advertisement

Blount leads Pats to bye with win over Bills

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — LeGarrette Blount ran for a career-high 189 yards and two touchdowns and had two long kickoff returns as the New England Patriots clinched a first-round AFC bye with a 34-20 win over the Buffalo Bills on a rainy Sunday.

Tom Brady was content to hand the ball off during a steady downpour against a team first in the NFL in sacks and second in interceptions. And Blount responded, leading the charge into the playoffs.

Stephen Gostkowski helped make sure the Patriots (12-4) wouldn’t have a game next weekend with four field goals.

While the Patriots earned their eighth bye in Bill Belichick’s 14 seasons as coach, the Bills (6-10) missed the playoffs for the 14th straight year, the league’s longest current streak.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.