A mixed bag on Big TV day in New England. Let's start with the good:

The Bills had won four in a row, and were feeling pretty good about being able to hang around with the Patriots. They even got an inspirational message on the Jumbotron from injured Kevin Everett, so they had to be pumped up. Eleven seconds later, they were down 28-0 (numbers may not be strictly accurate).

We're running out of ways to describe Patriots victories. The facts speak for themselves; the Pats offense scored seven touchdowns on their first seven drives. Randy Moss had four touchdown receptions, out of Brady's five TD passes. Laurence Maroney's first touchdown. Kyle Eckel's second. The return of Adalius Thomas from whatever rock he's been trapped under. It was a rout that wasn't in doubt (no rhyme intended) for a second.

So the Pats' quest for a perfect season continues. The Celtics...well, we knew 82-0 was a bit ambitious. The C's were dropped for the first time in Orlando; they came out sluggish and spotted the Magic a 20-point lead before a spirited 2nd-half comeback fell short. Maybe the Celtics were distracted by the constant music at the Amway Arena (how bush-league exactly is Orlando? Or by the play of Dwight Howard (did they waive the 3-second rule?)? Or maybe they just ran into a good team on a night when they weren't at their best. Eh. It happens.

What also happens is the Revolution getting to the Finals, sniffing victory, then having it yanked away. Taylor Twellman did what he does - score big goals - in the first half for a 1-0 lead, but the Houston Dynamo scored two in the second half to leave the Revs once again with only the scent of champagne in their nostrils.

One out of three.

(AP/ESPN photo by David Dupree.)