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FOXBOROUGH -- Patriots coach Bill Belichick did not update the status of injured linebacker Jerod Mayo after Monday night's 25-24 victory over the Bills, as players considered life without their defensive signal-caller.

Mayo injured his right knee on a 16-yard run by Fred Jackson in the first quarter. He walked off the field under his own power, and did not return after going to the locker room for further examination.

"You try to go out there and win the game for him," said linebacker Adalius Thomas.

Second-year linebacker Gary Guyton filled in for Mayo -- the 2008 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year -- as the signal-caller.

The Patriots opened in a 3-4 defense with Mayo alongside Guyton in the middle. But after losing Mayo, who led the team in tackles last season, they mostly went to a four-man line.

"You just have to step up," linebacker Pierre Woods said. "Everyone has to play."

FOXBOROUGH -- Receiver Randy Moss broke his months-long silence with football reporters Monday night, and said he was looking forward to the Patriots' road game next Sunday against the Jets.

"I can remember Coach (Rex) Ryan talking about that he isn't coming to kiss (Bill Belichick's Super Bowl) rings, so I think that it's going to be a big game," Moss said after the Patriots escaped with a 25-24 win over the Bills.

The Patriots have traditionally used bulletin-board material as motivation, and Ryan provided some in a WFAN interview in June when he said he wasn't intimated by Belichick.

Moss wasn't surprised at Ryan's remarks.

"I think he really meant what he said and I think he has a really good team backing him," he said.

Moss watched the Jets beat the Texans 24-7 on Sunday and came away impressed.

"They seemed like they played with a lot of energy," he said. "I think we have our work cut out for us. The Jets' defense has really picked up, and they have that rookie quarterback in [Mark] Sanchez. So it's going to be a barn-burner."

Moss was one of the star performers in the Patriots' season-opening 25-24 victory over the Bills on Monday night, with 12 receptions for 141 yards. The performance was his 60th career 100-yard game, second in NFL history to only Jerry Rice.

He deflected a question on the individual accomplishment, saying the main thing he hangs his hat on is victories.

It took him a while to get into the groove Monday night.

"The first thing I thought of was getting my chance to come out there and play Monday night, and I was a little nervous," Moss said. "But I settled down and started playing better."

FOXBOROUGH -- One of the hallmarks of the Tom Brady-led Patriots offense is the two-minute attack.

Trailing 24-13 with 5:25 remaining in regulation, it was two-minute time as the Patriots had to quicken the pace.

"It's a great feeling to have that rhythm and that aspect of the game back," left tackle Matt Light said. "[Tom] was out there making all the right plays and delivering the ball downfield and all those guys were making huge catches."

Here is a closer look at the personnel in the two-minute offense, a group which was on the field for the team's final 18 snaps of the night (including two-point conversions):

WRs: Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Joey Galloway

TE: Benjamin Watson

RB: Kevin Faulk

QB: Tom Brady

OL: Matt Light, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Stephen Neal, Nick Kaczur

For Watson, who had the game's final two touchdown catches, it was meaningful to be part of the two-minute attack with the game on the line.

He was projected to be on the roster bubble in the team's final preseason game, when he played with most of the backups.

"You just never know how stuff is going to go," he said. "You never know how a game is going to go. There have been games when I haven't been in the game plan and played a lot, or games where I have been in the game plan a lot and haven't played a lot. The game kind of takes on its own character as it goes along. You have to be prepared at all times. One thing I've learned about this team is that anybody could be making those plays on any given Sunday or Monday."

FOXBOROUGH -- One of the key plays from the Patriots' dramatic 25-24 win over the Bills was Pierre Woods forcing a fumble on Leodis McKelvin's kickoff return with 2:10 remaining, and kicker Stephen Gostkowski recovering.

Here is how it unfolded from the perspective of those involved in the play:

The scenario. The Patriots had just scored to slice the Bills' lead to 24-19 with 2:06 remaining. The coaching staff was deciding whether to kick it off or attempt an onside kick. "We had three timeouts and might have hit the 2-minute warning," coach Bill Belichick explained. "It could have gone either way."

