Gillette Stadium hadn’t been home to the AFC East champions since the 2019 season.
The wait didn’t end there on Sunday. The New England Patriots saw a 21-point lead, a 10-game win streak and an opportunity
to clinch the division slip away with a 35-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Here’s a glance back on the 1 p.m. ET kickoff as head coach Mike Vrabel’s side moves closer to January with an 11-3 record.
Maye kept under 200 passing yards for first time in 2025
As snowflakes headed to Foxborough, so did a Bills team that had won the AFC East in five consecutive years. No hat and T-shirt followed for Drake Maye.
The Patriots quarterback completed 14-of-23 passes for a season-low 155 yards with one interception on Sunday. As a rusher, he made two visits to the end zone in the first quarter before the switch flipped.
Taking the field in “11” personnel, the opening drive spanned eight plays and 73 yards on the way to a read-option keeper in the low red zone. A punt arrived next time out for offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ group. But a 17-yard scramble, double-pass trickery and a designed shotgun draw would be the response for a 14-0 advantage. It grew to 21 unanswered points.
A field goal made it a 24-7 lead by halftime. By then, 80 percent of third downs had been converted. All the while, just a pair of passes had hit the turf on the way to Maye averaging 9.8 yards per throw and 10.8 yards per run. After the break, however, first downs and touchdowns proved tough to find for the Patriots. Not for the Bills.
Maye was picked off by veteran cornerback Tre’Davious White on a third-and-25 deep shot. New England twice faced deficits in the fourth quarter. A pass through the hands of tight end Hunter Henry sent the punt team on with 5:19 remaining. Possession returned with 2:43 to play, but a turnover on downs was the result.
Wideouts log eight catches against Benford-less Bills
New England’s wide receiver unit combined for eight catches against a defense missing Christian Benford due to a toe injury. Buffalo’s top cornerback had intercepted passes in consecutive games before going from questionable to inactive 90 minutes prior to kickoff.
Kayshon Boutte got things underway with a diving 30-yard pickup down the right sideline versus speedy rookie corner Maxwell Hairston. That marked his lone reception. It also marked the longest aerial connection of the day for the room.
The LSU product started alongside former Bills. Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins combined for 67 receiving yards over the course of seven connections. The latter climbed the ladder on a dig route for 18 yards, while the former crossed underneath for 16 yards to move the chains on a third-and-4.
Stevenson, Henderson fire on all cylinders
The Bills entered Sunday allowing 135.2 rushing yards per game. With help from No. 10, the Patriots gouged away for a season-best 246.
Starting running back Rhamondre Stevenson turned six carries into 50 yards on the ground. His afternoon began behind a pulling right tackle and a 15-yard tone-setter up the middle. TreVeyon Henderson spelled in by the second offensive snap and wound up with 14 carries. For the reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month, those carries became a career-best 148 yards.
A 52-yard touchdown on a power run was logged by the Ohio State separator as halftime neared. Another breakaway followed. This time, in 65-yard fashion to give New England a 31-28 lead. Those marked his seventh and eighth scores of the campaign.
The backfield tandem accounted for 63 yards from scrimmage in the first quarter and 147 yards by halftime. New England’s depth chart was rounded out by three-time standard elevation D’Ernest Johnson, who officially signed to the 53-man roster on the eve of the divisional matchup as Terrell Jennings landed on injured reserve.
Rookie returns to road-grading line
After being carted to the locker room with a high ankle sprain in November, Jared Wilson ultimately only missed one game. The rookie left guard went without a game designation and was back among the five by Sunday.
Vederian Lowe got his second start of the campaign at left tackle for the Patriots with No. 4 overall pick Will Campbell on injured reserve. Garrett Bradbury, an ironman through 843 offensive snaps, resided at center next to right guard Mike Onwenu and right tackle Morgan Moses. A false start and a holding penalty would be in the cards for the line on an afternoon that brought two sacks for the Bills. From shotgun, ex-Boston College linebacker Matt Milano hit home for both after halftime.
Swing tackle Thayer Munford Jr., in his second stint of the season with the Patriots, reported as an eligible tight end early and often en route to rushing scores. The conditions called for bully ball.
Trying to outlast Allen for a second time
The Patriots survived the 2024 NFL MVP in October. In December, it was time to do so again.
Josh Allen went 19-of-28 passing for 193 yards on Sunday. The Bills quarterback did so while delivering three touchdowns and no turnovers. Facing a spy and stunts, he rushed for 48 yards and was sacked twice, courtesy of outside linebacker Harold Landry III and inside linebacker Jack Gibbens.
Punts would be forced on back-to-back-back drives. That was the case after an overturned 35-yard completion to 2017 Patriots trade acquisition Brandin Cooks, plus a third-and-9 takedown and a third-and-15 checkdown. But the visitors got on the board and headed into halftime with 76 yards worth of offense. Another 273 yards worth of offense would be amassed. Two more touchdowns through the air would be, too, as the divisional deficit evaporated.
Christian Gonzalez, who spent time shadowing big-bodied Buffalo targets Dalton Kincaid and Keon Coleman, roamed around secondary. But fellow corner Carlton Davis III spent time in the locker room due to a groin injury in the third quarter. That sent August waiver claim Charles Woods on. Moments later, safety Craig Woodson was called for holding on third-and-5 and the Bills capitalized with a third consecutive touchdown.
It swelled to four in a row and then five in a row. After netting 37 yards on fourth-and-3 in the final quarter, Allen climbed and fired toward Dawson Knox in the back of the end zone. The tight end hung on for his second TD catch of the day as the Bills took a 28-24 lead. That score held for 14 seconds of game clock.
Cook breaks through for a hat-trick
Last time New England crossed paths with Buffalo, James Cook finished with 49 rushing yards across 15 carries. He finished without a reception in that 23-20 final at Highmark Stadium, as well.
Not on Sunday. The Bills running back beat linebacker Christian Elliss to the flat for a five-yard, walk-in touchdown catch to make it a 21-7 game. An extending, third-and-goal touchdown followed to make it a 24-21 game. So did an 11-yard run to make it a 35-31 game.
By outing’s end, Cook’s 22 carries became 107 yards along with the hat-trick.
Still missing Milton Williams, the Patriots had Christian Barmore, Khyiris Tonga and Joshua Farmer occupying the interior defensive line. Anfernee Jennings made his first start of the year off the edge. Behind them, Robert Spillane was active on his 30th birthday despite carrying a questionable tag due to a foot injury. But the team captain and tackle leader was not among the trio of linebackers getting the nod off the ball.
Patriots pierced in the kicking game
Ray Davis posed a problem for Patriots special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer & Co.
The Bills kickoff returner broke through for a 45-yard runback in the first quarter, a 38-yard runback in the second quarter and a 58-yard runback in the third quarter. That midfield position ultimately gave way to 14 points.
Penalty flags were also endured by New England’s transitional phase. A facemask by captain Brenden Schooler, a hold by core linebacker Marte Mapu, as well as a false start by long snapper Julian Ashby hit the gamebook on a Sunday that got away.
