The Bills have plenty of faults. Josh Allen once again reminded us he can overcome them all. Down 21-0 early, the Bills scored touchdowns on five consecutive drives to rally past the Patriots for a tremendous 35-31 road win.
It ties Buffalo's largest ever road comeback win, and it also guarantees the battle for the AFC East will go at least one more week: At 10-4, Buffalo has drawn to within one game of 11-3 New England, which saw its 10-game winning streak come to an end.
Allen threw for 193 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for 48 yards. He did not have a turnover and, after taking two sacks in the first half, didn't take any in the second half. James Cook had 111 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns.
The Bills were able to get a touchdown late in the second quarter but still went into the half down 24-7, with New England absolutely dominating.
But Allen and Buffalo were undeterred. Ray Davis had a huge kick return to open the second half, and Allen capped the drive with a 4-yard touchdown to Dawson Knox. Then, the maligned Buffalo defense, shredded throughout the first half, got a three-and-out, and the Bills marched down the field again, with Cook powering in from 3 yards out.
New England's offense appeared to get back on track, but then Tre'Davious White made a marvelous interception of Drake Maye, and then it was truly Allen takeover time.
On a fourth-and-2, Allen scrambled around and found Khalil Shakir for 37 yards. A few plays later -- after his rushing touchdown was called back due to a hold -- he rifled in a 14-yard touchdown to Knox, giving Buffalo its first lead of the day: 28-24.
It lasted all of one play: TreVeyon Henderson ripped off a 65-yard touchdown -- his second score of 50+ yards on the day -- and New England went back ahead.
The Bills offense, though, was on a roll, and it cruised down the field, with Cook dashing in from 11 yards out.
Then, at long last, the defense stepped up again. The Patriots went three-and-out and then forced a three-and-out, but the Buffalo defense was able to hold strong again, with Joey Bosa knocking away Maye's fourth-down throw. One Buffalo first down put the game away, and kept the Bills' AFC East hopes very much alive.
Here are CBS Sports' takeaways.
Buffalo had zero points and just two first downs across its first three drives. Then it went:
Allen was magnificent. So, too, was Cook. But let's give some credit to Joe Brady for not just giving up on the run, even when trailing by multiple scores. The Bills rushed 23 times for 118 yards (not including three kneeldowns) in the second half.
As the run game kept the offense moving at an efficient rate, the passing game helped it gain some chunks. In the second half, Allen had completions of 16, 13, 24, 37, 14, 12 and 12 yards. That's seven throws gaining 10+ yards. Considering Allen only had 35 total yards passing in the first half, that's pretty good. And let's not forget Allen did it all in the snow, where most mere mortals struggle.
The Bills' first go-ahead drive really showed Allen putting the team on his back. Just look at these two plays:
Buffalo is also second in yards per carry this season, and though Allen gets a lot of the headlines, Cook's improvement throughout his career should not go unnoticed. He has become one of the NFL's best backs. He's always had the speed, but his patience, vision and power have all taken major steps forward.
This game was a microcosm of Buffalo's season as a whole. Allen played superhero, but that's in part because he pretty much had to. New England averaged 7.5 yards per play. It ran for 246 yards on 25 carries, with Henderson ripping off 52- and 65-yard touchdowns.
This play just cannot turn into a touchdown. AJ Epenesa (57) over-pursues. Maxwell Hairston (31) pretty much stops playing, assuming the play is over.
Buffalo is allowing the second-most yards per carry this season. It has 57 carries of 10+ yards, second-most. There are a plethora of issues.
But give credit where credit is due. White's interception -- his first since 2023 -- was outstanding. Matt Milano had two second-half sacks. New England had 285 net yards in the first half but just 100 in the second half.
This was not only a chance to clinch the AFC East, but a chance to show the Patriots are legit. Not legit as in "good" -- that's already true -- but "legit" as in able to beat the best teams in playoff-like atmospheres. New England looked terrific in the first half. But the second half was a completely different story. Maye threw for just 155 yards and completed just 14 of 23 passes (61%) after entering the week as the league's leader at over 71%. After a great first half, Maye struggled in the second half, taking sacks and spraying some throws.
