The Buffalo Bills toughed out a 24-21 win over the New England Patriots to improve to 12-3 and remain undefeated at home this season.
With two games remaining in the regular position, the Bills are still in play for home-field advantage and are in good position to clinch a top 2 seed.
Here's the top 3 things we learned from Bills-Patriots:
1 — James Cook delivers 4th 100-yard rushing performance of the season
The Bills got an electric performance from RB James Cook, who totaled 100 rushing yards and a touchdown on 11 carries and led the team in receiving with 26 yards, along with a receiving touchdown.
Cook's two scores in Sunday's win puts him at 16 rushing + receiving TDs this season, tied for most among all players in the NFL (WR Ja'Marr Chase). The third-year RB also moved into second place in Bills history for most scores in a single season.
"Our plan was to get the run game going and to get Cook and get our running backs going, because our running backs are explosive," said left tackle Dion Dawkins. "And I'm happy to say that's one of the first things that we did when we touched that field."
Buffalo fell behind 14-0 after the Patriots had scoring drives on their first two possessions, while the Bills went three-and-out on their opening series.
Cook sparked the offense with a 46-yard touchdown run in the second quarter as he was sprung free by the left side of the Bills offensive line. It marked his 4th rushing TD of 40+ yards this season, the most in a single season by a Bills RB.
"He's been so good for us this year, and he's been running the ball extremely hard. That was huge for us," QB Josh Allen said.
Buffalo trailed 14-7 going into halftime but got the ball to start the third quarter. Cook capped up a 9-play, 68-yard drive on a four-yard TD reception from Allen.
Over his last three games, Cook has totaled 205 rushing yards on 25 carries (8.2 yards/carry), three rushing touchdowns, 54 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.
2 — A trio of takeaways turns the tide
Early on, Buffalo struggled to stop New England's offense as rookie QB Drake Maye led the team down the field for touchdowns in the opening quarter.
Slowly but surely, the Bills defense started to make adjustments. At halftime, the message was to stay focused and stay aggressive.
After Cook's TD catch tied the game, Buffalo forced a fumble on the ensuing drive to get the ball back in New England territory. LB Terrel Bernard punched the ball out from the hands of Rhamondre Stevenson and second-year LB Dorian Williams scooped it up at the NE 42.
Williams played through an elbow injury he suffered in the win over the Lions last week, finishing with eight tackles.
"Guys locking into small details, guys making plays. Everybody kind of feeds off of each other," Williams said of Buffalo's adjustments.
Tyler Bass' 50-yard field goal gave the Bills their first lead of the game. The next drive, veteran defensive back Cam Lewis intercepted Maye in the end zone. The Patriots QB threw it to a spot where his receiver wasn't and Lewis nabbed the first INT of his five-year NFL career.
Lewis has been the team's starting safety the last two weeks with safeties Taylor Rapp and Damar Hamlin out with injuries.
"It's awesome," McDermott said of Lewis' play. "He gets pushed into the starting role at safety the last two weeks, and I think he's done a really nice job."
The third turnover was perhaps Buffalo's most important one of the day. At their own 8-yard line with 10:17 remaining in the fourth quarter, Patriots QB Drake Maye had a pass intended for Stevenson that was bobbled by the RB behind the line of scrimmage where it turned into a live ball.
CB Taron Johnson pounced on the ball as it trickled into the end zone and recovered it for a touchdown to put Buffalo up 24-14. Johnson now has two defensive scores this season, the other being his pick-six vs. the Colts.
"Guys just have a knack for getting the ball, and once we see it once, it's on our mind the entire game," Johnson said. "I feel like we did a good job taking the ball today."
All three of Buffalo's takeaways occurred on consecutive drives; the last time that occurred in a game was on Nov. 14, 2021 vs. the Jets. The Bills now have 28 takeaways this season, tied for third-most in the NFL.
"Everybody contributed and it's great to have everybody all into it," Williams said.
3 — Lots to work on as playoff near
By their high standards, the Bills did not have a complete effort in all phases of the game, despite securing the victory.
"Good to get a win. Hard to win. Don't take those for granted. I thought we played sloppy in the first half in particular, and then just overall, we've got to clean some things up," McDermott said.
The Bills were out-gained in total yards in the first quarter 127-11 and trailed by two touchdowns. Cook's performance, along with three consecutive takeaways pushed the momentum back in favor of the home team as the Bills managed to comeback from a halftime deficit for the 4th-time this season.
"Can't start a game the way we did, kickoff return and just getting off to an overall bad start. I applaud the guys for finding a way and the coaching staff as well. Made adjustments at halftime, but again, plenty to work on coming out of this game. We'll look at the tape and make sure we continue to adjust," McDermott said.
Allen shared postgame that his arm is fine after sustaining a right elbow contusion in the second half. The QB said that his elbow got hit causing him to lose feeling in his throwing arm. The loss of feeling contributed to a wobbly pass on the following play.
"Just hit the funny bone nerve and went to throw the ball and just had no feeling in the hand," he said.
The QB worked on the sideline with trainers to get heat applied to the arm and regained feeling. He went back into the game on the next series.
"It took a good five to ten minutes, so just making sure, trying to get some blood flow back in there, some activation," he said.
With two games remaining, Allen said the team's focus is on winning out as the team is still alive for the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
Check out the best on-field and in the locker room images from the Bills Week 16 win against the Patriots. This gallery is presented by Ticketmaster.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, Regular Season, December 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.
