#TBT to the last Patriots-Bills matchup

Jeffrey T. Barnes | AP Photo

*This article is part of a weekly series that will feature short recaps and stats of the last time the New England Patriots played their upcoming opponent.

LAST TIME OUT

The defense ruled the game the last time the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills squared off. The Patriots marched into New Era Field en route to a 25-6 win to move to 6-2 on the year.

Devin McCourty sealed the deal with an 84-yard pick six with 5:54 remaining in the game. Just before that, Buffalo had a chance to make it a one-score game, but Jason Croom’s touchdown catch was reversed after the referees said he never had full possession of the ball.

The New England offense relied heavily on Stephen Gostkowski for points that day as he hit four of five field goal attempts while the Patriots offense couldn’t get much going inside the red zone.

NOTEWORTHY

Buffalo was held to under seven points for the fourth time in eight games.

Tom Brady improved to 29-3 over the Bills, extending the NFL record for most wins by a quarterback against one opponent.

The Patriots beat Buffalo for the seventh straight time and moved to 32-5 against them under Bill Belichick.

THE STATS

Tom Brady was 29-of-45 for 324 yards while Derek Anderson was 22-of-39 for 290 yards and one interception.

Cordarrelle Patterson carried the ball ten times for New England and picked up 38 yards, while James White had eight rushes for 15 yards and one score.

Chris Ivory had six carries for 34 yards for the Bills.

For New England’s receivers, it was Julian Edelman and James White with the big days. Edelman picked up nine receptions for 104 yards, while White had ten catches for 79 yards.

Buffalo’s receiving corps was led by LeSean McCoy with six receptions for 82 yards.

Kyle Van Noy led the Patriots’ defense with eight total tackles, including seven solo and two sacks. Adrian Clayborn added another sack, while Devin McCourty had the important 84-yard pick six.

The Bills’ defense was led by Phillip Gaines with ten total tackles, including nine solo. Lorenzo Alexander got to Brady twice for two sacks on the day.

Kickers were a big part of this game, as Stephen Gostkowski was four-of-five field goals for New England and Stephen Hauschka was two-of-two for Buffalo.

AND NOW

The New England Patriots return home after back-to-back away games to take on the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Dec. 23, 2018. Game time is set for 1pm from Gillette Stadium.

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