisional clash. That will be a crossroads game of sorts, as both teams appear to have playoff-caliber rosters, but will need to capitalize on all the division contests possible to stay within striking distance of New England.

Although Taylor showed resilience to finish 23-of-30 passing for 242 yards, his three picks were detrimental to Buffalo's cause. If he can limit the mistakes moving forward, he should help the Bills stay in the playoff hunt.