The Patriots and Bills battled back and forth in front of a national audience on Sunday night, with the tied game coming down to a final drive. Drake Maye (22-of-30, 273 yards) found his clutch, completing two big passes along the way to help set up Andy Borregales' game-winning 52-yard field goal as the Pats knocked off their unbeaten divisional rivals, 23-20.
It was a turnover and penalty marred first half, with neither team able to score a touchdown, but in the second half things broke open with four touchdown scores on the first five possessions. Maye was outstanding, while connecting with Stefon Diggs on 10 receptions for 146 yards.
It was a huge win for the Patriots, who stacked their second victory in a row and look to be finding their stride and identity under new head coach Mike Vrabel.
Here's how it all went down!
1. Turnovers Highlight Early Stalemate
The two divisional rivals were feeling both sloppy early, combining for multiple turnovers in the first quarter. After an opening Patriots punt, the Bills would have an uncharacteristic first possession, failing to score a touchdown on their first drive for the first time all season long, but that wasn't the worst of it. Josh Allen mishandled a handoff and the ball landed on the ground, recovered by Patriots rookie defensive lineman Josh Farmer. It was only Buffalo's second turnover of the season and set the Patriots up just over midfield.
But Maye and the offense couldn't capitalize on the takeaway, with Rhamondre Stevenson fumbling for the third time this season on the very first play of the drive, handing the ball right back to the Bills offense.
The Pats defense held strong off the quick change, forcing a Bills punt thanks to good coverage by Marcus Jones on receiver Keon Coleman on third down. After another Patriots punt, the turnover streak continued for the Bills. Robert Spillane punched out the ball deep in Bills territory and Jaylinn Hawkins recovered it, setting the Pats up at the Buffalo 11-yard line.
Maye and the offense couldn't crack the end zone and were forced to settle for a field goal that gave them a 3-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. It was a first quarter marred by three combined fumbles and five penalties by the Bills.
2. Patriots Defense Tightens in the Red Zone
The Bills woke up on their ensuing drive, aided by a 23-yard strike from Allen to Josh Palmer that took Buffalo deep into New England territory. Just as they stepped up after the first Stevenson fumble, this time the defense stiffened inside the red zone, keyed by a stop on 3rd-and-3 from the 10-yard line in which their swarming attack forced Allen into an underhand pass that lost three yards. The Bills settled for three points after the 11-play, 59-yard drive, and it was a quality stop for the Patriots red zone defense, which came into the game ranked 31st in the NFL.
3. Patriots Take a Halftime Lead
The Patriots defense continued their strong first half, forcing a second Buffalo punt near the end of the second quarter and giving Maye and the offense another chance to get going. The offense did in fact find its stride, led by Maye, who did damage with his legs (12 rushing yards and a drawn unnecessary roughness call), and also hit Hunter Henry for a 22-yard gain along the way.
TreVeyon Henderson assumed a bigger role in the game after Antonio Gibson was ruled out with a knee injury suffered on a kickoff return. He chipped in a 13-yard run on the drive.
The Patriots final possession of the half came to a thrilling finish with Buffalo called for a pass interference penalty in the end zone with just four seconds left. Maye and the offense tried one more play, but the pass fell incomplete. One second remained on the clock, and this time Mike Vrabel chose to take the points, kicking the field goal and taking a 6-3 lead into the locker room at the half.
There were no touchdowns scored in the first half, while Buffalo was assessed with a whopping eight penalties for 65 yards. The calls played a significant role in limiting the scoring, while Maye and the offense began to come to life on their final drive that went 69 yards on 11 plays.
4. Bills Start Second Half Hot
The Bills came out firing in the second half, mixing runs with James Cook and Allen's accurate arm as they quickly made their way down the field against the Patriots defense. Tight end Dalton Kincaid continued to add to his strong day, picking up a big gain of 20 yards, but Allen worked the ball around to all of his other targets as well, keeping New England's defenders guessing.
Curtis Samuel finished the drive off with a 6-yard catch for a touchdown, waltzing into the end zone untouched and handing the Bills a 10-6 lead. Buffalo did not face a third down on the drive that went 66 yards in 10 plays. Allen completed all five of his pass attempts.
Just like that, the pressure was back on Maye and the Patriots offense to pick up where they left off with their field-goal-scoring drive just before halftime.
5. Big Plays Spark Pats
Maye and company did just that, sparked by back-to-back 16-yard completions to Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte, and then a spectacular 32-yarder to Diggs that set the Patriots up inside the Buffalo 5-yard line. Stevenson carried the ball into the end zone on the very next play as New England quickly retook the lead, 13-10.
