Turnovers doom Patriots in upset bid against Bills

BOSTON -- The New England Patriots put up an early fight against the Bills in Buffalo, but fell apart in the second half and lost, 24-21, in Orchard Park on Sunday. The Patriots have now lost five straight and are 3-12 on the season for first-year head coach Jerod Mayo.

New England jumped out to a 14-0 lead after scoring on its first two possessions, but didn't score again until there was just over a minute left in the game. The Patriots committed three second-half turnovers that turned into 10 points for Buffalo.

The Patriots had no answer for James Cook, who ran for 100 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries and also had a receiving score. Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen was 16-of-29 for 154 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, and also had 30 yards on six rush attempts.

Drake Maye had a great start and a beautiful touchdown pass to Kayshon Boutte on New England's first drive, but he also threw a red zone interception in the second half. The rookie finished 22-of-36 for 260 yards, two touchdowns, and a pick. The Patriots dialed up some QB runs for Maye, who also had 31 yards on six attempts.

It was a much closer game than anyone anticipated, with the Patriots 14-point underdogs heading into the Week 16 tilt. There were some positive developments as the Patriots hung around against a Super Bowl favorite like the Bills on their home turf. The offense started fast, and the defense held a Buffalo team that had scored 30-plus in each of its last eight games (and 40-plus in its last two games) to only 24 points. 

But the Patriots ultimately made too many mistakes to come out with a win, as turnovers cost them a shot at a huge upset in Buffalo.

How the Patriots lost to the Bills

The Patriots came out firing in Buffalo, scoring on their opening possession for just the second time this season. A defensive pass interference on the Bills helped New England move downfield, and Maye dropped a beautiful 28-yard pass right in the bucket of Boutte at the front of the end zone for a touchdown. The Bills had some tight coverage on Boutte, but Maye delivered a perfect pass for six early points.

That scoring strike gave Maye a touchdown pass in seven straight games for New England.

After forcing a Buffalo punt, Maye and the Patriots offense embarked on a 16-play touchdown drive that ate nearly 10 minutes off the clock. New England converted on two third downs -- a Maye 10-yard scramble and a 12-yard connection between the QB and tight end Hunter Henry -- and Stevenson capped it off with a 14-yard touchdown scamper to give the Patriots a 14-0 lead.

Keeping the ball out of Allen's hands was a big part of New England's game plan, and it worked perfectly in the first half. But the Patriots couldn't stop Cook.

Buffalo's first scoring drive took only four plays, as Cook broke off a 46-yard touchdown run to make it a 14-7 game. The Bills were driving again after a New England three-and-out, but Allen threw an interception to Marte Mapu in the end zone on an ill-advised deep ball on a third-and-16. But the Bills got a break on the play too, as Mapu tried to break a return and was brought down at the New England 1-yard line. 

The Patriots managed to gain some yards despite that poor field position, and Mayo even got aggressive when he dialed up a fake punt on a fourth-and-1 at their own 23-yard line, which Dell Pettus converted. But the Patriots punted away, and ended up taking a 14-7 lead into halftime.

The Bills woke up at the break and came out firing, going on a nine-play touchdown drive to start the second half. Cook ran for 40 yards -- including a 25-yard run on the first play of the half -- and closed the drive with a four-yard touchdown reception from Allen, tying the game at 14-14.

Two plays into New England's next drive, Stevenson fumbled when Greg Rousseau punched the ball loose, and the Bills took over at the New England 42-yard line. Buffalo got a 50-yard Tyler Bass field goal out of that turnover to take a 17-14 lead.

The Patriots got into the red zone on their next possession, but Maye was picked off at the front corner of the end zone when he went looking for tight end Austin Hooper. Hooper got tripped up on the end of his route, but Maye's pass was a little short and intercepted by Cam Lewis.

The Bills didn't get any points off that interception, but took 5:38 off the clock before a Sam Martin punt pinned the Patriots at their own 10-yard line with 11 minutes to go. 

But New England's possession lasted just two plays. On second down, Maye threw a backwards pass that bounced off Stevenson's hands and Taron Johnson recovered in the end zone for an easy touchdown to give Buffalo a 24-14 edge. It's a pass Stevenson should have had, but it's also fair to question why the Patriots were throwing it backwards inside their own 10-yard line.

The two teams traded punts on their next possessions, but the Patriots were able to drive deep into Buffalo territory on their next possession of the game thanks to a slew of penalties by the Bills. Maye fumbled and recovered on a second-and-goal play, before he hit Henry for a nine-yard touchdown on third-and-goal to make it a 24-21 game with 1:13 left.

The Bills were able to recover Joey Slye's squib kick, but faced a fourth-and-1 at the New England 27-yard line with 10 seconds left. Allen called his own number and picked up the first down to end the game and escape with a victory.

New England has now list six of its last seven games against Buffalo.

What's next for the New England Patriots?

The Patriots will play their final two games of the 2024 season at home, starting next Saturday with a visit from the 9-6 Los Angeles Chargers. That game will kick off at 1 p.m. at Gillette Stadium.

The Chargers have won just two of their last five games but are in the AFC playoff picture thanks to a 34-27 win over the Denver Broncos last Thursday night. Los Angeles trailed 21-13 at halftime but outscored the Broncos, 21-6, in the second half for the comeback victory. Justin Herbert threw a pair of touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and has 18 TD passes to just three interceptions on the season.

The Chargers won in New England last season, earning a 6-0 victory on a cold and rainy day in Foxboro against the Bailey Zappe-led Patriots.

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