Bruschi’s back as Patriots rally

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Tedy Bruschi was back in the middle of things on Sunday night: calling plays in the huddle, waving his teammates into position, barking out assignments.

The New England Patriots linebacker was on the field for the first time since February, when he suffered a stroke three days after the Pro Bowl that put his playing career in jeopardy and made his health the concern of the two-time defending Super Bowl champions and their fans.

“I’m back to doing what I love,” Bruschi said after the Patriots beat the Buffalo Bills 21-16. “Sometimes, you’ve just got to pick yourself off the ground and get back to living your life. That’s all I was trying to do.”

Bruschi had two tackles and five assists in New England’s 21-16 victory over the Buffalo Bills, playing most of the defensive downs, but sitting out some of the second quarter.

“I think everyone’s happy to see him out there,” coach Bill Belichick said. “But we’ve got to do our own jobs. We can’t just rely on him to show up, and everything falls into place.”

Corey Dillon, who struggled most of the season before missing his previous game with an ankle injury, came on to score on two 1-yard runs as the Patriots rallied after trailing 16-7 in the fourth quarter.

Trailing 16-14, New England (4-3) got the ball at the 23-yard line of Buffalo (3-5) when Rosevelt Colvin stripped it from quarterback Kelly Holcomb and recovered with 6:14 left. Tom Brady hit Deion Branch for a 22-yard gain, then Dillon, who rushed for more than 100 yards just once this season, scored his second touchdown of the game.