Brady rules in Buffalo
Pats QB looks for his 14th win there
FOXBORO — Every now and then, a Tom Brady statistic jumps out even more prominently than the numerous others that highlight his historically high level of play.
On Sunday, the Patriots quarterback has a chance to notch another one that defies normal expectation.
If the Pats beat the Bills, Brady will tie his old teammate Drew Bledsoe for most wins by a quarterback in Buffalo at Ralph Wilson Stadium/New Era Field since 2001.
Brady is 13-2 in Buffalo since he became the starter in 2001. Since that time, the most wins by a Bills signal caller are Bledsoe’s 14 victories (which came between 2002-04). Tyrod Taylor owns 13, as does Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has 12 with the Bills and one with the Jets. (Before he went west, Bledsoe was 4-4 in Buffalo as Pats QB.)
Maybe it shouldn’t be so surprising. The Patriots have enjoyed uncommon success over their AFC East rivals since Brady took over the starting position. The Bills, meanwhile, last made the playoffs in 1999, when Brady was still playing at Michigan. With those struggles have come a revolving door at quarterback.
With all that Brady has done — he’s the winningest quarterback in NFL history after all, with five Super Bowl titles on his resume — some of his stats can basically elicit a yawn at this point.
That was essentially wide receiver Danny Amendola’s reaction when told about Brady’s dominance in Buffalo.
“It’s an interesting stat,” Amendola said. “I’ve never heard that, but it’s cool to think about.”
By the pure nature of Brady’s dominance in western New York, it’s easier to remember the losses than the wins.
Of course, there was the season-opening 31-0 loss to the Bills in 2003 which followed Bill Belichick’s shocking release of safety Lawyer Milloy. Then in 2011, a 28-yard field goal by Rian Lindell as time ran out gave the Bills a 34-31 win and a 3-0 mark. There. That’s the list. Both occasions were early in the season and came in years where the Patriots either won the Super Bowl (2003) or made it to one (2011). Meanwhile, the Bills stumbled to a 6-10 finish in both seasons.
In other words, even when the Bills treat their fans to a win over the nowhated Patriots, it hasn’t translated into a passing of the torch. They haven’t even been able to use the wins as a springboard to playoff contention.
Brady’s dominance in Buffalo serves as a microcosm for this entire era. No AFC East team has finished with a better record than the Pats since 2000, for example.
While the Dolphins and Jets have earned a couple playoff appearances during that time, they really aren’t all that different from the Bills. All three teams have had heavy quarterback turnover and seem to be in a constant rebuilding phase.
Who knows? Maybe the Bills, who at 6-5 would be in the playoff field if the season ended today, can begin to exorcise the Brady demon this weekend and turn that elusive corner.
But if history is any indication, Brady may ho-hum his way to another stat that leaves Bills fans depressed.