New England Patriots maintain unbeaten start with grinding win over Buffalo Bills
Tuesday 24 November 2015 09:00, UK
The New England Patriots ground-out a bruising 20-13 victory over the Buffalo Bills to keep their unbeaten start to the season intact on Monday.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady survived a sustained buffeting from the Buffalo defence to steer the reigning Super Bowl champions to their 10th win of the current campaign.
Brady threw one touchdown pass and his third interception of the season as New England dug deep at Foxborough to see off their AFC Eastern Division rivals.
Running back James White crossed for two touchdowns - the first of his career - while wide receiver Danny Amendola caught nine passes for 117 yards, before leaving the game injured in the second half.
Brady made 20 completions from 39 attempts for 277 yards, while the Bills' lone touchdown came from running back LeSean McCoy to tie the match at 10-10 in the third quarter.
The match officials, meanwhile, found themselves at the center of a bizarre incident in the third quarter which may have cost the Patriots an Amendola touchdown.
It began when Brady scrambled right and connected with Amendola down the sideline. The Patriots receiver appeared to have a clear opportunity to score, with just one defender between him and the end zone, but a phantom officiating whistle blew and halted play before Amendola collected Brady's pass.
The play was eventually blown dead as embarrassed officials blamed an "inadvertent whistle", and the Patriots failed to score from the drive. From the ensuing possession, McCoy scored his game-tying touchdown.
