FOXBORO, Mass. -- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady won't be the only player in Sunday's Week 4 game against the Buffalo Bills who's giving Father Time a run for his money.
Frank Gore is still a quality starting running back in his 15th NFL season, and he's the Bills' leading rusher ahead of this weekend's AFC East showdown.
Patriots running back Brandon Bolden played with Gore on the Miami Dolphins last season, and he used the opportunity to find out what's allowed the veteran 36-year-old veteran to play for so long.
"I actually got the pleasure of spending last year with Frank, so I kinda got to pick his brain a little bit," Bolden said. "Frank's a phenomenal player, a phenomenal man. I just kinda picked up on the things he's picked up on over the past (15 years). It's just been remarkable how he's been able to stay healthy and everything like that. To him, hats off to him."
Gore has rushed for 164 yards with two touchdowns through three games. His best performance of the young season came in Week 3, when he ran for 76 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries (5.4 yards per rush) in a 21-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
In fact, Gore needs only 358 more yards to pass Barry Sanders for third place on the NFL's career rushing yards list. When asked about Gore earlier this week, Belichick immediately pointed to the veteran running back's spot on that leaderboard as evidence of his fantastic career.
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"Fourth-leading rusher all-time in NFL history. I think that pretty much says it all right there," Belichick told reporters Wednesday. "Guy's a great player, great competitor. He's hard to tackle, just a good football player."
New England's run defense will present a tough test for Gore, and vice versa. The Patriots have allowed the fewest rushing yards per carry and per game this season, along with zero rushing touchdowns scored against them. The Bills have run the ball quite well, though, and they rank fifth in rushing yards per game and are among just three teams with five or more rushing touchdowns through three games.
Something has to give Sunday at New Era Field in Buffalo.
Patriots head to Buffalo trying to extend this impressive win streak>>>
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