Logan Mankins, who missed Wednesday's practice with an illness, returned to Patriots practice on Thursday. Meanwhile, Albert Haynesworth, who missed Sunday's game in Buffalo with a back injury but was a limited participant in Wednesday's session, was not spotted for the media access portion of Thursday's practice.

Tom Brady took drastic action after throwing four interceptions in a single game. He had his hair cut. The QB whose locks have gone from short to shaggy in his 12 NFL seasons was freshly shorn for his weekly meeting with the media. On Wednesday, he wore a Patriots cap during the media session and in the locker room, but his hair no longer was flowing out of it.

Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch, who had 15 catches for 222 yards in the season's first two games, went catchless in the team's Week 3 loss to the Bills. "That was last week. I'm good. I promise I'm good," Branch said. "Last week is in the past. I'm moving forward, getting ready for Oakland." Branch had no catches, while Wes Welker grabbed 16 balls for 217 yards and a pair of touchdowns. "I just think overall, with the outcome of the game, had we won and not been on the loss side, it wouldn't be a big deal," Branch said. "Me personally, I want to make sure I do a whole lot more to contribute to the game. And I know Tom (Brady) wants to try to get me the football as much as he can. With that being said, I think him and Wes (Welker, the Pats receiver who came up with a career-high 16 catches for 217 yards), they were feeling it. They were in their groove. That happens during the course of a game. Trust me, that was a good thing."

Patriots wide receiver Chad Ochocinco dropped a sure touchdown pass in Sunday's loss to the Bills, but quarterback Tom Brady isn't holding a grudge. "He's been working hard at it. I think the last few weeks, he's really been much more involved in the game and playmaking," Brady said. "And we're going to need him. We're going to need every single player on the roster. "I have a lot of confidence in Chad -- he works hard, he wants to do the right thing, he studies. He spends time after practice trying to get it right. It's just been a lot for the new guys in particular, the rookies and the veteran free agents, to really take in, in a short amount of time. Chad is definitely making more plays for us, and that's important for our offense. They're going to have to defend everybody."

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has set the NFL record for most yards passing over a three-game stretch. Brady set the mark with a 23-yard completion to Wes Welker in the third quarter against the Bills on Sunday. He threw for 387 yards in the loss to Buffalo, allowing him to finish the afternoon with 1,327 yards.

Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson is expecting a shootout with the Patriots on Sunday afternoon. Both teams are 2-0. "I'm expecting a shootout," Johnson said. "I can't really speak for our defense. I'm just saying we have to put up numbers. If it is going to be a shootout, we have to be ready for it on the offensive side. We gotta bring it." Buffalo has scored 79 points in two games, the most in the NFL and Ryan Fitzpatrick is the first Bills quarterback since Jim Kelly to throw seven touchdown passes in the first two weeks of a season.

Patriots defensive end Andre Carter has been fined $15,000 for a hit on Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers last Sunday at Gillette Stadium. Carter said Friday he plans to appeal the fine. "Fed-Ex mail," Carter said of how he got the news. "I thought I was home free, but there ended up being a nice little letter on my seat. I kinda knew what it was. I opened it up and it notified me that I got fined." Carter got flagged for unnecessary roughness after leading with his helmet on a hit on Rivers at 13:16 of the second quarter on Sunday. Chargers defensive tackle Antonio Garay was also fined $15,000 from the same game, for hitting Tom Brady below the knee.

Patriots safety Patrick Chung will not play Sunday against the Bills after undergoing thumb surgery this week, according to reports. He missed practices Wednesday and Thursday. Chung broke his right thumb in Sunday's win over the Chargers but returned in the fourth quarter wearing a cast. He had surgery to stabilize the thumb.

Chargers defensive tackle Antonio Garay has been fined $15,000 for hitting Patriots quarterback Tom Brady below the knee last Sunday, according to a source. The incident happened in the third quarter of New England's 35-21 victory when Garay reached out his left arm into Brady's left knee. Brady, who escaped unscathed, on Monday credited the brace he was wearing on the knee for protecting him from a potentially devastating injury. "I'm glad I had a knee brace on," Brady said. "Those are scary when you've been through those ones before. He got me in a good spot and I'm glad the knee brace took the brunt of the force. Why I never wore a knee brace before (his season-ending ACL injury in 2008) I have no idea and why every quarterback doesn't wear one on their left knee I have no idea. It's just so unprotected."

Patriots safety Patrick Chung underwent surgery on his right thumb this week after injuring it Sunday against the Chargers, according to two sources. He did not practice Wednesday and his availability going forward hasn't been determined. Chung, a 2009 second-round draft pick, injured the right thumb in the third quarter of Sunday's game. The injury appeared to occur on a third-down play in which he jammed tight end Antonio Gates at the line of scrimmage.