Kickoff. Stephen Gostkowski booted the kickoff 2 yards deep into the end zone and McKelvin elected to take it out. That was a mistake. "I didn't think the guy was going to bring it out," said linebacker Pierre Woods. "I was like 'Wow.'"

McKelvin's mindset. Looking back, McKelvin said he has no regrets on his decision. "If I ever had another chance, I would probably do the same thing. Next time I get the opportunity, I am going to hold on and make a better decision. ... When I caught the ball, I didn't know if I had two feet inbounds or if my momentum took me into the end zone. If I downed it, it may have been a safety, so I decided to bring it out."

Initial hit. Safety Brandon Meriweather surged down the middle of the field and made the first hit on McKelvin, stunting his momentum. McKelvin still had possession of the ball and attempted to gain more yardage after the hit. "Everybody filled their lanes and I was just up the middle," Meriweather said. "The rest of the team did the rest."

Stripping the ball. After Meriweather's initial blow, Woods jarred the ball free at the 31-yard line. "We do a drill in practice like that -- we double-teamed him and poked the ball out," Woods said.

Recovery. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski was at the bottom of the pile and gained possession. "I can't say more about the kicker," Woods said. "He was all awkwardly bent up, like a pretzel, and wouldn't let the guy from Buffalo get it. I tried to pull that guy off him and the ref was going crazy. It was chaos."

FOXBOROUGH -- The Patriots overcame a mistake-filled and penalty-laden performance by making clutch plays down the stretch -- with some help from the bumbling Bills -- to post a dramatic 25-24 victory.

Trailing 24-13 with 5:25 left in regulation, New England pulled off the stunner.

This was an escape.

It wasn't the Patriots' best effort, but they made critical plays late in the game. Tight end Benjamin Watson, who was playing with the backups in the final preseason game and looked to be on the roster bubble at final cut-down time, was one of the stars, coming up with the final two touchdown catches.

Outside linebacker Pierre Woods made the big special-teams hit to jar the ball free on the kickoff after that first TD, setting the Patriots up on the short field.

Then Watson delivered again with a remarkable catch in the end zone.

Stunning.

More to come after Bill Belichick's news conference and media access to the locker room.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Analysis from the first half of tonight's game between the Patriots and Bills, with New England trailing 14-10:

A series of mistakes and penalties have the Patriots in the tough spot. For a team that treated the preseason with a regular season-like urgency, they have not exploded out of the gate as they hoped.

For example, the Patriots had an NFL-low 10 false starts last season. They had one in the first half, in addition to a snap infraction.

Also, Pro Bowl kicker Stephen Gostkowski missed a 41-yard first-quarter field goal. He missed just four all of last season.

Offensively, they have lacked rhythm, carefully deciding when to spread the field with three receivers because of the respect they are showing for the Bills' edge rushers (Aaron Schobel and Chris Kelsay), while other times going with the power game (they used an offensive lineman as a tight end seven times) on the ground.

That they were unable to convert a fourth-and-1 from the Bills' 39 on the opening drive was a tone-setter of sorts. Quarterback Tom Brady has not looked comfortable in the pocket at times, and he's lacked his trademark accuracy.

On the injury front, the Patriots lost their defensive signal-caller -- second-year linebacker Jerod Mayo -- to a right knee injury. Mayo was hurt on the second series, went to the locker room, and has not returned. In his place, Gary Guyton has stepped in as the signal-caller.

The Patriots are doing a nice job on Terrell Owens (0 catches), and have generally been effective mixing their defensive looks between the 3-4 and 4-3. They have altered their alignment on a series-by-series basis, challenging the young Bills offensive line.

Overall, the coaches have adopted a rotation at certain spots with the idea of keeping players fresh as they adjust to regular-season type conditioning.

The Bills, who deferred after winning the opening toss, get the ball to start the second half.

Second-year linebacker Jerod Mayo injured his right knee in the first quarter of tonight's game, and the Patriots announced that his return was questionable.