The big plays meant it was a quick drive, just five plays going a total of 74 yards for the score. It was the Patriots second-straight scoring drive and their first touchdown of the game as New England matched Buffalo's production out of the locker room after half. It was a critical drive, with the former Bill star Diggs playing a major role.
6. Pats Red Zone D Steps Up Again
Just like the Patriots, the Bills wasted little time going right back down the field, aided in part by a 15-yard penalty for a hit out of bounds by Brenden Schooler. Bills tight end Kincaid continued his strong game, converting a 3rd-and-5 with a 17-yard catch.
But that's when the Patriots resurgent red zone defense stuck again, with Marcus Jones undercutting an Allen pass and picking it off at the Patriots 10-yard line. Just as the game looked like it was going to turn into a track meet in the second half, Buffalo turned the ball over for a third time in the game.
Jones, last week's AFC Special Teams Player of the Week, reminded everyone he's capable of game-changing plays on defense as well.
7. Diggs Goes Off as Pats Build on Lead
Maye and the Patriots offense continued firing as they took over after the interception, with Diggs picking up two third-down conversions – the first coming on a toe-tap catch along the sideline for 10 yards and the second coming on an in-cut on a 3rd-and-3. The two catches gave Diggs his second-straight 100-yard game as his chemistry with Maye was striking, leaving Buffalo with no answers for their former receiver.
Hunter Henry would get in on the action, grabbing another big gain, this one for 24 yards to take New England into Buffalo territory. Then Diggs struck again, catching a short hitch before exploding upfield for a 30-yard gain, bringing him to 134 receiving yards in the game.
Stevenson would finish the drive off with a second-straight touchdown for New England, adding to their lead, 20-10, early in the fourth quarter. Maye and the Patriots offense were flying high, completing their best drive of the game, an 11-play, 90-yard march that was again big on chunk plays.
8. Pats Penalties Help Bills Score
Two personal foul penalties, a roughing the passer call on Corey Durden and an unnecessary roughness call on Josh Farmer quickly helped Buffalo move deep into Patriots territory after falling into the 10-point hole. Allen also continued dealing to his tight ends with a big play to Kincaid (23 yards) and a chain-moving eight-yarder to Dawson Knox.
Allen would then find Coleman for a two-yard touchdown that closed the Patriots lead to 20-17. It was a much-needed drive to answer New England's two-score lead, but the self-inflicted mistakes by two of their young defensive linemen played a major part in getting Buffalo back on the scoreboard.
After no touchdowns were scored in the first half, the two teams combined for four touchdowns out of the first five drives of the second half.
9. Bills Tie it Up Late
The Patriots offense couldn't keep their momentum going for a third-straight scoring drive in the second half. It was a quick three-and-out after Buffalo closed the score to 20-17 as they were forced to punt after Vederian Lowe committed a false start on a 3rd-and-1 that made it 3rd-and-5. Maye couldn't find an open receiver, and just like that, Buffalo was getting the ball back with just under six minutes to play, down only three points.
The penalties continued to pile up for New England in critical spots. Jack Gibbens was flagged for a pass interference penalty that negated a would-be Jaylinn Hawkins interception.
Allen continued to carve up the Patriots coverage, connecting with Coleman for 13 yards on a 3rd-and-6, then hitting Shakir for a 12-yarder that took Buffalo inside field goal range. New England would force another third down at their own 27, and this time the coverage would hold up, leaving Allen nowhere to go as he scrambled looking for an open receiver and giving the Patriots another stop in their own territory.
Matt Prater hit the 45-yard field goal to tie the game up with 2:21 left to play.
10. New England For the Win
Faced with a tie game and over two minutes to play, Drake Maye made an incredible first play, shrugging off a would-be tackler to find Diggs for 12 yards. It was Diggs 10th catch of the game and it took New England out to their own 41-yard line.
Then Maye lobbed another perfect pass to Boutte for 19 yards as the Patriots were on the edge of field goal range at the Buffalo 39-yard line.
The drive would stall out at Buffalo's 34, setting up an Andy Borregales field goal attempt from 52 yards. The kick was good as the rookie kicker came through in the clutch, handing the lead back to the Patriots at 23-20.
The Pats would close it out for a huge road victory over the Bills, Buffalo's first defeat of the season.
11. Patriots are 3-2
This was the biggest win in a long time for the Patriots as Drake Maye played the best half of his professional career, leading three scoring drives in the second half that included the game-winning drive. New England moves to 3-2 on the season with their second-straight win. They'll travel to New Orleans to face the Saints next Sunday at 1 pm.
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
