Bills Ready to Break from History

2000.  The last time the Bills won in New England.  20003.  The last time the Bills beat the Patriots.  Its been a long time since a Buffalo team walked off the field with a win over the perennial NFL power.  Tonight is the next chance.  The Bills and Patriots kickoff the season in Foxboro at 7pm.

There are two major factors heading up this matchup.  The Patriots welcome back Tom Brady, who missed all but one game last year following knee surgery.  His return is obviously a huge story in Boston, and his return to the offense is a major boost to weapons like Wes Welker and Randy Moss.

The other big story is the Bills offensive line.  They will start rookies Eric Wood and Andy Levitre at guard, and second-year player Demetrius Bell will make his NFL debut at left tackle.  Here's a stat you'll hear during the Monday night broadcast, courtesy of the stat experts at the Elias Sports Bureau:  The Bills are just the third team since 1981 to open a season with an offensive line featuring three players who have never taken an NFL snap.  The others are the 1981 Redskins and the 1995 expansion Panthers.

Notes:  Pats receiver Welker is expected to play with an injured knee.  He was limited in  practice leading up to the game...The Bills made a roster move.  They promoted TE Jonathan Stupar to the roster, and released WR Justin Jenkins..  With Derek Fine out, the Bills obviously felt like they needed another tight end behind Derek Schouman and Shawn Nelson.  That could indicate a concern with the offensive line and needing to help out their pass protection.