Mayo, who was injured on a 15-yard run by Fred Jackson, walked off the field under his own power.

The following players are inactive tonight. As expected, receiver Wes Welker is active for the game:

OL Dan Connolly

WR Julian Edelman

RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis

OL Rich Ohrnberger

DL Myron Pryor

OL Kendall Simmons

S Matthew Slater

CB Terrence Wheatley

With rookie WR Julian Edelman not dressed (ankle), it creates a void at punt returner. Wes Welker, Kevin Faulk and Patrick Chung are other options on the roster to fill that spot. It also bumps Sam Aiken to the definitive No. 4 spot on the receiver depth chart.

With second-year RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis a healthy scratch, the Patriots go with four backs -- Fred Taylor, Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk and Sammy Morris. Green-Ellis is fourth or fifth on the depth chart, and the Patriots probably had special teams in mind in choosing someone like safety Bret Lockett for a roster spot over Green-Ellis.

With rookie DL Myron Pryor out (calf), the Patriots are without a player who showed some nice inside pass-rush moves in the preseason. That leaves five linemen active -- Ty Warren, Vince Wilfork, Jarvis Green, Mike Wright and Ron Brace. This could be an indication that a 3-4 alignment will be more prevalent tonight.

With CB Terrence Wheatley held out because of a knee injury, the Patriots have just four corners -- Shawn Springs, Leigh Bodden, Jonathan Wilhite and Darius Butler. Springs didn't play much in the preseason, so his conditioning will be an area to watch. Also, the Bills have implemented the no-huddle, which could add to the importance of conditioning.

With interior offensive linemen Dan Connolly (back injury), Rich Ohrnberger (healthy scratch) and Kendall Simmons (healthy scratch) out, the Patriots have first-year player Ryan Wendell as their top interior backup. Rookie Sebastian Vollmer is the swing tackle.

With safety Matthew Slater out with an arm injury, the Patriots are without one of their best special teams coverage players. Safety Bret Lockett, who was claimed on waivers from the Browns when teams were formulating their 53-man rosters, will be counted upon to fill that void.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Wes Welker on the field working out in his game pants. Inactives to come, but looks like he'll play.

Pregame plan

Here is a little bit of the pregame feel from Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots host the Bills tonight (ESPN, 7 p.m.), as well as some thoughts on what to expect on the blog during tonight's game:

Weather conditions: It has been in the mid-70s and sunny throughout the day. The temperature is expected to be in the high 60s around kickoff with no precipitation. The orange flags atop the goal posts are lightly rippling. It's an ideal night for football.

Paying homage to the past: At the 50-yard line, there is the standard red, white and blue Patriots "Flying Elvis" logo. In addition to that, there are two original American Football League logos at the 25-yard lines close to each sideline. This is the 50th anniversary of the AFL and both clubs will be wearing throwback jerseys tonight. There are also NFL "Kickoff" logos at the 27-yard line near both sidelines.

Tonight's officiating crew: Scott Green has been assigned to work tonight's contest.

Scouts in the house: As is often the case, advance scouts will be in attendance to watch tonight's game. The Jets, Saints and Buccaneers are scheduled to have scouts here.

Tonight's blog plan: Inactive players are usually learned 60-90 minutes before kickoff. The plan will be to list the inactive players when they are announced, then post an analysis of what that means for others on the roster. The blogging will continue through warm-ups. Once the game starts, I'll focus on the action on the field, returning at halftime to post an analysis. Then, at the end of the game, I will plan to post a quick analysis of the game. After returning from the locker room, the plan will be to load up the blog with reaction. It's also a good time to give a shout out to my blogging brother, Tim Graham, who covers the AFC East. He's here tonight, and we'll be working in concert.

FOXBOROUGH -- Troy Brown is a Patriot through and through, taking great pride in having played his entire career with the franchise.

Today, with members of the club's 50th anniversary team gathered at the Patriots Hall of Fame, Brown was asked if there was ever a chance he would have played elsewhere.

