AFC NEWS ‘N’ NOTES

PATRIOTS SEEK TO TIE NFL RECORD FOR CONSECUTIVE WINS  

Roll call for the list of NFL teams with the most consecutive victories can grow by one in Orchard Park, New York this Sunday when the New England Patriots play the Buffalo Bills. 

A New England victory would boost the Patriots to 18 consecutive wins, including playoffs.  That total would tie five teams for the longest winning streaks in NFL history: 1933-34 Chicago Bears, 1941-42 Chicago Bears, 1972-73 Miami Dolphins, 1989-90 San Francisco 49ers, and the 1997-98 Denver Broncos.

When New England last entered western New York, the Bills intercepted four passes and posted their first shutout in four years with a 31-0 victory on Kickoff Weekend of 2003.  Buffalo head coach MIKE MULARKEY seeks his first NFL victory, and the Patriots aim to improve their 4-3 record against the Bills when playing Buffalo with a winning streak of five games or better.

A look at the longest Patriots winning streaks entering a game against the Bills, and the result:

Buffalo quarterback DREW BLEDSOE was selected by New England with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1993 NFL Draft and led the Patriots from 1993-01.  In the New England record book, Bledsoe stands first in career completions (2,544), attempts (4,518) and passing yards (29,657). 

“They’ve got smart football players,” says Bledsoe of his former team.  “They make very few mistakes and force you to execute well against them.  If you make a negative play they come after you and attack you with their blitz package.”

Another former Patriot cites the team’s resolve.  “They have shown over the past year and a half that they are willing to win the ‘ugly’ games and that’s really what this league is predicated on,” says the Bills’ LAWYER MILLOY, who started at safety for New England in every game from 1997-02.  Milloy will likely miss Sunday’s game with an injury.

“Their coach (BILL BELICHICK) gets them ready to win the close games,” adds Milloy.  “That’s the mindset you have to go in with in order to beat them.  You have to be ready to win the game at the end.”

New England linebacker WILLIE MC GINEST is a veteran of 17 Bills-Patriots games.  A teammate of Bledsoe’s from 1994-01, McGinest knows what the Patriots must do to reach consecutive win No. 18.  “You can’t let Bledsoe sit in the pocket,” says McGinest.  “He has a strong arm, he has great vision, he is a great quarterback and he can get the ball anywhere on the field if you give him time.  He has great vision and he can hurt you.”

A noisy Ralph Wilson Stadium awaits the defending Super Bowl champs.  “You have to know the cadence and snap count,” says Patriots wide receiver TROY BROWN about handling the crowd noise.  “For receivers, it is a little easier because I’m watching the ball anyway.  For the linemen and backs, it is a little more difficult to hear the snap count.”

NFL FACTOID

31-0, FIRST & LAST:  Last season, the Bills defeated the Patriots 31-0 in Week 1 and the Patriots topped the Bills 31-0 in the last week of the season.  This marked the only time in NFL history that two teams played each other on the first and last weeks of the season and shut each other out by the identical score.