Vinatieri and Patriots Weather the Storm

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. —  Adam Vinatieri had never seen conditions this bad, even back home in South Dakota.

Nearly blinded by driving snow, strong winds and hampered by a slick field, Vinatieri found enough solid footing to kick a 24-yard field goal with 19 seconds left in overtime, lifting New England to a 13-10 victory over Buffalo on Sunday.

“I’ve played in snow and I’ve played in wind, but to have snow, wind and everything going at the same time, it was pretty tough,” Vinatieri said.

It was sweet redemption for Vinatieri, who missed seven of 11 previous field-goal attempts at Buffalo, including a 27-yarder at the end of regulation.

It was a sloppy game played in miserable conditions featuring 40 mph winds and wind-chill temperatures approaching zero. Conditions were so poor that by overtime, most of the field was blanketed in snow, which covered most of the yard lines. After the game, the Patriots (5-10) became stranded because Buffalo’s airport was closed due to the storm.

Quarterback Drew Bledsoe led the Patriots 83 yards in 14 plays to set up Vinatieri’s game-winner.

The Patriots had their best rushing game of the season when they need it most--189 yards in 48 carries. J.R. Redmond led the Patriots with 66 yards rushing before leaving the game in the third quarter because of a right knee injury. Kevin Faulk tied the score at 10-10 with 4:45 left in regulation with a 13-yard touchdown run.

“We scrapped about half of our game plan throwing-wise, and changed some things in our running game, because we didn’t want to toss the ball in this wind,” said Bledsoe, who completed 13 of 26 passes for 156 yards.

The Bills (7-8) were undone by blown scoring opportunities in suffering their fourth consecutive loss--their longest winless streak since 1985.

Three times, quarterback Doug Flutie led Buffalo inside the Patriot 12, only to come up empty.

Steve Christie had two field goals blocked, including a 30-yarder by defensive tackle Chad Eaton with six minutes left in overtime, while Flutie fumbled, mishandling a handoff to Antowain Smith at the New England one--the game’s lone turnover.

“You can’t take anything for granted,” said Flutie, who played in similar conditions during his years in the Canadian Football League. “I felt like we controlled the entire game.”

Flutie took over for Rob Johnson, who was knocked out the game after suffering a concussion in the second quarter.