The New England Patriots strolled into Orchard Park as David with a slingshot, ready to take on the unbeaten Goliath Buffalo Bills.
There was no Christian Gonzalez, no Christian Barmore and no A.J. Brown for the Patriots in a head-to-head clash with the Josh Allen-led Bills team. Injuries, early-season struggles and uncharacteristic mistakes by the 24-year-old quarterback, Drake Maye, had New England on the verge of imploding three games into the season.
But not so fast.
The Patriots twirled that slingshot around and hit Goliath square in the head, knocking him out for the shocking 29-26 win on Sunday. And it all starts with Maye, who came out and played his best game of the season. The third-year quarterback finished the game going 22-of-37 passing
for 269 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. The lone interception came on a dropped pass by Romeo Doubs.
Speaking of Doubs, after struggling to get in sync with Maye through the first three games, the veteran receiver finally broke out with six catches for 58 yards and two touchdowns.
The Patriots' offense looked as efficient as it looked all of last season in a tough environment, and it crescendoed on Maye's game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter that ended with a ridiculous 23-yard touchdown catch by wideout Efton Chism III.
Efton Chism III, that is UNREAL.@NEvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+
— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/XPxjrC59nJ
But this game wasn't just about the offense.
The Patriots' defense was sensational on a day when they didn't have Gonzalez and Barmore. They kept James Cook from blowing the game wide open, and they also held the red-hot tight end, Dalton Kincaid, to only one catch for seven yards.
And they made Superman Allen look less than.
The play of the day on the defensive side of the ball was safety Craig Woodson rising up and snagging an interception on Allen to get the ball back to the Patriots' offense and close the game.
CRAIG WOODSON PICK‼️
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 4, 2026
📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/lXT5PJsZ1U
With the victory, the Patriots improve to 2-2 with their next two games scheduled to be in Foxborough against the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets. It's a dramatic turnaround for an improving team that should only get more dangerous as they continue to get healthier.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Instant analysis of Patriots' shocking 29-26 upset win over Bills
