The Buffalo Bills had won 14 consecutive home games in the regular season. That wasn’t lost on head coach Mike Vrabel and the AFC East visitors.
The New England Patriots pulled off a 23-20 upset Sunday
night at Highmark Stadium, where things were tied with two minutes left to play.
Here’s a glance back on the 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff as different sides of the division move forward with 4-1 and 3-2 records.
Primetime Maye
Sunday in Orchard Park marked the first NFL primetime start for Drake Maye. The 23-year-old captain under center looked like himself under the lights. He completed 22-of-30 passes for 273 yards with no touchdowns and no turnovers against the Bills.
In what was a “great gauge” for the Patriots, Maye chipped in a dozen yards as a rusher. He got stronger with time. Beginning in “11” personnel after the Bills deferred, the opening drive moved the sticks once before ending in a third-and-7 sack and punt. The next possession ended with a catch that became a fumble recovery for linebacker Terrel Bernard. But a tie game became a 6-3 game by halftime as an 11-play drive featured connections of 22 yards and 10 yards. The lead would change hands more from there.
As the third quarter turned to the fourth quarter, the score read 13-10. Maye hit tenured tight end and co-captain Hunter Henry through a collision down the seam for 24 yards. A catch-and-run for 30 yards by a certain former Bill got the Patriots to the goal line. That 11-play, 90-yard drive would be capped off by a pitch for a 20-10 advantage with 12:10 to go. But by the two-minute warning, the matchup was tied at 20-20. A pinpoint sideline throw behind safety Cole Bishop landed in the gasp of wide receiver Kayshon Boutte. And in bounds for 19 to put the Patriots on the doorstep of attempting a game-winning field goal.
Stevenson’s third lost fumble followed by two touchdowns
A three-headed backfield worked as one last week versus the Carolina Panthers. Versus the last unbeaten team left in the NFL, it needed to be more of the same. Only two units around the league had given up more rushing yards altogether than defensive coordinator Bobby Babich’s 657.
Rhamondre Stevenson turned seven carries into 14 yards and two catches into 13 yards on Sunday night, giving the Patriots a 13-10 and then a 20-10 lead. The starting running back’s two touchdown plunges arrived in the second half after he lost his third fumble of the year. There was no margin for error. Or so it seemed.
Antonio Gibson subbed in for 26 yards from scrimmage across seven opportunities. Yet the do-it-all veteran stayed down, clutching his right knee, after fumbling on kickoff return that the Patriots recovered in the second quarter. He limped off the field with the help of the training staff and was quickly ruled out. That put eyes on TreVeyon Henderson in a healthy backfield of two. Fresh off his first career trip to the end zone, the No. 38 overall pick finished with 27 yards worth of offense through eight touches.
Diggs’ goes over 100 again in return
Stefon Diggs led the NFL in receptions and receiving yards during his inaugural year with the Bills. From 2020 through 2023, his stay brought four Pro Bowls. It also brought second-team and first-team All-Pros. The veteran wideout hadn’t been back since being traded away.
That changed on Sunday. The return included defensive pass interference as well as a Patriots-high 10 catches for 146 yards over the course of 12 targets, beginning with a bootleg on the first snap. Diggs’ second look gave way to a drop on third-and-3. But a circuitous route ended with a 32-yard completion on the boundary, and more moments would be made. The toe-dragging game captain hit the century mark for the second time in as many weeks. He started alongside another former Bill in Mack Hollins, who delivered a key block on a touchdown run, and the aforementioned Boutte.
New England’s receiver room continued to go with the five as undrafted rookie Efton Chism III remained a healthy inactive. Through four games, Buffalo’s defense conceded just 5.5 yards per pass attempt and 8.8 yards per reception.
Rookie back into the starting five
A week after Ben Brown stepped in on the interior, the Patriots went back to the same starting five as before. A rookie’s clearance following ankle and knee injuries made that possible.
The Patriots had Jared Wilson on hand at left guard with No. 4 overall pick Will Campbell at left tackle. The results in pass protection appeared more than passable in the hostile environment. Veteran center Garrett Bradbury, right guard Mike Onwenu and right tackle Morgan Moses stood nearby against a Bills defense standing with nine sacks on the fall.
Two early sacks followed on Sunday. The sophomore quarterback’s movement in the pocket figured to play a part in them. Greg Rousseau had a solo on the inside, while A.J. Epenesa and Deone Walker had a split on the blindside. Patriots reserve tackle Vederian Lowe reported in as part of an unbalanced line and was called for a false start on a third-and-1 in the late stages of the fourth quarter. The untimely miscue led to a scramble for a loss of two and a punt back to the Bills.
Outlasting the reigning NFL MVP
The 2024 NFL MVP awaited the Patriots. Josh Allen went 22-of-31 through the air for 253 yards with two touchdowns, one interception and one fumble from there.
The fumble was recovered by rookie defensive tackle Joshua Farmer, who was later flagged for a late hit, to end the opening series. A punt ended the next. Another turnover by ground followed for the offense before a field goal arrived in the red zone. A single sack was in the cards for New England’s exhausted defense. The duo of Milton Williams and Christian Barmore occupied the interior, with the latter drawing a hold and the former splitting a third-and-7 takedown.
A blitzing, recovering Jaylinn Hawkins was joined at safety by rookie Craig Woodson versus tight end Dalton Kincaid’s team-best 108 receiving yards. Yet the dam finally broke after halftime on a drive that never touched the turf. Wideout Curtis Samuel walked in from the left flat to give Buffalo’s offense its first touchdown.
Marcus Jones started in the nickel secondary. The reigning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week deflected a third-and-10 pass and then intercepted a red-zone ball intended for the shifty Khalil Shakir underneath. A penalty for unnecessary roughness was overcome. But as additional flags sustained drives, Allen would have chances to respond. He found an open Keon Coleman in the back of the end zone to cut the deficit to 20-17. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound rebounder soon circled back to move the chains against cornerback Carlton Davis III on third-and-6. But a pair of standout plays in coverage by All-Pro Christian Gonzalez forced a field goal with 2:17 remaining.
Cook’s explosiveness contained
No tackles could be missed with James Cook in the Buffalo backfield. As a rusher and a receiver, Pro Football Focus had charted the big play waiting to happen for forcing a combined 23 on the campaign. All the while, 100 scrimmage yards had been reached in every game.
Not on Sunday. The running back finished with 49 over the course of 15 touches, while his quarterback led the way with 53 yards rushing.
Harold Landry III and Keion White started off the edges after K’Lavon Chaisson was downgraded from questionable on the eve of the kickoff. Christian Elliss, who corralled an open-field tackle for no gain on the first defensive down, stayed a starting linebacker for New England. So did captain Robert Spillane en route to a team-high eight tackles as well as a forced fumble. Jahlani Tavai rotated around the front and showed up in run support upon being activated from injured reserve.
Borregales, Baringer deliver to the end
Andy Borregales converted on 3-of-3 field goals and 2-of-2 extra points on Sunday. The rookie kicker split the uprights from 30 to get the Patriots on the board. He then made good from 19 yards out heading into intermission.
And with 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the University of Miami product was called upon from long distance. The 52-yarder held true. It was followed up by a clock-absorbing kickoff into the landing zone. A 23-20 upset it’d be.
New England punted four times in four quarters. Bryce Baringer made them count. The 2023 draft choice turned in an average of 47.8 yards per punt, lofting the ball down to the home 14, 14, 10. His last traveled a season-long 73 yards.
