Sunday’s epic upset thriller in Buffalo became an instant classic. The undefeated Bills, wearing their spanking new Rivalry white ‘Cold Front’ uniforms, hosted New England for the final time at their old Highmark
Stadium. Fans dressed to create a ‘white-out’ vibe, but the outfits weren’t enough. The Patriots prevailed 23-20, in a gritty, turnover-fueled nail-biter that snapped Buffalo’s perfect record and sent New England soaring from rebuilding mediocrity straight into the playoff conversation.
The win was far from flawless, especially early on, but the victory belonged to the whole team. The difference on Sunday was how they battled back. The defense was solid, and Drake Maye put together a game-winning drive to set up rookie Andy Borregales for a last-second 52-yard field goal. Stefon Diggs described it as “electrifying” and I agree.
What happens next? The Patriots travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints. The league already decided this matchup wasn’t worth a late afternoon time slot and flexed it back to 1:00 pm. The Saints 1-4 record should be overlooked however, just as the Bills’ 4-0 record didn’t matter. If Mike Vrabel keeps his team motivated to face an opponent with only one win — and without the Bills division-rival energy — the Patriots will be fine. The Pats are favored by 3.5 points and I believe they will beat the Saints and improve to 4-2.
GO PATS!!
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Around the AFC East:
Buffalo Bills (4-1) at Atlanta Falcons (2-2)
New England Patriots (3-2) at New Orleans Saints (1-4)
Miami Dolphins (1-4) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (3-2)
New York Jets (0-5) vs. Denver Broncos (3-2)
AFC Matchups:
Indianapolis Colts (4-1) vs. Arizona Cardinals (2-3)
Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1) vs. Cleveland Browns (1-4)
Jacksonville Jaguars (4-1) vs. Seattle Seahawks (3-2)
Cincinnati Bengals (2-3) at Green Bay Packers (2-1-1)
Kansas City Chiefs (2-3) vs. Detroit Lions (4-1)
Houston Texans (2-3) – Bye
Baltimore Ravens (1-4) vs. Los Angeles Rams (3-2)
Tennessee Titans (1-4) at Las Vegas Raiders (1-4)
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13th – Pete Prisco (CBS Sports): Mike Vrabel has instilled a toughness on the defense and Drake Maye has arrived. They will be a tough battle every week and could push the Bills in the division. [+5]
14th – Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk): Coupled with North Carolina getting blown out (again), it was the franchise’s best weekend since winning Super Bowl LIII. [+9]
15th – Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News): The Patriots’ coming out party under Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels happened with Drake Maye, Stefon Diggs, the running game and defense coming through to make things interesting with the Bills in the AFC East again. [+6]
15th – Nate Davis (USA Today): Their next three opponents have a combined three wins. Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye seem on the cusp of resurrecting this franchise from its recent dormancy. [+7]
16th – Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports): Drake Maye had been playing quite well, and after Sunday’s performance in the upset over the Bills, everyone will start talking about him. That was his breakout game. The question is whether that win was a sign the Patriots might give a real scare to the Bills in the AFC East. [+5]
17th – NFL Nation (ESPN): Fantasy surprise: WR Stefon Diggs. Diggs became the first Patriots receiver to record consecutive 100-yard games since Julian Edelman in 2019, showing that he can still get down the field and make explosive plays — despite being ranked 41st in preseason fantasy rankings. Diggs has 16 catches for 247 yards and 40.7 fantasy points over the past two weeks. One of the knocks on him was that his yards after catch have decreased in recent seasons, but he has 131 so far in 2025. — Mike Reiss. [+4]
17th – Diante Lee (The Ringer): Drake Maye has arrived as a top-10 quarterback. Maye made quite the statement in his first prime-time game, out-dueling reigning MVP Josh Allen and leading a game-winning drive in the last two minutes on Sunday night. Maye’s arm talent and athletic traits are special, and there aren’t strong enough superlatives to describe how much heavy lifting he’s been doing for the Patriots offense. That said, I don’t think that Sunday’s performance was close to his best this year, and that speaks to how excellent he’s been. Maye is a game changer, and the AFC is officially on notice. [+5]
17th – Conor Orr (SI): It’s going to be difficult to properly contextualize what Sunday night’s win over the Buffalo Bills meant for Mike Vrabel and the rebuilding process. We left in awe of Drake Maye and Christian Gonzalez—and we hoped that Stefon Diggs continues to bring this kind of juice against teams he didn’t formerly play for. [+7]
17th – Ralph Vacchiano (FOX Sports): They deserve a huge jump because beating a Super Bowl favorite on the road in prime time isn’t easy. And the way quarterback Drake Maye and their defense played in Buffalo, they could make things tough for the Bills in the AFC East. [+7]
18th – Eric Edholm (NFL.com): The Patriots’ win over the Bills was Mike Vrabel’s clarion-call victory and the biggest one in New England in quite some time. The Pats went to Buffalo and dictated the style of play, even with an ugly beginning. Drake Maye overcame some first-half jitters and shaky pocket awareness to deliver an impressive second half, outdueling Josh Allen in the fourth quarter. Stefon Diggs delivered his dose of revenge, with more catches and yards than the next three busiest Patriots pass catchers. It was a heck of a game plan by the Patriots’ semi-maligned defense, too, and New England got a clutch kick from rookie Andy Borregales. The Pats’ next three games are against teams with one win apiece. [+5]
AVG RANK: 15.9 [+6.0]
