New England vs Oakland Raiders (Mexico City)
1 2 3 4 FINAL
NEW ENGLAND 0 10 6 9 25
OAKLAND 3 6 6 7 22
MEXICO CITY – With the score knotted at 22 apiece, Dan Bailey stood on foreign soil with time to think before deciding the outcome of the closely contested contest.
"I knew, with the altitude being something like 7,000 feet above sea level, that all I needed to do was kick it straight," Bailey said. "So I did."
Bailey's 47-yard field goal was true as time expired giving his New England Patriots (3-7) a second consecutive win in what had been a season to forget.
Oakland did all they could to keep their slim division lead intact, but the rough-and-tumble play of the hard-hitting duo of rookie Ruben Foster and Tre Boston dismantled any hopes the Raiders had of coming out on top.
"We were tone setters," Foster said. "We all (are) tired of this losing man. We came to play."
Late in the 4th, Foster delivered a crushing hit on the typically fumble proof Marshawn Lynch yielding to the game-winning drive to set up Bailey's clutch kick.
"He (Foster) has been amazing all year," Belichick said. "He's one of the most impressive rookie linebackers we've had in our building."
The 'road' crowd quickly turned in favor of the team from Boston with their style of play prompting Oakland's Jack Del Rio to fire a shot at the NFL.
"I think all this traveling road show stuff is a worthless gimmick," Del Rio said. "We needed our Oakland crowd today."
The Patriots will next look to make it 3-in-a-row as they take on their division rivals from Miami on Sunday.
Buffalo Bills vs Los Angeles Chargers
1 2 3 4 FINAL
BUFFALO 21 17 7 7 52
LAC 0 0 7 0 7
LOS ANGELES – If a team ever needed a blowout win (and who doesn't), these Buffalo Bills (5-4-1) needed one.
In a season filled with close calls, ties, and mild disappointment, the Buffalo Bills took out their frustration on the hapless Los Angeles Chargers with a 52-7 demolition Sunday in LA.
The Bills out-gained the Chargers 406 to 211 while allowing only 20 rushing yards.
Philip Rivers was forced to run for his life all game behind a relentless pass rush led by rookie-of-the-year candidate Myles Garrett leading to four Rivers INTs (one returned 97-yards for a TD by Casey Hayward).
In short: The game was over mid-way through quarter number one.
"We needed this," Aaron Rodgers said. "People have been taking their best shots at us all year and it's nice to get up in that playoff discussion now."
With the win, the Bills are now firmly entrenched as the AFC's #6 seed.
This is certainly a team no one wants to face as a Wild Card team in the playoffs.
"Last year we were fortunate enough to get the #1 seed based on a tiebreaker (with Miami)," Todd Gurley said. "But it's all about getting in. There is a lot of football left to play and we want to play as long as we can into January and February."
The Bills next play the playoff aspiring Kansas City Chiefs in a Sunday showdown.