"I think in the bottom of my heart, I always knew I wasn't going anywhere," he answered. "You always have to explore your options and see what's out there. At the end of the day, I always made the decision that this was the right place for me."

Yet there were times that Brown almost left the franchise.

Over his 14-year career, he visited the Jets twice, most recently in 2008 before retiring. The Saints made a strong push for him as a free agent in 2006 and in 2000, he took a free-agent visit to Kansas City.

Brown said he received a call from Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis while visiting the Chiefs. Had that call not been made, he would have been a Chief.

On a day for Patriots nostalgia, Brown was also asked to share some stories from the old Foxboro Stadium. One that stood out to him was the AFC Championship game against the Jaguars from the 1996 season, when the power went out.

"It was extremely cold," Brown recalled. "We came in and took a shower, and there was no hot water. It was muddy, we were all sweaty, and you felt [bad] when you came in and you couldn't take a warm shower. But you still loved playing in that place. The crowd was right on top of you, and you couldn't ask for anything better."

Brown said he's splitting time between West Virginia and Massachusetts. He has an ownership stake in Narragansett Beer, and continues to serve as a football analyst on Comcast Sports Net.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- One key tonight for the Patriots will be protecting Tom Brady.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Today is a day for Patriots nostalgia, as the ESPN "Chalk Talk" Luncheon at the team's Hall of Fame is featuring members of the franchise's 50th anniversary team.

Cornerback Ty Law enjoyed himself as he toured the Hall.

"This is actually my first time seeing this place, and walking through here, seeing all the pictures and memorabilia, it's bringing back a lot of fond memories," said Law, who played for the club from 1995 to 2004. "I spent most of my career here, and I'm really amazed at the job the Kraft family did in putting this together. It's touching to see my picture scattered around."

Law said it means a lot to him to be associated with a team some have called a dynasty. His all-time favorite memory?

"I'd have to say it was that pick from the first Super Bowl [against the Rams]," he answered. "I think that's something that is always going to stick out, because it was a game-changer, a momentum-changer for everybody and gave our team a lot of confidence to carry it out because we were heavy underdogs coming into the game. That will always stick out as one of my favorite plays of all time."

Law is currently living in Plantation, Fla., and continues to train. He said he's open to playing this season if the situation is right. He said he has had an open dialogue with Patriots coach Bill Belichick in recent years.

"I am in a transition phase," Law explained. "I've had a couple of job opportunities from radio and TV that I couldn't accept because I still have the passion to play football. I've had calls [to play] but I'm waiting for the right call. I'm going to give it another couple of weeks."

FOXBOROUGH -- What goes into preparing for a "Monday Night Football" broadcast?

It was a question I asked ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski after this morning's production meeting at the Renaissance Hotel at Patriot Place.

There were 25 ESPN staffers in the room, everyone from graphics folks, to lead producers to the makeup crew. A flat-screen television was set up at the front of the room and two easels were nearby with bullet-pointed messages for the crew (e.g. stress the Bills' focus on the no-huddle).

Listening to Jaworski, Jon Gruden and Mike Tirico go through the script was impressive. You also gain a greater appreciation for the behind-the-scenes producers who make the broadcasts go off without a hitch.

"This is kind of the wrap-up meeting for all the work we've done, so we'll be ready to go at 7 o'clock tonight," Jaworski explained after the meeting broke. "All week I'll be at my office at NFL Films and Jon will be at his office in Tampa, and we'll be looking at tape of the upcoming teams, and talking to each other 4-5 times throughout our film study -- that will happen on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. So we're getting our game plan together throughout the week, and what I like to do is approach it like I'm a quarterback, when I played the game. I usually look at the last four games the team played."

From there, the schedule broke down this way ion preparing for tonight's game:

Friday. Travel day. Also had conference calls with Bills defensive coordinator Perry Fewell and players.

Saturday. Production meeting with the Patriots at Gillette Stadium -- interviews with Bill Belichick, defensive coordinator Dean Pees, Tom Brady, Vince Wilfork, Adalius Thomas and Fred Taylor. Also attend practice. More tape is dissected.

