They've been losing by nose

Bills encounter trouble with 3-4

FOXBOROUGH - Buffalo Bills coach Dick Jauron mentioned yesterday that his team has had trouble with 3-4 defenses the last two weeks in losses to the Dolphins and Jets. In both games, Buffalo was bothered by good nose tackle play, so it's important that the Patriots have a healthy Vince Wilfork Sunday.

Wilfork popped up on the Patriots' practice report yesterday as having limited participation because of a toe injury, but is expected to be able to play.

Bills quarterback Trent Edwards said 3-4 defenses thrive on forcing everything toward the big fellas clogging up the middle.

"The nose tackles the last two weeks have been the strengths of the last two defenses," said Edwards. "I'd say that's one of the strengths with the Patriots - their defensive line. That's why teams run that 3-4, to try and keep the run game inside. Don't let the speed get to the outside and funnel it into the strength of their defense."

Wilfork was one of six Patriots who had limited participation in practice, including wide receiver Randy Moss, who was on the report to start the week for the second straight time with a foot injury. The other players with limited participation were running back LaMont Jordan (calf), cornerback Ellis Hobbs (shoulder), wide receiver/kick returner Matthew Slater (ankle), and linebacker Eric Alexander (hamstring).

Running back Sammy Morris (knee) and cornerbacks Lewis Sanders (hamstring) and Terrence Wheatley (wrist) did not practice.

Coach Bill Belichick hasn't had the Patriots practice in full pads since Oct. 17, a sign he's trying not to beat up players who are already beat up.

Whitner injured

Jauron did not sound confident that safety Donte Whitner, who suffered a separated right shoulder last Sunday against the Jets, would play Sunday.

Whitner is key because he's versatile enough to play as a slot corner or as a pseudo-linebacker in Buffalo's five- and six-defensive-back packages. Whitner was one of five Bills who did not participate in practice yesterday.

"Donte has that shoulder, and we'll just have to wait and see through the week where that goes," said Jauron.

Whitner's absence would be bad news for the Bills, who are already expected to be without wide receiver Josh Reed (ankle), who sat out last week, and defensive end Aaron Schobel, who has missed three straight games with a potentially season-ending foot injury.

Head in the game

Cornerback Deltha O'Neal met with the media for the first time since he came back from a head injury suffered in the first quarter of a 23-16 win over the Rams Oct. 26 to seal that game with a fourth-quarter interception. O'Neal, who did not start last Sunday against Indianapolis but replaced an injured Wheatley at left corner, said he has had no lingering effects from the injury.

O'Neal was asked if he had any second thoughts about reentering the Rams game after the Patriots were caught short at corner because of injuries to Hobbs and Mike Richardson. His reply was, "Not at all."

"I felt good during the course of the game," said O'Neal. "It was more so a doctor's decision, and I respect that. Watching my team out there, especially the secondary, I wanted to get out there to help as much as I could. I was pacing back and forth, mad because I couldn't get back in, but when my name was called, I got the opportunity."

O'Neal said he was medically cleared to reenter the game.

[The doctor] made sure I was all right," he said.

Perfect 10?

The Patriots have beaten the Bills nine straight times, dating to 2003. The last time Buffalo scored a victory over New England was a 31-0 blowout in the 2003 season opener after Lawyer Milloy was released by the Patriots and joined the Bills.

The teams enter Sunday's game as part of a three-way tie with the Jets for first place in the AFC East at 5-3, but the Bills know they won't be taken seriously as a contender until they beat the Patriots.

"Oh, definitely, you have to beat the champs if you want to be the champs," said Edwards. "They obviously had a great season last year; they're off to a great start this year and in order to be on top, you have to beat the guys that have been there most recently. This is obviously going to be a big game, and our last game of the season up here in Buffalo [Dec. 28] against them is going to be a big game, too.

"It's more important just to get back on track. We've lost the last couple of games, maybe not games we normally would have lost, and [we] haven't played at the level we are normally capable of playing to."

Kudos for Kaczur

Right tackle Nick Kaczur, who had been out since suffering a right ankle injury during the first quarter of the 30-10 loss at San Diego Oct. 12, returned to the starting lineup against the Colts.

Kaczur played the entire game and was part of a line that didn't allow a sack (although he was called for a false start in the third quarter).

"I don't think conditioning was an issue," said Belichick. "In the time he was off, although he couldn't do much running, he could still do a lot of cardio stuff. I don't think [conditioning] was a problem. I think he played well. I don't think anyone played perfect, but I thought he did a good job. It was a very challenging situation out there, especially with [Colts defensive end Robert] Mathis out there on the edge, but I thought he did a pretty good job."