This was supposed to be the game where New England Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady lit up the stat sheet and had another breakout game against a Buffalo Bills' secondary which made Oakland's Jason Campbell look like a Pro Bowl quarterback last week.
And yes, while Brady did throw for 387 yards, the Bills' secondary had other plans.
For the first time since 2006, Brady threw four interceptions - the same amount of interceptions he had all of last season.
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Buffalo Bills' Drayton Florence celebrates his interception for a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Orchard Park. (AP Photo/David Duprey)
And while Patriots' receiver Wes Welker racked up 217 yards and two scores, the secondary had a pretty darn good day.
"We had to bounce back from last week's performance," Bills safety George Wilson said. "We gave up a lot of big plays last week. We were able to overcome those mistakes. This week, we knew we had to play extremely well. Tom Brady, in my opinion, is the elite quarterback in this league. You have to get pressure on him and make a play when you get an opportunity. We were able to get that done today."
It was a day of vindication for the secondary as Wilson, Drayton Florence, Leodis McKelvin and Bryan Scott each had an INT. For Florence, it was his third time picking off Brady, but his first time returning one for a score.
"I jammed my guy," Florence said, describing the play. "Marcell (Dareus) got a tip and I was at the right place at right time. Obviously we needed a big play in that situation and I was able to take it back for a touchdown.
"We have proven we are going to play until the end," Florence added. "It's time for those past Buffalo Bills memories to fade away. This is a new era and a new day. Everybody outside of this room is calling it an upset, but in this locker room, this is what we expect."
So now, Bills fans can finally put to rest the dreaded 15-game losing streak to their division rival. Many of the Bills players in the locker room said they didn't think of the 15-game drought and that media was the one making a big deal about it. However, seeing Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas interrupt current Bills' running back Fred Jackson's press conference to give him a hug and Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly holding a press conference of his own outside the Bills' locker room proves this was more than just a win against the Patriots.
"It's such a great connection between this franchise and this community," Wilson said. "We are a blue collar team in a blue collar city. They come out and support us and to be able to have the 12th man out there today is just a true testament to how loyal these fans are."
