RDS and RDS Direct will show the playoff game between the Patriots and the Bills starting at 8:15 p.m. Saturday.
PRE-MATCH | PIERRE VERCHEVAL’S ANALYSIS
ORCHARD PARK, NY — Chris Kelsay, who played 10 seasons with Buffalo, learned of the Bills-Patriots rivalry with a rare victory for his team.
He recalls the warning he received after the Bills opened the 2003 season with a 31-0 win, where tackle Sam Adams returned a Tom Brady interception 37 yards for a touchdown.
“Guys were like, ‘Don’t get used to it,'” Kelsay laughed this week.
New England responded by beating the Bills 31-0 in the final game of the season, en route to the second of six Super Bowl titles spanning the 2001 to 2018 seasons.
The Pats also won their next 15 games against Buffalo.
“I’ve played them 20 times and I think I’ve beaten them twice,” Kelsay said, referring to Buffalo’s 34-31 win in 2011.
“We were always optimistic about the game plan, but over this period, for sure they had our number more than the other way around. »
The Bills have won three of the last four meetings, however.
They have also been section champions for the past two seasons.
“It’s really remarkable,” Kelsay said. It’s great to see the success they have. »
Buffalo (11-6) is gearing up for the Patriots (10-7) on Saturday night.
The Bills are no longer the scapegoats of the Patriots, like from 2000 to 2019. The era marks the arrival of Bill Belichick and the last season of Tom Brady with the Pats.
During that streak, Belichick has won 35 of 40 encounters.
Brady was 32-3 (now 33-3 after leading Tampa Bay to a win over Buffalo last month). He set the NFL record for most wins against an opponent.
This year, the Bills lost 14-10 at home on December 6 but 20 days later won 33-21 at Gillette Stadium.
On Saturday, the teams will meet for only the second time in the playoffs. The Patriots defeated Buffalo 26-8 in the 1963 Old AFL Playoffs.
Former Bills punter Brian Moorman lives vicariously through the current edition of the team.
“Like all Bills fans everywhere, I’m really happy the curse has been broken,” Moorman said.
“We’re not just competitive: we’re the team to beat,” Moorman said, not apologizing for the word ‘we’ when referring to the Bills.
“To come to this, you can’t take it away from them. Guys should be proud of that and confident going into Saturday. »
