New England Patriots stage remarkable comeback win against Buffalo Bills
52-28 – NFL Recap
New England Patriots protected themselves from losing three games in a row after an extraordinary 52-28 victory against Buffalo Bills in Week 4 game on Sunday, September 30, 2012, at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Buffalo, NY.
Patriots were going ahead to face another crushing defeat as they trailed 21-7 at the start of third quarter.
It was an extraordinary comeback by Patriots offence that scored 45 points in the second half. It broke the franchise record and was the fourth highest in the history of the National Football League (NFL).
Quarterback Tom Brady was at the forefront of the retort that the Patriots offence showed during the game. He completed 22 out of 36 passes for 340 yards and scored one rushing and three passing touchdowns. According to the Associated Press, Brady said:
"Down 21-7 and on the road, backs against the wall, and I thought we showed a lot of heart. That's what this team is made of. And we're going to battle until the end, I know that."
It was a miserable loss for Bills who dominated the first half only to give away so many opportunities to Brady and company to mark a surprising return.
Bills gave away six turnovers during the game which was their weakest link. Bills head coach Chan Gailey told reporters during the postgame news conference that it was embarrassing to see his team surrendering so easily. Gailey said:
“The things we did to win Week Two and Three, we obviously did not do today. You cannot turn it over and you cannot stop the run, you are not going to win football games. That is our responsibility to get them to not turn it over and not give up the rush
yards we gave up.”
Patriots started the game smoothly with running back Stevan Ridley going through a six-yard run to score a touchdown, finishing first quarter 7-0.
Bills offence then showed retaliation in second quarter as they scored two touchdowns, both by tight end Scott Chandler who caught 24-yard and 20-yard passes, respectively, thrown by quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. They ended the first half leading 14-7.
At the start of the second half, Bills stretched their lead even further as Fitzpatrick threw a 68-yard pass to wide receiver Donald Jones for another touchdown, taking the score to 21-7.
Then came the sparkling response from Patriots as Brady gave a17-yard pass to running back Danny Woodhead who reached the end zone. Brady then ran four yards in a play near the end zone to level the score.
Patriots then scored another three touchdowns in the first five minutes of the final quarter to take the score to 42-21.
Although Bills scored a touchdown after the stormy start to the quarter, it was too late to save the game.
Patriots were not finished yet as they scored their final touchdown of the game with Brady throwing a 25-yard pass to wide receiver Brandon Lloyd.
Kicker Stephen Gostkowski’s 30-yard field goal marked the end of a tremendous performance by Patriots.
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