Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘Buffalo’s defense was superb all day against one of the best offenses in the NFL, making Tom Brady finally look like he’s 42 years old. But the special teams gave up a blocked punt for a touchdown, and the offense was so putrid, due mainly to an otherworldly terrible performance by Josh Allen, that the Bills could not pull off the upset.’

‘However, the Buffalo defense made a statement Sunday in holding Brady to 150 passing yards and the Patriots to 224 total yards and 11 first downs. This is an outstanding unit, and if it gets any help from an offense that was — how to put this mildly? — disturbingly bad, the Bills should win enough games to qualify for the playoffs.’

‘In other words, assault carries the same penalty as jaywalking in the NFL. Jones might have turned, but it sounds like the referees turned their heads.’

‘”That’s the first thing that came out of my mouth on the sideline: If one of us did that to 12, we wouldn’t have been in the game anymore,” Hyde told reporters after the game. There’s no way. There’s no way we would’ve continued to play in that game.”‘

‘ His touch on deep throws has never been worse and he’s 0-for-the-season on balls that travel at least 30 yards in the air. He held the ball way too long and was sacked four times. And then he exposed himself to that vicious shot that knocked him out of the game.’

‘The bride entered the stadium through the tunnel end with Bills Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly escorting her as The Bridal Chorus played. Park wore a white dress, Binggeli a blue suit. The alter was a red, white and blue archway with a Bills logo atop. The couple was presented an autographed football by Bills owner Kim Pegula along with other gifts, including Super Bowl tickets.’

‘Patriots 23, Bills 10.’

‘Brady has thrown for 71,425 yards in his career, fourth most all-time, with 8,248 coming against Buffalo. His wins (30), TDs (69) and 300-yard games (11) against the Bills are the most against any team. The Bills needn’t feel bad. The weak AFC East is the gift that keeps on giving to Brady and coach Bill Belichick, who has an 88-24-0 record against the division since 2001. On the list of most wins by a quarterback against one team, Brady owns the No. 1 (Buffalo, 30), No. 2 (Jets 28) and No. 4 (Miami 23) spots. Brett Favre (26 vs. Detroit) is at No. 3.’

‘Meaning, the Bills aren’t glossing over White because he’s a huge piece of New England’s offense, and all you have to do is look at his career splits. White, who sat out last week’s game against the Jets to be present for the birth of his child, has had more success against the Bills than he has against any another team.’

‘“I’ve been learning a lot from him and he doesn’t even know it,’’ Allen said Wednesday after practice. “When I was a young kid, just seeing how he handles himself in interviews, news conferences, how he handles losses and how he handles wins. Off the field he seems like he has a great amount of respect from his teammates, and everyone who comes in contact with him. He was one of my favorite quarterbacks growing up.’”

‘“They are who they are,” he said. “I can remember talking to London Fletcher who played against them and he said they run the same stuff they ran back when he played. Tom (Brady) and (Bill) Belichick have a foundation of who they are and each week they do a great job exploiting matchups and then they find the mismatch and go to those guys.”’

‘The Bills are obviously taking a cautious approach with Singletary because rushing a player back from a hamstring injury can be highly detrimental. It’s an injury that needs to heal properly or else the risk of doing further damage — and potentially missing more time — increases.’

‘“I tell everyone that she’s the strong one,” he said. “She’s kept me positive through all this. I was the one who wanted to stay home and not come back to Buffalo when we found out, but that wasn’t her plan, she wanted me to be here. Ultimately, I think her being so positive and getting my butt over here, that’s why I’m in this position.”’

‘Do the Bills, who have lost 30 of the 33 games they have played against Brady, have a chance in this game? Sure, everyone has a chance in the NFL, the old “on any given Sunday” mantra is still alive and kicking. Team USA had a chance against the Soviets, and Buster Douglas had a chance against Mike Tyson, too, and look what happened.’

‘“He’s got a lot of pressure on him with where the Bills have been,” Eichel, who is entering his fifth professional season, said of Allen, who is into his second. “I thought he did a good job stepping in last year. It was a bit of a learning experience for him, but I thought he got better as the year went on. I love watching him play. You can tell he wants to win so bad, and he’s a really good guy.”’