The Buffalo Bills lost 29-25 to division rival New England in Foxborough Sunday afternoon, snapping a four-game winning streak over the Patriots dating back to 2021.
The game went down to the wire, with the Bills surrendering their three-point lead with under 15 seconds remaining in regulation.
After trailing for most of the game, Allen put together back-to-back touchdown drives and took their first lead of the game.
Allen found Diggs near the goal line and Diggs slid to make the catch before hopping up and evading two safeties to get into the end zone. On the Patriots' following drive, safety Jordan Poyer punched the ball out of receiver Kendrick Bourne's hands and Terrel Bernard scooped it up to set the Bills up deep in Patriots territory.
Allen used his legs to pick up the Bills' third touchdown of the day and their first lead of the game with under two minutes remaining in the game.
Quarterback Mac Jones, who played his best game of the season, responded by stringing together a long touchdown drive that chewed all but 12 seconds off the drive. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson took off for a 34-yard gain to start the drive, setting up the Patriots comfortably in Bills' territory.
Tight end Mike Gesicki caught a short touchdown pass from Jones to put the Patriots in front for good. Allen and the Bills offense had two plays to try to reach the end zone, but a desperate lateral from Allen was scooped up by a Patriots defender to ice the game.
Big plays proved to be a thorn in the Bills defense's side all game, as the Patriots had six plays that went for gains of at least 15 yards. New England scored on six of their nine drives.
The Bills' offensive woes started with their very first play, as Josh Allen dropped back and threw a deep ball intended for tight end Dawson Knox was intercepted by safety Jabrill Peppers. The Patriots capitalized on the early turnover, quickly jumping to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.
Allen went 27-for-41 with 265 yards, two passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown. He was sacked just once and had one interception. He used his feet throughout the game, escaping the Patriot pass rush and extending plays.
His mobility led to the first touchdown of the game for the Bills. Allen led the offense on a 10-play, 81-yard drive to open the second half, finding six different receivers before James Cook found his way to the end zone for the second time this season.
While the offense warmed up in the second half, they struggled to get going in the first. For the second consecutive week, the Bills were held without a touchdown in the first half. Simple but costly mistakes kept the Bills out of the end zone.
In the Bills' second drive, an offensive pass interference called against Latavius Murray negated what would have been a touchdown catch from tight end Dawson Knox. A failure to pick up a New England blitz resulted in Allen taking a huge sack to put the Bills out of the Patriots red zone.
Bass had a chance to score another field goal in the second quarter, but it sailed right of the posts.
Mac Jones and the Patriots looked more efficient than they had all season with the former Alabama quarterback leading two consecutive scoring drives to start the game and only throwing one incompletion in their first two possessions. Jones finished with 272 yards and two touchdowns, going 25-for-30 in the air.
The Bills will travel back to Orchard Park ready to begin a short week, with a Thursday Night Football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers just days away.
Key Stats and Facts to Know:
- With 265 passing yards in Sunday's win over the Patriots, Josh Allen surpassed 20,000 yards in his six-year career. The interception on the offense's opening play was Allen's 88th of his career, the most in the NFL since he was drafted in 2018.
- Stefon Diggs' touchdown reception was his sixth of the season, tied with Miami's Tyreek Hill (who plays tonight) for the most receiving touchdowns in the 2023 season. Allen and Diggs have scored more touchdowns than any other quarterback-wide receiver duo in the NFL since Diggs joined the Bills in 2020. Diggs passed receiver Bob Chandler for the fifth-most receiving touchdowns in Bills history.
- New England's 29 points were their most scored in a game this season. The Patriot win was head coach Bill Belichick's 300th win of his career. Only Don Shula and George Halas have more career wins.
- Dalton Kincaid finished with eight receptions for 75 yards, both of which are career highs for the rookie tight end.
- Bernard's fumble recovery has tied him with T.J. Watt and Angelo Blackson for the most fumble recoveries in the NFL with three.
SCORING PLAYS:
10:02 1Q | BUF 0 NE 3 | Chad Ryland 30-yard field goal is GOOD
6:58 1Q | BUF 0 NE 10 | Ezekiel Elliot run up the middle for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN
14:29 2Q | BUF 3 NE 10 | Tyler Bass 36-yard field goal is GOOD
7:36 2Q | BUF 3 NE 13 | Chad Ryland 34-yard field goal is GOOD
9:53 3Q | BUF 10 NE 13 | Josh Allen pass short left to James Cook for 8 yards, TOUCHDOWN
4:30 3Q | BUF 10 NE 16 | Chad Ryland 49-yard field goal is GOOD
7:36 4Q | BUF 10 NE 22 | Mac Jones pass short left to Kendrick Bourne for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Mac Jones run up the middle for no gain, two-point conversion FAILS
5:32 4Q | BUF 17 NE 22 | Josh Allen pass deep right to Stefon Diggs for 25 yards, TOUCHDOWN
1:58 4Q | BUF 25 NE 22 | Josh Allen run up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. Josh Allen pass short left to Dawson Knox for 3 yards, two-point conversion is SUCCESSFUL
0:12 4Q | BUF 25 NE 29 | Mac Jones pass short right to Mike Gesicki for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN
