BY NICK ST. DENIS
The New England Patriots' last meeting with the Buffalo Bills sparked running back Stevan Ridley's 2013 fumbling campaign.
Ridley's second-quarter fumble in in that Week 1 game was returned 74 yards for a touchdown. He went on to lose a fumble in three consecutive games later in the season, which led to his benching.
Since getting pulled from a contest at the end of November and de-activated the following week, the Patriots have eased him back into the lineup, and last week, he saw the most rushing attempts in a single game since Week 10.
Heading into a Week 17 matchup with the Bills that still has playoff implications for the division champs, Ridley is determined to keep trending in a positive direction. To do so, he must stick to the basics.
"Hold on tight, that’s all I can tell you because there’s no magic words, there’s not one thing I can do,” Ridley said this week, via WEEI. "I can’t change the player that I am. I just have to go out there and play ball.
". . . These upcoming games we’re trying to be mistake-free and if we can be mistake-free it definitely gives us the upper hand and the better chance of winning the ballgame. And that’s all our coaches are trying to do. There’s no hard feelings [regarding playing time]. I’m just trying to win every game from here on out, the Bills included, and that’s our team’s focus right now."
Sunday, Ridley will be up against a defense that has given up 4.2 yards a carry and forced just four fumbles all season. If he wants to make a case for a larger role in the postseason, now is the time.
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