The Buffalo Bills had a chance to put some distance between themselves and the field in the race for their sixth-consecutive AFC East Division title. Instead, they shot themselves in the foot multiple
times in increasingly frustrating fashion, losing 23-20 to a New England Patriots squad that came in fired up and ready to play.
Buffalo had plenty of chances, but while their defense came out strong, the offense sputtered for the game’s first 30 minutes. By the time the offense found some semblance of rhythm, the defense was unable to maintain theirs. Three turnovers, 11 accepted penalties, and plenty of missed chances later, the Bills had their first loss of the 2025 season.
The Patriots won the game by exploiting issues in Buffalo’s game that we’ve discussed before, but they also were able to do some things that threw the Bills for a loop, both on offense and defense. Buffalo needed big performances from their big players, and thanks to a tough Patriots’ defense, those big performances did not materialize.
Here’s how our five Bills to watch performed on Sunday night.
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QB Josh Allen
Before we start this, let me be clear: Allen did not play poorly. He was the team’s leading rusher, carrying nine times for 53 yards. He completed 22-of-31 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns. While the rushing statistic is problematic, it’s indicative of how tough the Patriots’ run defense is this season. The passing numbers look good, as well, but there’s one big thing missing: A red-zone interception. Allen threw into double-coverage on a second down late in quarter number three, trying to squeeze a ball in to Khalil Shakir when nobody, including Shakir, was open.
Allen said in his press conference that Shakir was “coming friendly” and he just “left the ball inside,” which allowed “the kid to make a play.” That “kid” is New England cornerback Marcus Jones. Buffalo had been inside the 10, and they were looking like they were going to score and take the lead. An offensive pass interference penalty on Shakir set up the 2nd & 13 play from the Patriots’ 19. If Allen scrambles, throws it away, takes a sack, the Bills live to fight another down, and perhaps they end up with a Matt Prater field goal to tie. It’s one of a few “what-ifs” in this one, but it’s not the biggest that I’d put on Allen’s decision-making.
On Buffalo’s final scoring drive, Allen bailed on a clean pocket, as he was likely anticipating pressure that never came. You can watch the play here. If Allen stays in the pocket, the play design works as intended — the flood to the strong side of the field draws the defense, leaving a wide-open Curtis Samuel going the opposite way around the New England five-yard line. Instead, Allen scrambled, passed up a checkdown to Dalton Kincaid, didn’t see Shakir until he had already cut back while avoiding a pass rusher, and threw the ball late. Did Christian Gonzalez hit Shakir before the ball arrived? Yep. Should it have mattered in the outcome of the game? Nope.
Allen is human. He isn’t going to play like a cyborg-human hybrid at all times. Sometimes, a defense can trick him into thinking one thing when it’s actually another. The Patriots gave a lot of zone looks that were actually man-to-man Sunday night, and as a result, the Bills’ receivers sometimes had trouble winning their matchups. Given that he was expecting one thing and found another post-snap, Allen had to hold the ball for a long time, and there were so many defenders in coverage that the windows were exceptionally tight.
Once he found some rhythm, the offense moved the ball fine. But, three turnovers — the Allen interception, a botched handoff on a jet sweep to Dawson Knox, of all people, and a Keon Coleman fumble when he finally entered after a disciplinary benching — and a boatload of penalties for the second-straight week did not help matters at all.
If Allen and the offense play an average first half, this is a game Buffalo wins by 10 points, especially given how well the defense played in those first 30 minutes. Unfortunately, the offense’s wakeup call coincided with the defense’s inability to maintain that strong play for the final 30 minutes. It happens. Luckily for the Bills, it happened in October when they still might learn from it.
RB James Cook
Buffalo’s top rusher was ineffective, as the Patriots clearly made it their mission to ensure that a few of Cook’s streaks stopped this week. He failed to find the end zone for the first time in Buffalo’s last nine regular-season games. He also did not eclipse the 100-yard mark from scrimmage for the first time this season. What I don’t understand is why I have to sit here anfter the game agreeing with Cris Collinsworth, who said on the broadcast that the Bills needed to find a way to use Cook more in the passing game.
