Winners & losers

Who’s up, who’s down from the Patriots’ win over the Bills?

Up:
Deion Branch –- Receiver finishes with three catches for 92 yards. One catch was a 33-yard touchdown. The other two grabs (of 37 and 22 yards) set up touchdowns.

Rosevelt Colvin –- His fourth quarter strip sack and fumble recovery was the key play of the game, and offset what could have been a costly unsportsmanlike penalty.

Mike Vrabel –- He led the team with 13 tackles in Denver and had a team-high 14 (9 solo, 5 assists) vs. the Bills.

Tedy Bruschi –- His seven tackles (2 solo, 5 assists) highlighted an emotional return to action.

Kickoff coverage –- Unit made the dangerous Terrence McGee a non-factor.

Down:
Nick Kaczur –- Although it was only one play, left tackle was beaten for a strip sack that helped Buffalo build a 16-7 lead.

Third-down defense –- Playing with no defensive linemen, the Patriots could only hold the Bills to 7-of-14 efficiency (50 percent).

Patrick Pass –- While he showed positive flashes before injuring his leg, running back’s fumble led to Buffalo’s first three points.

Josh Miller/Adam Vinatieri –- Punter and kicker couldn’t get a field goal off in time at the end of the first half, taking a delay of game penalty. A 39-yard field goal was turned into a 44-yarder, which was missed.

Matt Chatham –- Personal foul on kickoff coverage gave the Bills great field position in the fourth quarter, at their own 47. Fortunately for the Patriots, they held the Bills.

Looking ahead, we’ll plan on posting our next update Monday after Bill Belichick’s press conference (11:45 a.m. ET).

–Mike