-
Jason Owens
Buffalo’s undefeated season is no more.
Drake Maye delivered when it mattered to lead the Patriots to a 23-20 win in his first prime-time game as a pro. He led the Patriots to a game-winning field goal with 15 seconds remaining to beat Josh Allen and the Bills in their home stadium.
What a night for the second-year pro. And there are no more undefeated NFL teams five weeks into the season.
Maye completed 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards in the win. Former Bill Stefon Diggs caught 10 of those passes for 146 yards, including two big gains that set up touchdown runs in his first game back in Buffalo.
-
Jason Owens
The Patriots offense set Andres Borregales up, and the rookie kicker delivered.
Borregales nailed a 52-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining to give New England a 23-20 lead. The Bills get the ball back and need a miracle.
-
Jason Owens
Check out the Drake Maye stiff-arm on 320-pound Daquan Jones:
Advertisement
-
Jason Owens
This should’ve been a sack.
DaQuan Jones had Drake Maye dead to rights with a nice jump off the snap. But Maye escaped his grasp and a barreling Joey Bosa to get rid of the ball.
And it wasn’t just a throwaway. He found Stefon Diggs for a completion. Instead of a sack, it was a 12-yard New England gain on first down, and the Patriots are in business with a chance to win the game.
-
Jason Owens
New England’s defense came up when it mattered most.
The Bills drove to the edge of the red zone but settled for a game-tying field goal after failing to convert on third-and-10. Josh Allen bought time with a scramble and delivered a pass over the middle to Khalil Shakir.
But cornerback Christian Gonzalez came from behind to break up the pass and force the field goal. The game’s tied at 20-20 with 2:17 remaining. It’s now Drake Maye’s turn with a chance to lead New England on a game-winning drive.
-
Jason Owens
The Bills got exactly what they wanted out of their defense. Buffalo forced a Patriots punt and allowed just 1:45 to run off the clock.
The Bills have the ball back with 5:52 remaining and a 20-17 deficit at home. This is where Josh Allen thrives. Will the Bills pull off another fourth-quarter rally from a double-digit deficit?
Advertisement
-
Jason Owens
There was no Bills turnover this time. Buffalo drove 74 yards on eight plays and capped the drive with a two-yard touchdown pass from Josh Allen to Keon Coleman.
The score cuts New England’s lead to 20-17 and puts the pressure back on the Patriots with 7:37 remaining. Roughing the passer and unnecessary roughness penalties by the Patriots on consecutive plays gave the Bills 30 yards on the drive.
It’s now on Drake Maye and the Patriots offense to keep the ball out of Allen’s hands.
-
Jason Owens
Drake Maye is dealing, and Stefon Diggs is delivering with the ball. The pair connected on another big play to put the Patriots in the red zone. Rhamondre Stevenson capitalized with his second touchdown of the night.
The Patriots have a stunning 20-10 fourth-quarter lead, and the Bills need another big rally at home to remain undefeated. Diggs is up to nine catches for 134 yards.
-
Jason Owens
Improbably, the Patriots hold a 13-10 lead after three quarters. They’ll start the fourth with the ball and a first down.
Can the Patriots pull off the Sunday night stunner to hand the Bills their first loss of the season? Or will the Bills mount another fourth-quarter comeback?
Advertisement
-
Jason Owens
The Bills looked primed for their second touchdown in two possessions, but another turnover stunted the drive.
This time it was a Josh Allen interception in the red zone. Allen looked downfield on second-and-13 from the New England 19 and threw into double coverage. Cornerback Marcus Jones jumped the route and came down with the interception, Allen’s second turnover of the game.
-
Jason Owens
It’s a touchdown bonanza.
After zero touchdowns in the first half, we’re now up to two in two drives in the second. New England posted a quick-strike touchdown drive capped by a Rhamondre Stevenson run to retake the lead at 13-10 with 6:34 left in the third quarter.
A deep sideline pass from a scrambling Drake Maye on a nice sideline route by Stefon Diggs set up the score.
-
Jason Owens
That’s the offense Bills fans showed up to watch.
Buffalo marched 71 yards on 10 plays to open the second half and finished with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Josh Allen to Curtis Samuel. The first touchdown for either team gives the Bills a 10-6 lead.
Advertisement
-
Jason Owens
The Bills have the ball first to start the second half still in search of their first touchdown. Will Buffalo’s high-powered offense find its footing tonight?
-
Jason Owens
That was not a half of football fit for primetime.
The Bills and Patriots combined for five punts, four fumbles (3 lost) and just 9 points between them. It’s added up to a surprising 6-3 Patriots lead against a Bills team that was heavily favored coming into the game. Can the Bills find their offense at home after halftime?
BillsJosh Allen: 9 of 11, 100 yards, 4 carries, 32 yards; 0 touchdowns, 1 lost fumbleJames Cook: 9 carries 32 yardsDalton Kincaid: 3 catches, 48 yards
Keon Coleman: 1 catch, 2 yards, 1 lost fumble
PatriotsDrake Maye: 9 of 16, 89 yards, no touchdowns or turnoversRhamondre Stevenson: 1 carry, -2 yards, 1 catch, 7 yards, 1 lost fumbleAntonio Gibson: 6 carries, 21 yardsTreVeyon Henderson: 3 carries, 19 yardsStefon Diggs: 3 catches, 33 yardsHunter Henry: 1 catch, 22 yards
Bills total yards: 159 on 6.1 yards per playPatriots total yards: 135 on 4.4 yards per playBills turnovers: 2
Patriots turnovers: 1
-
Jason Owens
Drake Maye made a pair of nice plays with a 22-yard pass to Hunter Henry and a 9-yard scramble to get inside the 10-yard line. But Henry couldn’t hang on to a pass at the goal line on first-and-goal from the 1 as the clock ticked down to the final second of the half.
With time running out, the Patriots settled for a field goal and head into halftime with a surprising 6-3 lead.
Advertisement
-
Jason Owens
Tough news for Patriots running back Antonio Gibson.
He’s been ruled out with a knee injury before halftime after limping off the field following a big hit on a kickoff return. He had tears in his eyes as he left the field. The nature of the injury isn’t clear, but it doesn’t sound good.
-
Jason Owens
It took a fumble from Rhamondre Stevenson and a fumble and apparent injury from Antonio Gibson. But much-lauded rookie Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson has touched the ball.
The second-round rookie just took his first carry of the game 13 yards for a New England first down at the 2-minute warning.
-
Jason Owens
The punt total is now up to five. The Patriots sacked Josh Allen on third-and-7, and the Bills have punted back to the Patriots with 2:22 remaining before halftime.
Buffalo’s now punted twice, fumbled twice and kicked a field goal in five possessions. The game remains tied at 3-3.
Advertisement
-
Jason Owens
New England has punted back to the Bills with 6:24 remaining in the half.
If you’re counting, that’s now a grand total of four punts, four fumbles and six points in 23:36 of football.
-
Jason Owens
Patriots running back Antonio Gibson limped off the field after a big hit that resulted in a fumble on a kick return. The nature of his injury is unclear.
The Patriots recovered the fumble and maintain possession. That’s the fourth fumble of the game, which is early in the second quarter.