FOXBORO -- When it was over and Tedy Bruschi was swaggering across the chewed-up field at Gillette Stadium, a snippet from The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" washed over the field.

Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.

Nice sentiment. But the new/old boss Bruschi rejoined a team last night that isn't quite the same as the one he played with before his stroke in February.

This one -- at least right now -- has its hands full with teams like the Buffalo Bills, a crew the Pats survived, 21-16, last night. It took a huge play by linebacker Rosevelt Colvin to save the Pats from what would have been an ignominious loss at home after their bye week.

Colvin flashed off the edge with 6:20 remaining and strip-sacked Bills quarterback Kelly Holcomb at the Buffalo 23. Two plays later, Corey Dillon was in the end zone after a one-yard run and the Patriots were on their way to a win that raises them to 4-3 and above .500 once again.

The Pats had to survive a tense drive late as the Bills got down to their 38. But an offensive pass-interference call on Eric Moulds wiped out a Buffalo first down on third-and-8 and the Bills couldn't pick up the first down after that as Holcomb threw short to Moulds, who was wrapped up by Hank Poteat short of the sticks.

In many ways, the night was Bruschi's.

"I'm a football player by trade," said Bruschi. "I did everything to make myself a football player again. I feel good. I'm back doing what I love. I considered this like a Super Bowl. I had to contain myself and my emotions over a long period. This was a very big game for me. Not just to show that I could play, but to help this team win."

And Bruschi realized that Colvin's play was the turning point.

"It was time to do something," said Bruschi. "We were in the huddle saying, 'Somebody do something.' He was the guy tonight and hopefully there will be other guys who do that for the rest of the year."

"That was a big turnover for us, obviously," said Bill Belichick. "We're still behind at that point. It was a big strip sack. No question, that was a key play."

Trailing 16-7 with 10 minutes to play, the Pats scored two touchdowns in a span of less than two minutes. The rally began with a 37-yard pass to Deion Branch that gave the Patriots a first down on the Buffalo 24. Five plays later, Dillon -- pressed into service because of a first-half injury to Patrick Pass -- went over from one yard out, cutting the Bills' lead to 16-14.

Then, on a second-and-seven from the Bills' 32, Colvin strip-sacked Holcomb and recovered the fumble at the Buffalo 23. Brady, sniffing blood, drilled a 22-yard pass to Branch that moved the ball to the Bills' 1. Dillon scored on the next play, giving New England the lead.

The Bills ran 39 first-half plays to New England's 20 and held the ball for 22:07 of the first 30 minutes of play. Fortunately for New England, the lopsided time of possession didn't translate into a lopsided score. The Bills had just a 23-yard Rian Lindell field goal to their credit at the break, which gave them a 3-0 lead.

But whatever was said in the New England locker room after its sputtering first half had sudden impact. Five plays into the second half, Brady hit Branch on a go-route over Bills corner Nate Clements for a 33-yard touchdown and a 7-3 lead.

The advantage lasted all of three plays, which was how long it took for Holcomb to find Pats corner Duane Starks trying unsuccessfully to cover Eric Moulds. Starks lost Moulds as he ran down the middle of the field and the result was a 55-yard touchdown that made it 10-7 early in the third.

That play made it clear that, despite all the hoopla and optimism accompanying Bruschi's return, the continued presence of underachievers like Starks is an ongoing issue.

The Pats' secondary finally turned in a big play later in the third quarter when Asante Samuel picked off a pass intended for Moulds, giving New England possession on the Buffalo 45. The Pats drove to the 27, but a seven-yard sack of Brady pushed them out of field-goal range and Josh Miller pinned the Bills at their own 3-yard line with a perfect pooch punt.

But it made no difference. Buffalo's offense drove from its 3 to the New England 17 over 11 relentless plays, leading to a 35-yard Lindell field goal that made the score 13-7. On the Pats' first play from scrimmage after the kickoff, Brady fumbled as he was hit attempting to pass, and Buffalo recovered at the Pats' 29. Lindell sneaked a 41-yard field goal just over the crossbar with 10:13 to play, making it a two-possession game at 16-7.

The Patriots had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds before halftime but Adam Vinatieri hooked a 44-yard attempt with seven seconds left. Vinatieri made a kick from 39 yards on the previous play, but that was wiped out by a delay-of-game penalty.