Talk about a bounce-back.
Failing to perform at an adequate level in all three phases, the New England Patriots were seemingly in the gutter following their Week 3 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. And things did not look much better either with a 1-2 record in hand, traveling to Buffalo to take on an unbeaten Bills team that had a strong case as the best in the AFC if not the entire league.
And yet, it mattered not. The Patriots set the tone from the early first quarter on and managed to overcome
a hostile environment as well as a rollercoaster ride of momentum. The end result was a 29-26 victory that saw a team much more in line with the preseason expectation.
Our weekly film review backs this up, and the grades look accordingly.
Patriots film review from NFL Week 4
Quarterback: Talk about confident quarterback play. Drake Maye didn’t eliminate the turnovers on Sunday, losing a fumble and throwing an interception — although he is only partially to blame for both — but he bounced back from those and a handful of other shaky moments in impressive fashion. That is the biggest takeaway from the win over the Bills, and it directly impacted how he operated on the field and within a well-structured and sequenced game plan. Maye anticipated passing windows more consistently, spread the ball around well, maneuvered the pocket well in the face of pressure, and was a threat as a runner. The entire offense looked much more in-sync in Week 4, and it started with a quarterback who hasn’t performed on this high a level since late during the 2025 regular season. | Grade: A-
Running back: The final numbers for Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson did not look particularly impressive, with neither posting a positive expected points added per play or reaching 4.0 yards per carry. That being said, both backs ran hard and had some positive moments. Stevenson had successful runs twice in short-yardage, including a 1-yard touchdown, and was quick to the hole on a well-blocked trap run, whereas Henderson operated well when designed to get in space (see: his second-quarter reverse run for 11 yards). They also broke a combined five tackles between them and did not give up a single pressure in 10 total pass-blocking reps. | Grade: B-
Wide receiver: Already down A.J. Brown, the Patriots entered Week 4 with a starting duo of Romeo Doubs and Mack Hollins. However, the latter was lost to a non-contact calf injury in the early third quarter, forcing the team to adjust at the position once again. They did by inserting Efton Chism into the lineup, and the second-year receiver made two of the game’s biggest receptions on the game-winning drive — including a 23-yard touchdown with one hand to give New England the decisive lead. Chism’s exploits made him a popular player postgame, for better or for worse, but so should have been Romeo Doubs. Playing his best game as a Patriot, the offseason signing showed good chemistry and timing with Maye as the a pair finished with six connections for 58 yards and a pair of scores. DeMario Douglas contributed 15 yards on two consecutive catches, with the second an excellent toe-tap on the sideline to move the chains on 3rd-and-5, while Kyle Williams was once again quiet — in part because Maye over-shot him on a go ball just before the Chism touchdown. | Grade: A–
Tight end: Hunter Henry played his best game of the season on Sunday, which is good news for an offense needing him as a security outlet capable of exploiting soft zones and staying on the same page as his quarterback on extended plays. His five catches for 62 yards were both a season-high and included the game-clincher in the fourth quarter. Most encouraging, however, might have been his performance as a blocker. Eli Raridon was actively involved but not quite as successful in either areas of his position, while also missing some reps with an ankle injury. | Grade: B-
Offensive line: Even though the offense as a whole operated at its highest level to date, the offensive line did not. The unit was particularly susceptible to pressure in the run game, with left tackle Will Campbell playing his most uneven game of the season against a talented edge rotation. He mostly limited the damage but on the whole allowed the operation to be disrupted on multiple occasions, either through pressures or penalties. Elsewhere along the line, the consistency was similarly lacking. Alijah Vera-Tucker was shaky as a pass blocker but had some good run blocks; Jared Wilson had two bad snaps but is seemingly starting to settle down as a pass protector; Ben Brown had some unsurprising highs and lows in his first start and needs to build better chemistry with Morgan Moses on line games, while Moses himself whiffed on a 5-yard tackle for loss but generally looked better than he did last week. | Grade: C-
Defensive line: Even with Christian Barmore sidelined, the interior defensive line looked improved compared to last week’s loss in Jacksonville. Milton Williams continues to be stout without making the impact plays just yet, while Leonard Taylor worked his way into the backfield to pressure Josh Allen twice. Meanwhile, the edge trio of Dre’Mont Jones (pressure on Allen’s INT), Elijah Ponder (sack, fumble recover) and Gabe Jacas (multiple impressive reps vs. Pro Bowler Dion Dawkins) continues to contribute in a positive and most importantly disruptive way. There are still some questions about the overall group’s ability to slow down the run, though, with James Cook finding some perimeter success in the second half and the nose tackles — be it Cory Durden or DaQuan Jones — still getting pushed back too much. | Grade: A-
Linebacker: Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss continue to play some solid football at the second level of New England’s defense. The former was all over the place, notching a forced fumble, quarterback pressure and run stuff all while disguising looks well and helping cover Josh Allen’s favorite target heading into the game, tight end Dalton Kincaid (1 catch, 7 yards). Elliss continued to be quick to the ball, either as a spy against Allen or as a enforcer against crossing patterns; Dawson Knox probably still feels the hit the veteran had against him in the first half. | Grade: B+
Cornerback: One would imagine that some of the Bills’ big passing plays would not have happened if the Patriots had Christian Gonzalez available; especially Buffalo’s final touchdown, when Keon Coleman fully exploited Charles Woods’ outside leverage with a stutter move. Woods in general had some uneven moments, as had starter Carlton Davis; both were beaten at some point for sizable gains. Davis, however, showed his instincts and ability to play downhill again. Marcus Jones was solid in coverage but he missed a pair of tackles and his run defense looked dubious at times. All in all and given the circumstances, however, the unit still faired reasonably well. | Grade: B-
Safety: Craig Woodson capped his return after a one-week absence by hauling in a big interception in the late fourth quarter. Both he and fellow starter Kevin Byard however, were badly positioned on multiple of Buffalo’s big plays. Not every team has the quarterback to take advantage, but those inconsistencies defending deep zones is an issue the two will need to fix moving forward. | Grade: C+
Special teams: The Patriots’ special teams operation looked a lot cleaner than last week, with Andy Borregales making all three of his extra points and Marcus Jones registering 17 yards on one of his two punt returns. He also had the looks-like-a-fumble-but-isn’t play in the first quarter that could have been one of the most impressive big plays of the season had it not been stopped after 1 yard. Speaking of not quite getting there, the kickoff return game is best classified as a work in progress with punter Mitch Wishnowsky solid but not endorsing himself for the job either should Bryce Baringer return to practice. | Grade: B–
How would you grade the Patriots’ performance against the Bills? Do you agree with our assessment? Please head down to the comment section to discuss with the rest of the community.