The defense has suddenly sprung a leak, too. From Weeks 1-9, New England was seventh in defensive rushing success rate. Since then, it is dead last.
The Patriots are still in the driver's seat for the AFC East, but they have to go on the road for a "Sunday Night Football" showdown against a Ravens team fighting for its playoff life. The Bills visit the lowly Browns in Week 16.
Ty Johnson converts on third-and-short, and the Bills have absolutely stunned the Patriots, 35-31.
The 21-point road comeback ties the largest in Bills history.
Joey Bosa bats away Drake Maye's fourth-down pass, and Buffalo has the ball back with 1:51 left, up four.
We can hardly keep up! That's now three lead changes in the fourth quarter alone.
One play, one touchdown. TreVeyon Henderson has arrived, ladies and gentlemen.
For the first time today, the Bills have the lead, and, surprise, surprise, it's Josh Allen. One play after appearing to run for a touchdown (it got called back for holding), he fires in this 14-yard dart to Dawson Knox.
A few plays earlier, on fourth-and-2, and Allen and Khalil Shakir linked up on this one.
... for not getting away from the run, even after being down multiple possessions. Buffalo has 61 rushing yards in the third quarter. The Patriots' run defense has struggled of late, even as the wins have piled up, and Buffalo knows it can lean on James Cook on the ground.
A lot of teams would overhaul their game plan when down big, even when they don't have to. Not Buffalo.
Buffalo has outscored New England 21-3 in the last 14ish minutes of the game, and all of the sudden, the Bills' offense has gone from stuck in the mud to absolutely rolling.
Drake Maye and Co. have an important drive coming up here to get back on track.
Touchdown? Check.
Defensive stop? Check. Matt Milano breaks through for a third-down sack. It's the first time all game that New England's offense has gone three and out.
Another Buffalo score here, and we'll have a game on our hands.
Well, the Bills' offense has finally gotten rolling. Buffalo scored a touchdown on its last drive of the first half and now has a touchdown on the first drive of the second half. Josh Allen found Dawson Knox on a rollout from 4 yards out.
Buffalo had 53 rushing yards in the first half. It had 40 on that drive alone. Now, again, can the defense get a stop?
The Bills finally get something going offensively, with Allen finding Cook in the flat. Now, can the defense get a stop to keep the momentum going into halftime?
These numbers almost don't look real:
This is absolute domination by New England, and this is the latest example.
In a much-anticipated showdown with Josh Allen, Drake Maye is steaing the early spotlight. He has two touchdowns already, both on the ground. Here's his latest, a 7-yarder.
Maye is 5 for 6 for 62 yards through the air and has 32 rushing yards.
Josh Allen delivered a dime to Brandin Cooks, but the veteran wide receiver bobbled it and was unable to regain control before going out of bounds. Buffalo will punt.
It's been a tale of two big plays decided by inches. The officials ruled Boutte's catch was good, even though it may have it the ground. Then Cooks' bobble leads to Buffalo punting.
Eight plays, 73 yards, one statement made: Drake Maye finishes off a terrific start with an 8-yard touchdown scramble.
He also had a beautiful 30-yard completion to Kayshon Boutte, and New England ran six times for 40 yards. That Buffalo run defense has been a major issue, and it looks that way again.
The Patriots start with the ball.
The Patriots can clinch the AFC East with ...
The Patriots can clinch a playoff berth with ...
No Benford is a big, big deal. This season, the Bills defense, already down several key players, has had major issues when Benford is out.
Bills defense this season | Benford on field | Benford off field |
Yards per play | 5.3 | 6.5 |
Net yards per pass attempt | 6.0 | 7.6 |
YAC per reception | 4.6 | 7.1 |
First-round rookie Maxwell Hairston and the other active cornerbacks have a big task ahead.
Coming off a bye, the Patriots had a pretty clean injury report; Robert Spillane (foot) was the only questionable player, and he is active.
The Bills had two key defenders listed as questionable, and the news on them is not good. Linebacker Terrel Bernard (elbow) is inactive, as is top cornerback Christian Benford (toe). Benford went from limited practice participant to not participating at all Friday.
Josh Palmer (ankle, questionable) will play.
