The Patriots will be without starting right guard Stephen Neal for tonight's game against the Bills, as he was downgraded to out on the injury report because of his shoulder.
Neal, a six-year veteran, started the season opener but missed the next three games because of the injury. He returned to start the last five contests but will be replaced tonight, likely by seven-year veteran Russ Hochstein. Four-year vet Billy Yates is another possibility.
In addition to Neal, the Patriots also downgraded safety Eugene Wilson (ankle) and inside linebacker Eric Alexander (knee) to out.
Wilson, who started the first five games of the season before settling into a reserve role, has missed the last two contests. Alexander, who contributes primarily on special teams, has been out the last three games.
While Wilson and Alexander had not been spotted at the media-access portion of practices in the days leading up to tonight's game, Neal was present, and thus his downgrade was a bit of a surprise.
Pass protection will be a key for the Patriots, as Bills defensive end Chris Kelsay said that Buffalo knows it must pressure quarterback Tom Brady if it is to have a chance to win. Neal being out adds to the challenge, although the Patriots have had success in the past when calling on their backups along the line.
A boot out of it
Kicker Stephen Gostkowski will enjoy a homecoming of sorts tonight. Gostkowski spent the first 10 years of his life in Buffalo, before his father, Larry, relocated the family to Madison, Miss.
"I have a lot of family there and a bunch of them are going to come watch the game," said Gostkowski, who did not attempt a field goal in the Patriots' 28-6 win against Buffalo at Ralph Wilson Stadium last season. "It's always nice to go back there. A team I've grown up watching; it's pretty cool."
But there were no taxing ticket requests for Gostkowski to deal with.
"I only had to get 12," he said. "A lot of them already had them."
Complaint Dept.
Bills general manager Marv Levy said the team got a few complaints about tonight's game being moved from its original 1 p.m. start as part of the NFL' s flexible scheduling plan for Weeks 11 through 17. He chalked up the complaints to the fact that the fan base includes people from across upstate and western New York as well as southern Ontario.
"You get some [complaints], particularly with a regional team," said Levy. "People say, 'I have season tickets and I drive from 95 miles away.' You get some of that, but I think overall it's more, 'Hey, we're in the spotlight and that's good.' We haven't had a lot of complaints from our fans, not many, just a few."
Record output?
There are several milestones in reach today. Wide receiver Randy Moss needs one touchdown reception to break Stanley Morgan's club record for a season, 12 in 1979. Moss tied the record Nov. 4 against the Colts. If Brady extends his NFL record for consecutive games with three or more touchdown passes to 10, he will surpass Steve Grogan's franchise record for career touchdown passes (182). Brady, who has 33 TD passes this season and just four interceptions, has 180 career TD passes. Linebacker Mike Vrabel, who has 8 1/2 sacks this season, needs 1 1/2 to set a career high and become the first Patriot under coach Bill Belichick to reach double figures in a season. The last Patriot to record at least 10 sacks in a season was Willie McGinest, who had 11 in 1995. Running back Kevin Faulk needs one touchdown to become the 16th player in club history to score 25 . . . The Bills are 5-0 all-time in Sunday night games at Ralph Wilson Stadium . . . Bill Carollo is scheduled to referee tonight. In a scheduling quirk, it marks the second straight week he and his crew will referee a Bills game. They were in Miami for Buffalo's 13-10 victory last week.
