New England Patriots Battle the Elements and the Bills, Win 13-0

The New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills not only had to take on each other on Sunday in the NFL regular season finale, they also had another adversary; Mother Nature. On a day that would have tested the intestinal fortitude of any body, New England persevered and came out with a 13-0 victory at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

With the victory the Patriots end their regular season schedule with an 11-5 record, however their post season fate is still not resolved as of this writing. New England needed a loss in the late afternoon games by either the Miami Dolphins or the Baltimore Ravens in order for the club to advance to the playoffs.

The wind in Buffalo during the contest would reach heights of up to 75 MPH, which to a great extent took away the aerial game from both team’s arsenals. Neither Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel, or his counterpart with Buffalo Trent Edwards were particularly effective, however New England was able to capitalize on the situation and make it work just enough that they were able to walk away with the win.

The Patriots would get on the board in the first quarter, as the unsung hero of New England, kicker Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 33 yard field goal through the uprights with 3:01 remaining giving his team a 3-0 lead.

That score would still be in place until with 4:39 left in third Patriots running back LaMont Jordan ran the ball two yards into the end zone for a touchdown. The extra point was good, and New England led 10-0. Gostkowski kicked his second field goal of the game for 23 yards with 10:15 left in the fourth, putting the Patriots on top 13-0, and ending scoring for the game.

New England quarterback Matt Cassel was limited by the weather in his passing game. Cassel went 6/8 for 78 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions. It was pretty much the same story for Trent Edwardsv as he completed 14/25 passes for 128 yards, without a touchdown or an interception.

The Patriots now have to wait until the Ravens and Dolphins games are over to see if they advance. If Miami loses to the New York Jets, then New England would be AFC East Division Champions. If the Dolphins win and Baltimore loses, the Patriots would enter the post season as a Wild Card Team.

With wins by both the Ravens and Miami, New England’s season would come to an end. The Patriots finish the regular season at 11-5, the Bills who started the season 4-0, ended with a 7-9 record.

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