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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- One glance at the Buffalo Bills 4-4 record was all safety Corey Graham needed in assessing the state of his inconsistent team.Right now, were exactly where we are: A mediocre team, Graham said bluntly.As injuries pile up, a sense of demoralization is beginning to set in after Tom Brady and the New England Patriots (7-1) exposed many of the Bills weaknesses in a 41-25 rout on Sunday.Buffalos defense was unable to keep Brady in check in allowing the quarterback to convert nine of 13 third-down chances, throw four touchdowns and engineer five consecutive scoring drives spanning halftime.Brady improved to 26-3 against Buffalo to match an NFL record of most wins by a quarterback against one team. Brett Favre was 26-9 against Detroit.And the Bills injury-depleted offense was in no position to keep up. Playing minus top threat, running back LeSean McCoy (left hamstring), Buffalo punted three times in the first half and was unable to convert two fourth-down chances in the second half.The Bills were also down three of their top four receivers, including Sammy Watkins (left foot), and then lost backup Brandon Tate to a possible concussion Sunday.This resembled nothing of the boastful team that was flying high during a four-game winning streak, which included a 16-0 victory at New England on Oct. 2 in a game Brady sat out while serving his four-game Deflategate suspension.The Bills have now lost two in a row and dropped to 1-4 against AFC teams.Coach Rex Ryan isnt giving up, but concedes Buffalos chances of catching the Patriots are all but over.I think its unrealistic to think youre going to win your division when you just got beat by -- how many games are they up by? Three? Ryan said. I dont see that changing. But I never said it was going to ruin our season.The margin for error is getting thinner for a team attempting to snap a 16-season playoff drought -- the NFLs longest active streak.We just need to calm down, linebacker Zach Brown said, before looking ahead to a Nov. 7 prime-time showdown at Seattle. Weve got to play to win. We all signed up to win this thing.A number of things that stood out Sunday:RED FLAGRyan acknowledged he threw a challenge flag out of frustration in the final minute when Jonathan Williams was stopped for no gain on first-and-goal from the 1.That was on me. Im a little ticked off because I was showing them like, `Guys, just look at the replay, Ryan said. The Bills would have been penalized for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, but were instead allowed to use one of their two remaining timeouts. Williams scored on the next play.GRONK MILESTONEPatriots tight end Rob Gronkowski set two franchise scoring records with his 53-yard touchdown catch, which put New England ahead 21-10 in the second quarter. The Buffalo native scored his 69th touchdown and 68th receiving, breaking the previous career record held by Stanley Morgan.Gronkowskis father, Gordie, enjoyed the moment in a stadium suite with about 80 family members and friends.We were all on our barstools and had a big celebration for him, Gordie Gronkowski told The Associated Press, noting he anticipated his son would score.When he comes here, he gets all wired up and hyped up and everything to play in front of his fans, he said. It was a fantastic moment for us.ON THE RUNBills backup RB Mike Gillislee had 12 carries for 85 yards and scored on 3-yard run filling in for McCoy. Ryan said hes not sure about McCoys playing status for next week. Third-string running back Reggie Bush didnt finish the game because of a groin injury.HOGAN HOMECOMINGPatriots receiver Chris Hogan scored on a 53-yard touchdown catch in beating Bills top cornerback Stephon Gilmore up the left sideline.Busted coverage, said Gilmore, who was spotted yelling at safety Jonathan Meeks following the play.Hogan spent the previous four seasons in Buffalo before signing an offer sheet with New England which the Bills declined to match last spring.SACK STREAK SNAPPEDBills linebacker Lorenzo Alexanders seven-game sack streak was snapped when he left the game in the second quarter with a hamstring injury. Alexander was hurt during a punt return. The 10-year journeyman entered with an NFL-leading nine sacks.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Eric Lindros Flyers Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Brian Elliott Jersey . James, who turned 29 on Monday, injured his groin Friday during the Heats overtime loss at Sacramento. He sat out the following game, a 108-107 win Saturday in Portland, before coming back to help send the Nuggets to their seventh consecutive loss. http://www.hockeyflyersauthentic.com/robert-hagg-jersey/ . Speaking Thursday on TSN 1050 Thursday, the Leafs GM also touched on the questions surrounding the teams leadership and the struggles of his big-name free-agent signing. “Its not from lack of effort from the coaching staff. Scott Laughton Flyers Jersey . But when it comes to determining if Raymond will find a place on the Leafs roster when training camp concludes in a week, well, that decision will ultimately fall to the head coach. Oskar Lindblom Jersey . He was followed closely by David Clarkson, donning red, seconds later. Clarksons actions one night earlier, leaping off the bench in defence of Kessel during a pre-season game against the Buffalo Sabres, will cost him the first 10 games of the regular season. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee believes its defense has the depth that can enable the Volunteers to avoid the blown leads that haunted them in each of their losses last year.The depth is most notable up front, where the ninth-ranked Volunteers have accumulated so much talent that former five-star recruits havent been able to work their way atop the depth chart. Tennessee opens the season Thursday by hosting Appalachian State.Honestly, this is the most depth (at defensive end) weve ever had since Ive been here personally, senior defensive end Corey Vereen said. Im not used to this.The Volunteers went 9-4 last season but led in each game they lost. They were up at least 13 points in losses to Oklahoma, Florida and Arkansas. They fell to eventual national champion Alabama by giving up a go-ahead touchdown with 2:24 remaining.Tennessee outscored teams 378-173 in the first three periods but was outscored 87-79 in the fourth quarter and overtime.There have been times where weve had guys out there who had already played 60 snaps, defensive line coach Steve Stripling said. Its hard to (have) what we term as Superman efforts, closing a drive out, a two-minute drive, making those efforts and plays, thats hard to do if youve been out there 60 snaps.That shouldnt be an issue this season.Tennessee believes it has the elements in place to be dominant and disruptive, the buzzwords new defensive coordinator Bob Shoop has consistently used to describe his ideal defense since arriving from Penn State.Were deeper here at d-end than Ive probably been anywhere, Shoop said.The Vols depth is evident from a look at some of the players who arent expected to start Thursdays opener. Defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie was rated as the nations No. 1 recruit in his class by Scout in 2015, yet hes still listed as a second-teamer behind seenior Danny OBrien and junior Kendal Vickers.dddddddddddd Sophomore defensive end Kyle Phillips, a former five-star prospect, isnt on the first team or second team.Both guys are still expected to play Thursday. Tennessee is hoping to rotate about six defensive ends into the game at various points, which should prevent the Vols from overworking anyone and relying too heavily on defensive end Derek Barnett, who has recorded 10 sacks each of the last two seasons.This rotation were talking about is going to put us in better position to close games, Stripling said.Tennessee also is bullish on the rest of its defense.The linebacker corps features returning starters Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Darrin Kirkland Jr. Cornerback Cam Sutton, entering his fourth year as a starter, headlines a secondary that features plenty of guys versatile enough to play multiple positions.The Vols built their depth on defense by signing two straight recruiting classes that had consensus top-five rankings. The second of those classes arrived in 2015, which means all those recruits have now been on campus at least one year.Tennessee also has received a boost this year from the returns of Phillips, tackle Shy Tuttle and defensive back Rashaan Gaulden from injuries that caused them to miss most or all of the 2015 season. Tuttle has been brought along slowly as he recovers from a broken fibula, but Tennessee coach Butch Jones said the sophomore tackle would be available Thursday.Were at the stage now where we can rotate guys in and not have a drop-off at any level, Sutton said. In the fourth quarter, we can have our closers in and be able to close games out.---AP college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '