New England Patriots

Patriots Outlast Bills in Wind Storm in Buffalo

The Patriots set a franchise record for fewest pass attempts in a game, with three

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Never in the 62-year history of the Boston/New England Patriots has the team attempted as few passes as it did on Monday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills.

The commitment to keeping the ball out of the wind, which gusted upwards of 50 mph at times at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York played out to perfection for the Patriots, who remain atop the AFC standings after a 14-10 win in which Mac Jones completed 2 of 3 passes for 19 yards.

The three pass attempts surpassed a game from December 1982 for fewest in franchise history, when Steve Grogan completed 2 of 5 passes for 13 yards (with an interception, unlike Jones) in a 3-0 win over the Miami Dolphins in the "Snowplow Game."

Damien Harris had the longest run of his career in the first quarter, a 64-yard touchdown run which helped New England (9-4) to an 8-0 lead following a Brandon Bolden two-point conversion rush.

Harris finished the game with a season-high 111 yards on the ground, the second-best mark of his career. As a team, New England amassed 222 yards on 46 carries.

The Bills (7-5) cut their deficit to one, 8-7, on a Gabriel Davis 14-yard touchdown pass from Josh Allen later on in the first quarter.

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Nick Folk hit a 41-yard field goal for an 11-7 Patriots lead which held into the half.

Tyler Bass made a 35-yard field goal in the third quarter to get back within a point before Folk drilled a 34-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter for a 14-10 advantage.

After Folk's second field goal, Buffalo had two more drives into the red zone which produced a grand total of zero points: an 11-play, 49-yard drive which ended with a 33-yard missed field goal for Bass; and an 11-play, 62-yard drive in which the Bills got as far as the New England 13-yard line before turning the ball over on downs.

The Patriots will now have their bye week and return to action on Saturday Night Football against the Indianapolis Colts on the road on Dec. 18.

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