Aside from Allen, Cook is the team’s most dynamic offensive player. If the run game is being shut down, the Bills need to scheme ways for Cook to catch the ball in space. They can dial up a jet sweep to Dawson Knox and an orbit motion for Curtis Samuel, so I think they can find a creative way to make sure that No. 4 has the ball in his hands somewhere on an edge.
He carried 15 times for just 49 yards and was targeted just once in the passing game on a ball that Josh Allen threw low and behind him while under duress.
DT Deone Walker
This guy is going to be a problem for opposing offenses for years to come. Walker was solid once again, helping to bolster a pass rush that pressured Drake Maye on 20 dropbacks. Walker had three tackles, one of which went for a loss, and half a sack on the evening. He started the game next to DaQuan Jones and played 60% of the snaps on defense. That’s a far cry from the 15-20% snap share he saw in the early going.
With second-round pick T.J. Sanders missing the game, and veteran Ed Oliver still out for his fourth-straight contest, the Bills had two practice-squad players backing up Walker and Jones, so the two starters saw a heavier-than-usual snap share. Walker reacted quite well. This early season success can only build confidence, and with Oliver and Larry Ogunjobi soon to join the rotation, Buffalo could have a strong second-wind along the defensive line.
LB Matt Milano/LB Shaq Thompson
Both? Yep, both. I didn’t want to put the jinx on Milano, but the thought did cross my mind that he would play the whole way… if he could only avoid hurting himself again. And, sure enough, he did hurt himself again, aggravating his right pectoral injury on the Patriots’ final drive of the first half. He played 32 defensive snaps in that first half, totaling six tackles in what was a strong overall effort.
I’ve read some people calling Milano a liability, but I agree with that only in the sense that he just can’t stay healthy anymore. When he’s on the field, he’s a savage.
Head coach Sean McDermott termed Milano’s injury “week-to-week,” however, so we’ll likely see more of Thompson, who was also strong in this one. Thompson played on 67% of the team’s total snaps, and he made five tackles on the night. He forced a Rhamondre Stevenson fumble just one play after the aforementioned Dawson Knox jet-sweep fumble, which was credited to Allen as a muffed handoff. Thompson added a sack on an impressive chase-down of Maye from the back side of a play in the fourth quarter.
He also missed Stefon Diggs on the first play of New England’s game-winning drive, but as we mentioned in our five Patriots to watch article last week, if Diggs ended up matched up against linebackers and safeties in a zone setting, he was going to carve it up. And carve it up, he did. Thompson, though, wasn’t the most at fault for that.
CB Tre’Davious White
Yikes. Another week, another example of Tre’Davious White just not even being close to the guy he was from 2017-2023. An ACL tear, an Achilles tear, and a 30th birthday will add up to that for an NFL cornerback, and while White showed some juice at the end of last season with the Baltimore Ravens, that was as their CB4. He’s currently slotting in as Buffalo’s CB2, and that is not the right place for him right now.
White had four tackles, including one tackle for loss, but he was consistently abused in coverage, especially when Diggs was the man across from him. The Bills did try to use White on Hunter Henry or Austin Hooper, their tight ends, which was something that I anticipated. White is still feisty enough to handle bigger players, but anyone who can cut quickly is too much for him right now. With all the man-to-man Buffalo is playing, he’s been exposed often.
White is a great human being, and he was once a great player for the Bills. He is still a great human being, but he is no longer a great player, and it’s looking more like he’s a flat-out liability. I hate writing that, as I’m hard-pressed to come up with a much more loveable player on a team full of loveable players.However, the Bills need to hope that Maxwell Hairston can return and contribute, or it could be a very long season in the defensive backfield.
