2008 Week 17 · Sun, Dec 28, 2008 · Ralph Wilson Stadium
New England PatriotsWinner
13
at
Buffalo Bills
0
NE -5.5 ✓U 35 ✓30 mph wind
New England Patriots 13–0. Played in 30 mph wind — weigh that when reading the passing lines.
Pre-2018 game — box score & context only; play-by-play visuals start in 2018
Who moved the needle
Top performers
Passing · BUF
14/25, 128 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT
-8.7 expected points added · -7.9% completion over expected
Passing · NE
6/8, 78 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT
6.8 expected points added · +11.8% completion over expected
Full stat lines
Box score
New England Patriots
Passing
| Player | C/Att | Yds | TD | INT | Sacked | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Cassel | 6/8 | 78 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6.8 |
Rushing
| Player | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sammy Morris | 24 | 85 | 3.5 | 0 | -2.9 |
| LaMont Jordan | 20 | 64 | 3.2 | 1 | -4.2 |
| Matt Cassel | 3 | 19 | 6.3 | 0 | 4.4 |
Defense (top contributors)
| Player | Solo | Ast | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior Seau | 3 | 5 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vince Wilfork | 3 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Sanders | 5 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jerod Mayo | 5 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandon Meriweather | 5 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonathan Wilhite | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jarvis Green | 2 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Vrabel | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ty Warren | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ellis Hobbs | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
Buffalo Bills
Passing
| Player | C/Att | Yds | TD | INT | Sacked | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trent Edwards | 14/25 | 128 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -8.7 |
Rushing
| Player | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fred Jackson | 27 | 136 | 5.0 | 0 | -2.9 |
| Trent Edwards | 4 | 20 | 5.0 | 0 | 0.2 |
| Xavier Omon | 4 | 5 | 1.3 | 0 | -2.9 |
Defense (top contributors)
| Player | Solo | Ast | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Denney | 4 | 6 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryan Scott | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ko Simpson | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Kelsay | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Posluszny | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Keith Ellison | 1 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marcus Stroud | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Terrence McGee | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Spencer Johnson | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reggie Corner | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
Closing number vs result
Betting context
- Closing spread
- NE -5.5
- Closing total
- 35
- NE moneyline
- -240
- BUF moneyline
- +220
Patriots closed -5.5 and covered, winning by 13.
Total closed 35; the game landed 13 — under by 22.0.
Conditions and crew
Game environment
- Venue
- Ralph Wilson Stadium
- Roof / surface
- outdoors · astroplay
- Kickoff weather
- 39°F, wind 30 mph
- Referee
- Gene Steratore
- Rest
- NE 7 days · BUF 7 days
- Coaches
- Bill Belichick vs Dick Jauron
Division game — familiarity tightens these matchups; closing numbers tend to be sharper.
Wind at 30 mph is the kind that drags passing depth and kicking range — weigh it when reading the splits.