ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — After all these years, Tom Brady still has difficulty pinpointing a reason why he and the Patriots consistently beat the Buffalo Bills.
Brady threw four touchdown passes and improved his career record to 23-2 against Buffalo with a 37-22 win Sunday. He was 27 of 37 for 361 yards.
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WHO: New York Jets at New England Patriots
WHEN: 8:25 p.m. Thursday
TELEVISION: CBS, NFL Network
“I’m not sure really, historically,” Brady said. “I have a lot of respect for this team. They play hard every time we play them. I think we just come out on the winning end. It’s good to be on the winning end.”
Brandon LaFell scored on 17- and 56-yard passes less than six minutes apart in the fourth quarter. Tim Wright and Brian Tyms also caught touchdown passes. The Patriots’ defense forced three turnovers and New England never trailed.
And it doesn’t seem to matter who’s signing the Bills’ checks.
Brady and the Patriots dominated their AFC East rival under the tenure of late Hall of Fame owner Ralph Wilson, who died in March. On Sunday, they spoiled the start of the Bills’ new era under Terry and Kim Pegula, the Buffalo Sabres owners who completed their NFL-record $1.4 billion purchase of the team last week.
The Patriots (4-2) gained sole possession of first place in the division, moving ahead of the Bills (3-3). And they did so by beating Buffalo for the sixth straight time.
“It’s frustrating,” Bills tight end Scott Chandler said. “They’ve been the top dog in our division since the division was formed.”
LaFell, a newcomer in New England, isn’t surprised by the lopsided edge Brady has enjoyed over Buffalo.
“He’s a winner, man,” said LaFell, who had four catches for 97 yards. “That guy comes out every week and puts us in a situation to win games.”
So much for questions about Brady being over the hill and the Patriots being vulnerable.
Coming off a 43-17 win over Cincinnati, New England has won two straight since being blown out 41-14 at Kansas City on Sept. 29.
“I don’t pay attention to that noise,” receiver Julian Edelman said.
The Bills failed to build on the momentum of a thrilling come-from-behind 17-14 win at Detroit a week earlier.
They let down a sold-out crowd that was on its feet, chanting “TERR-RRY! TERR-RRY!” as Pegula and his entire family were introduced at midfield during a pregame ceremony
Once the game began, Buffalo’s offense was sloppy and its defense was uncharacteristically porous.
Kyle Orton was 24 of 38 for 299 yards with touchdown passes to Robert Woods and Chris Hogan. But he threw an interception and lost a fumble in his second start since taking over for EJ Manuel. Running back C.J. Spiller also lost a fumble, with the three second-quarter turnovers leading to 13 New England points.
“I’ve got to be better with the football,” Orton said.
The Patriots took control on their drives before and after halftime. New England went up 13-7 on Stephen Gostkowski’s 53-yard field goal to close the second quarter.
Then the Patriots opened the third with the ball, and Brady efficiently capped a six-play, 80-yard drive with a 43-yard pass over the middle to Tyms, who outmuscled cornerback Stephon Gilmore and came down with the ball in the end zone.
Hogan’s 8-yard touchdown catch and Woods’ 2-point conversion pulled Buffalo within 30-22 with 5:58 remaining.
But facing second-and-12 at his own 44, Brady hit LaFell up the right sideline for a touchdown to clinch the victory.
NOTES: Brady is two 300-yard passing games shy of matching Brett Favre’s total. Favre ranks fourth on the all-time list with 62, behind Peyton Manning (86), Drew Brees (81) and Dan Marino (63). …
Chandler led Buffalo with six catches for a career-high 105 yards, becoming the team’s first tight end to surpass 100 yards since Pete Metzelaars had 113 on Sept. 13, 1992. …
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski had seven catches for 94 yards, but an 18-yard TD was nullified in the fourth quarter by a holding penalty against guard Jordan Devey.
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