Ex-Patriots Savor Shutout of Old Team

The Buffalo Bills’ victory was well in hand when Drew Bledsoe and Lawyer Milloy -- the two Pro Bowl players in the middle of this captivating drama -- shared a few words on the sideline.

“We were talking about what you probably think we were talking about,” Bledsoe said with a wink. “We were both pretty happy with the win.”

Bledsoe and Milloy combined to stick it to their former team, the New England Patriots, sparking the Bills to a 31-0 victory Sunday in their opener.

Besides snapping Buffalo’s five-game losing streak against New England, it capped an emotional week for both players. Bledsoe, traded to Buffalo in April 2002, spent the off-season itching to erase the dreadful memories of last year’s two losses against the Patriots.

Milloy’s wait for vindication was much shorter, coming five days after the four-time Pro Bowl safety was released by the Patriots for salary cap reasons.

Milloy made a big impact, despite having only three days to learn the playbook. He forced an interception, recorded a sack and got in on five tackles.

Bledsoe engineered scoring drives on his first two possessions and finished 17 for 28 for 230 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.

The game was effectively over when the Bills went up 21-0 with 10:14 left in the second quarter. The lead was built on Travis Henry’s one-yard plunge, Dave Moore’s seven-yard reception, and defensive tackle Sam Adams’ 37-yard interception return.

The Patriots had nothing in response, looking nothing like the team that outscored Buffalo by a combined 65-24 in two games last season.