Bills return Brady interception for touchdown, lead Patriots 14-10 at halftime of opener

Brady inconsistent in return, Bills up at half

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Tom Brady returned to face an aggressive Buffalo defense, throwing an interception that Aaron Schobel returned for a touchdown and getting sacked once as the Bills led the New England Patriots 14-10 at halftime Monday night.

Brady was knocked down three times and hampered by two dropped passes in his first meaningful game since last year’s opener against Kansas City when he tore ligaments in his left knee with 7:33 gone in the first quarter and was lost for the season.

The Patriots may have suffered another costly injury, though.

Inside linebacker Jerod Mayo, last year’s NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and the team’s signal-caller, injured his right knee with about four minutes left in the first quarter on a 16-yard run by running back Fred Jackson. He did not return.

Terrell Owens, released by Dallas in March, made his debut for Buffalo but didn’t catch a pass.

Brady completed 13 of 22 passes for 159 yards and one interception. Buffalo’s Trent Edwards went 7 for 11 for 65 yards and one touchdown.

The Bills took a 7-0 lead as Edwards threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Shawn Nelson with 2:58 left in the first quarter. The Patriots tied it when Brady led an efficient 14-play, 76-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard run by Fred Taylor with 6:22 left in the second quarter.

The Bills punted on their next possession but went ahead on the next play as Brady tried to float a screen pass over the head of Schobel. But the defensive end reached up with his right hand, made the interception, then ran 26 yards and fell into the end zone as Sammy Morris tackled him.

On the next series, Brady completed passes of 14 yards to Benjamin Watson and 31 yards to Randy Moss. But they chose to run the ball on third-and-goal at the 3-yard line and Kevin Faulk was held to 1 yard. Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 20-yard field goal as the half ended.

Gostkowski wasn’t as successful in the first quarter when the Patriots also chose to play conservatively. On third-and-4 at the Bills 26, Faulk ran 3 yards. Then Gostkowski’s 41-yard field goal attempt went wide right.

Earlier, two of the NFL’s best receivers dropped short passes over the middle for the Patriots, Moss on the first series and Wes Welker on the second. Brady was knocked down once on each of the first two drives but got up quickly.

On the Patriots’ third possession, Brady was sacked by first-round draft pick Aaron Maybin, who got around left tackle Matt Light. The quarterback showed no effects from the hit.

The Patriots wasted opportunities on their first two possessions.

Laurence Maroney, who played only three games last season because of a broken shoulder, began the game with a 52-yard kickoff return. But the Patriots couldn’t get a first down and Buffalo got the ball at its 40 after Maroney was held to no gain on fourth down.

The Bills failed to get a first down and punted.

Both teams wore their AFL uniforms to mark the 50th anniversary of that league. Officials also wore AFL shirts.