Bledsoe, Martin Help Patriots Get Past Bills, 27-14 : AFC: Buffalo loses Thomas, and NFL’s lowest-scoring team gets a boost from its rookie running back.

FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots found their offense on a rare Monday night appearance and the Buffalo Bills had neither Coach Marv Levy nor Thurman Thomas to stop them.

Rookie Curtis Martin, with 127 rushing yards, and Drew Bledsoe had their best games of the season as New England won, 27-14, ending its five-game slide and Buffalo’s five-game winning streak.

“That, by far, was our best effort of the year,” Patriot Coach Bill Parcells said.

The Bills (5-2) remained in first place in the AFC East. The Patriots (2-5) were the NFL’s lowest-scoring team but renewed their playoff hopes against a team that began the weekend with the NFL’s top-rated defense.

“I by no means think that we’ve turned any corners or anything,” Parcells said. “Coincidentally, we beat a team that’s leading the division. This division is a long way from over.”

With Levy recovering from surgery for prostate cancer, assistant coach Elijah Pitts handled the Bills. But six minutes into the game, Buffalo lost Thomas, who pulled a left hamstring after a strong start and did not return.

“Obviously there was something I didn’t do for the team that the team needed,” Pitts said.

But he minimized the absence of Thomas, saying, “We did exactly the same thing we had planned for Thurman. We didn’t back down with anything we had. It just didn’t work.”

Bledsoe, who didn’t throw a touchdown pass until his fifth game of the season, completed 23 of 40 passes for 262 yards and a five-yard touchdown to Vincent Brisby.

Martin rushed 36 times, two less than Jim Nance’s team record, and scored on a 20-yard run. He had rushed for 102 yards in his pro debut but only 186 in his next five games.

The Patriots, in their first Monday night game in eight seasons and the first at home in 14, recovered three fumbles and had four sacks against a team that had lost only three fumbles and been sacked seven times all season.

Thomas’ fumble on his first carry led to Martin’s touchdown. His replacement, rookie Darick Holmes, lost a fumble on the first play of the second half and Matt Bahr followed with a 39-yard field goal for a 24-14 lead.

Thomas was injured on a 20-yard run to a first down at the New England 11-yard line. He was taken to the locker room on a cart and finished with 42 yards on four carries. He also caught two passes, setting a team record with receptions in 43 consecutive games.

The Patriots scored first for the first time in four games on Martin’s 20-yard run 4:26 into the game, the earliest they’ve scored this season.

Steve Christie’s two 23-yard field goals cut the lead to 7-6 after the first quarter. The Patriots responded with a 12-play, 70-yard march capped by Bledsoe’s five-yard pass to Brisby that made the score 14-6.

Dave Meggett’s three-yard run made it 21-6 with 1:57 left in the half, but the Patriots couldn’t stop the Bills after that.