Bills Get Help to Keep the Patriots Winless, 16-7 : AFC: New England blows any opportunity for upset by fumbling in the fourth quarter.

Losing is beginning to take its toll on New England Coach Dick MacPherson.

“I just feel that you can take just so many mental hits,” MacPherson said Sunday after the Buffalo Bills beat the Patriots, 16-7.

The Patriots (0-8) remain the NFL’s only winless team. MacPherson and his players struggled to find answers for yet another defeat.

“The job of a head coach is to try to find a way to win these games and not get up here and explain why we didn’t,” MacPherson said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to talk about a win.”

The game followed a predictable pattern for the Patriots, who sabotaged their own momentum with turnovers.

The Patriots were behind, 9-7, when Randy Robbins intercepted a pass by Buffalo quarterback Jim Kelly that gave New England the ball at the Bills’ 25 early in the fourth quarter. Already in range for the field goal that would have put them ahead, 10-9, all the Patriots had to do was hold on to the ball.

But quarterback Tom Hodson, starting for injured Hugh Millen, was sacked by Cornelius Bennett and fumbled. Jeff Wright recovered at the Buffalo 27 and the Bills (6-2) scored on a 13-yard pass from Kelly to James Lofton.

The Patriots scored the only points of the first half when rookie Swayne Sabb forced a Thurman Thomas fumble, and Vincent Brown picked it up and ran 25 yards for the touchdown.

Thomas fumbled twice and left the game in the second half because of an elbow injury. Thomas gained 29 yards in 12 carries and had five receptions for 45 yards.

Bills Coach Marv Levy said Thomas had “an extremely sore elbow,” but that it was X-rayed and “it’s OK.”

The Bills scored on their first possession of the second half when Kelly passed three yards to Pete Metzelaars. The Bills took a 9-7 lead when, Patriot punter Shawn McCarthy was tackled in the end zone by Chris Hale for a safety.