The Patriots raced to a 14-0 lead over the Bills with one of their best starts of recent memory but multiple turnovers in the second half flipped the game into Buffalo's favor and the Bills pulled away with a 24-21 comeback victory.
There was plenty for New England to feel good about in the first half, including a strong start for Drake Maye and an effective running game that gave the Patriots offense their most balanced attack of the season. But Maye's second-half interception as well as Rhamondre Stevenson's lost fumble quickly altered the complexion of the game, as untimely mistakes brought New England back to earth after the promising start.
Here's how it went down in Buffalo.
1. Maye Comes Out Firing
Drake Maye and the Patriots came out throwing on their first possession and put together one of their best opening drives of the season. It culminated with a pinpoint third-down throw from Maye to Kayshon Boutte for a 28-yard touchdown. It was the second third-down dime of the drive, as Maye also hit Hunter Henry for a new set of downs on an earlier 3rd-and-8 with pressure closing in on him.
Maye's debut in Buffalo's frigid conditions was promising and the defense fed off of the solid start by forcing the Bills offense to punt on their first possession. Alex Austin came up with a key third-down pass defense to get the Patriots defense off the field. New England showed good energy on both sides of the ball and got the good start they needed against the division champs.
Following the punt, Maye continued his hot start, again leading the offense down the field, converting one 3rd-and-9 with a 10-yard run, as well as a 3rd-and-8 with a quick pass to Henry, his second third-down conversion catch of the contest.
This time it was Rhamondre Stevenson who finished off the drive with a hard-nosed 14-yard run that helped the Pats overcome a holding penalty that backed them up. Stevenson racked up 46 yards on eight carries early on as New England paired Maye's 7-of-10 accuracy with an effective rushing attack.
Josh Allen saw just 2:48 of possession through the first quarter.
2. Bills Answer
It didn't take long after New England established a 14-point lead for the Bills to answer on the scoreboard. Just four plays after New England's second score, James Cook navigated his way through the Patriots defense on his way to a 46-yard rushing touchdown. It was a drive that lasted all of 2:20 and illustrated how explosive their second-ranked scoring offense can be. The Patriots run defense has struggled with run fits for most of the year, coming in at 29th DVOA. The Bills targeted them with a heavy formation that opened up a clear seam for Cook and he took it to the house.
The next Buffalo drive was snuffed out when Allen launched a bomb toward the end zone on 3rd-and-long that was intercepted by Marte Mapu. It was Mapu's second career interception, but his attempt to take it out of the end zone backfired when he was tripped up at New England's one-yard-line.
3. Pats Get Aggressive
Maye successfully got the Patriots off their own goal line following the interception with passes to Boutte and Austin Hooper but the drive stalled at their own 23-yard-line. The Pats lined up to punt but instead, it was a direct snap to rookie Dell Pettus who picked up a first down with the fake. It was an aggressive move by Jerod Mayo and it paid off with a new set of downs late in the first half.
The Patriots would end up punting back to the Bills four plays later, but their defense forced a second punt by Allen and the Bills offense. Mapu again stood out with a notable pass defense, while Allen took some shots downfield that fell incomplete. Buffalo had just 139 yards of total offense in the first half while the Patriots had 238. Drake Maye was 14-of-20 for 158 yards with a touchdown.
New England took a 14-7 lead into the locker room at halftime.
4. Buffalo Takes Over
The Bills received the second-half kickoff and wasted little time in tying the game up at 14-14 with a nine-play, 68-yard touchdown-scoring drive. James Cook was once again the main cog for Buffalo as he started the drive with a 25-yard run and finished it off with a four-yard touchdown catch, adding 12 rushing yards in between.
Buffalo faced just one short-yardage third down on the drive as they got their offense in gear and put the pressure back on Maye and the Patriots offense to keep pace.
The Patriots offense wasn't up to the challenge as Rhamondre Stevenson coughed up his seventh fumble of the season just two plays into New England's first possession of the second half. Buffalo took over at the New England 42-yard-line.
Off of the quick change, the Patriots defense got a much-needed stop, holding the Bills to a 50-yard field goal that gave Buffalo their first lead of the game, 17-14. It was solid situational football from DeMarcus Covington's unit, allowing just one first down after the turnover. Still, it was not quite enough to prevent the Bills from pulling ahead.
The poor second half continued for the Patriots on their next possession, despite having some success moving the ball down the field. They got all the way to the Bills 29 when Maye tossed up a throw for the end zone that was picked off. Maye was not on the same page as his intended target Austin Hooper who was running toward the back pylon while Maye threw to the front one.
The Pats problems compounded on New England's next possession when a Maye pass behind the line of scrimmage went off Stevenson's hands and was recovered by Buffalo in the end zone for a touchdown.
That made three turnovers in three second-half possessions as the Bills took a 24-14 lead with 24 unanswered points. However, it wasn't all positive for the Bills in the second half as Josh Allen appeared to suffer a hand injury after falling on his elbow. Allen did not leave the game but it will be something to monitor for the postseason and just might be the biggest storyline to emerge from this game from Buffalo's perspective.
5. Pats Put Up One More
After floundering for much of the second half, Maye and the Patriots offense put together another scoring drive late in the game. Buffalo took five penalties on the drive, helping to grease the skids, while Maye's 14-yard scramble was easily New England's biggest play.
Maye would finally finish the drive off with a 14-yard touchdown throw to Hunter Henry, capping off the 13-play, 55-yard drive. That made it 24-21, but the Patriots onside kick was recovered by the Bills effectively ending the game as they regained possession with 1:11 left.
6. The Patriots are now 3-12
The Patriots had one of their best starts of recent memory in establishing a 14-0 lead. Drake Maye looked cool, calm and collected delivering some of the best throws of his young career including the touchdown toss to Boutte. However, things fell apart in the second half with back-to-back-to-back turnovers, allowing Buffalo to take the lead and never look back, en route to their 12th win of the season.
A promising start still counts for something as New England hopes to build toward a full 60-minute effort that can challenge a Bills team that now dominates the division. The Patriots flashed some new elements with increased aggressiveness and attention to Maye's rushing ability. Those are good elements to work from. Still, you are what your record is and the Patriots are now 3-12 on the season with two games to go.
They'll get another shot at Buffalo in two weeks back at Gillette Stadium.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
