Bills post first win at New England since 2000
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Foxboro, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - Kyle Orton threw a touchdown pass, Boobie Dixon ran for another score and the Buffalo Bills concluded their season with a 17-9 win over the New England Patriots.
Orton was 16-of-23 for 176 yards as the Bills (9-7) finished a campaign with a winning record for the first time since 2004.
Buffalo, which ended a 13-game losing streak at New England, will miss the playoffs for the 15th straight season, the longest active drought in the league.
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"Obviously we didn't accomplish everything that we wanted to do," Orton said. "But we played hard all year, played for each other, and came up a little short."
With home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs already locked up, New England quarterback Tom Brady played just the first half in a game in which wide receiver Julian Edelman and tight end Rob Gronkowski were inactive.
Brady completed 8-of-16 passes for 80 yards over five series.
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"We always hate losing. We didn't make enough plays to win, but hopefully we make them in a couple weeks," Brady said.
Rookie Jimmy Garoppolo totaled 90 yards on 10-of-17 passing for New England (12-4), which had its regular-season home winning streak against AFC opponents snapped at 35 games.
The Bills breezed down the field on the game's opening drive, with Orton hitting Robert Woods for a 6-yard touchdown. A 1-yard run by Dixon capped a 13-play, 80-yard drive and gave Buffalo a 14-3 lead with 10:38 remaining in the second quarter.
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On the next Bills possession, Orton was stripped on a sack by Jamie Collins, who recovered the fumble in Buffalo territory. The turnover led to a 44-yard Stephen Gostkowski field goal.
Marcus Thigpen returned the ensuing kickoff 49 yards, however, leading to a 48-yard Dan Carpenter field goal with 2:14 left in the opening half.
New England made consecutive trips to the red zone in the third quarter with Garoppolo in at quarterback, but came away with only three points.
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The Bills stopped Garoppolo on a keeper on 4th-and-1 at their own 13 before forcing the Patriots to settle for a 35-yard Gostkowski field goal with 37 seconds remaining in the period.
Game Notes
The Patriots' last regular-season loss at home against a conference opponent was a 33-10 setback to Pittsburgh on Nov. 30, 2008 ... The Bills posted their first-ever victory at Gillette Stadium and beat the Patriots on the road for the first time since Nov. 5, 2000 ... Carpenter set a franchise record for field goals in a season with 34 ... New England wide receiver Brian Tyms caught four passes for 39 yards. He had three catches in his career entering the game.