Sunday. Morning meeting to discuss players who will be isolated during the broadcast from an X's and O's perspective. Later in the day, there is a production meeting with the Bills at their team hotel after their arrival in Providence -- interviews with Dick Jauron, Trent Edwards and other players.

Monday. Morning meetings start at 8 a.m. to recap and go over the plan. All elements of the broadcast are dissected, from graphics, to isolations, to SportsCenter hits.

"We just don't show up and say 'hey, we're on the set,'" Jawowski said. "We work seven days at it."

Patriots-related stories from around the Web that caught the eye on the opening day of the team's season:

(1) Shalise Manza-Young of the Providence Journal has Bill Belichick talking about everything from his favorite television shows, to his most prized possessions, to his heroes.

(2) The Boston Globe's Jim McBride offers up a thorough scouting report of tonight's contest and sees the Patriots winning big. He gives the Bills the edge in one category -- against the Patriots' pass defense.

(3) Boston Herald beat reporter Ian Rapoport, in his notebook, shares some opening day memories from players and Bill Belichick.

(4) Mark Gaughan of the Buffalo News offers up the Bills' perspective on the Patriots' dominance in the series, as New England has won 11 straight and 16 of the last 17.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: In Sunday's Boston Globe, Jackie MacMullan penned a must-read piece on Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo, which details how Mayo won over some of the team's veterans in his rookie season. Tedy Bruschi, who chats this morning on ESPNBoston.com (9:30 a.m. ET), shares some of his thoughts in the piece.

The Patriots have won 11 straight games over the Bills and 16 of the past 17. When analyzing tonight's season opener, here are five X's and O's storylines of note:

• Richard Seymour fallout creates unexpected individual matchup. Eight-year veteran Jarvis Green is the likely replacement for Richard Seymour at right defensive end -- whether in the 3-4 alignment or the 4-3. Meanwhile, Bills left tackle Demetrius Bell is expected to be making his first career NFL start after Buffalo released Langston Walker. At times, Bell and Green will be locked up against each other, creating an individual matchup that few could have seen coming just a few weeks ago. In addition to Green, the Patriots have five-year veteran Mike Wright and rookie Ron Brace as options at end.
• The Patriots' defensive front -- 3-4 or 4-3? The Patriots pride themselves on being a multiple defense, with the ability to play a 3-4 or 4-3 at any time. They played more 4-3 in the preseason, but they have good reason to consider playing the 3-4 tonight. The Bills were 1-8 last season against teams that played the 3-4, while they were 6-1 against the 4-3. One of the benefits of playing the 3-4 is that defenses can better disguise where the fourth rusher is coming from, which can challenge a young offensive line like the Bills' unit.
• Terrell Owens factor could dictate defensive shift. The Patriots' defensive approach against the Bills has been straightforward in recent years: make sure there is help over the top against receiver Lee Evans, create a sturdy six- or seven-man box to hold up against Marshawn Lynch and the running game, and force the other skill position players to make plays. The Bills hadn't found consistent success against the approach. Now, with Terrell Owens on the opposite side, the Patriots might have to rethink their strategy.
• Protection on the offensive edges. The Patriots ran 62 percent of their offensive plays last season in either a three- or four-receiver grouping, which puts duress on the offensive line to hold up in more one-on-one matchups, especially on the edges with tackles Matt Light (left) and Nick Kaczur (right). The Bills have traditionally had some success pressuring the edges against the Patriots; end Aaron Schobel has more sacks against Tom Brady (11 in 14 games) than any player in the NFL.
• Special teams coverage and field position. New England special teams standout Matthew Slater is out with a left arm injury, which affects the team's coverage units and is likely to factor in to some of the final personnel decisions on the 45-man roster. The Bobby April-coached Bills special teams units are one of Buffalo's best weapons, which makes the strong leg of Stephen Gostkowski (17 touchbacks, tied for sixth in the NFL last season) and the directional punting of Chris Hanson a key factor in the game.