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Patriots have designs on division title

Dec 23, 2008 - 5:02 PM New England (10-5) at Buffalo (7-8), 1:00 pm EST

ORCHARD PARK, New York (Ticker) -- The New England Patriots still have zero control over their postseason fate, but the prospects got a little brighter last weekend.

Seeking their fourth consecutive win, the Patriots visit AFC East rival Buffalo on Sunday.

New England needs to beat Buffalo - a team they have defeated 10 straight times - and hope for either Miami or Baltimore to lose Sunday to secure either a division title or a wild card slot.

"Our major focus is just to get ready to play in Buffalo," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "I think, rather than being a fan here and a cheerleader, the best thing we can do is go out there and play good football on Sunday in Buffalo. Without that, nothing else will matter."

A surprising loss by the New York Jets at Seattle has given the Patriots a glimmer of hope - removing one of the three teams which held a tiebreaker edge over them.

Despite windy and snowy conditions, Matt Cassel threw for 345 yards and three touchdowns passes in 47-7 demolition of the Arizona Cardinals last weekend.

The Patriots scored touchdowns on four of their first five possessions en route to a 31-0 halftime bulge over listless Arizona.

"We knew that they were an explosive team and that they could score a lot of points," Cassel said. "For us to get out ahead early was important for us and important for the offense to set the tone for the day."

Cassel has thrown eight scoring passes and one interception in the last three games as New England made it 11 straight wins in December and improved to 23-2 in the month since 2003.

The running game also got untracked, with Sammy Morris gaining 88 yards on 15 carries and LaMont Jordan picking up 78 yards and scoring two touchdowns on 20 carries.

Both running backs sat out a 20-10 win against the Bills on November 9, but unheralded BenJarvus Green-Ellis picked up the slack with 105 yards.

Buffalo welcomed back quarterback Trent Edwards and promptly snapped a three-game losing streak with a 30-23 victory over the Denver Broncos last weekend.

Edwards led two fourth-quarter touchdown drives as the Bills erased an early 13-0 deficit and denied the Broncos an opportunity to clinch the AFC West title.

Buffalo has lost 15 of the last 16 meetings with the Patriots - its only victory in that span coming in a 31-0 victory in the 2003 season opener.