FOXBORO — The Patriots were bound to lose eventually, but Sunday’s 35-31 loss to the Bills stings a little extra.
The Patriots took a commanding 21-0 lead in the first half and appeared that they were going to run away with the game easily until their defense turned into a sieve and surrendered touchdowns on five straight possessions to the Bills.
“We weren’t able to get any stops,” head coach Mike Vrabel said. “When we had an opportunity to make a play, we weren’t able to make it. Penalties. And that’s how this game goes. A few small plays make the difference.”
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels got away from what worked so well in the first half, and the Patriots’ offense scored just one touchdown in the final two quarters.
They had one final chance to put together a game-winning drive but the offense managed just five yards, and quarterback Drake Maye’s fourth-down passing attempt to tight end Hunter Henry was batted by defensive end Joey Bosa. The Bills picked up a first down after the turnover on downs, then kneeled on the ball to win.
“The drive that we needed our offense to get, I was confident, and I thought for sure that we’d take that football and go down and score a touchdown,” Vrabel said. “And we just weren’t able to. That’s why I went for it.”
With a win, the Patriots would have clinched the AFC East. Now, they’re 11-3 on the season with the Bills halting their 10-game winning streak. The Bills’ AFC East title dreams are not dashed just yet.
The Patriots’ offense came out firing coming off of their bye week, with Maye orchestrating an eight-play, 73-yard scoring drive. He delivered a perfect 30-yard pass to Kayshon Boutte midway through the drive on third-and-7 to move the chains. He finished it off with an 8-yard touchdown run. Rhamondre Stevenson also contributed in a big way with 30 yards on four touches.
Ray Davis gave the Bills great field position with a 45-yard kick return, but they couldn’t do anything with it. Bills wide receiver Brandin Cooks — a former Patriot — beat cornerback Christian Gonzalez deep on first down but bobbled the ball before getting two feet down. The Patriots’ then forced a three-and-out and punt.
The Patriots managed one first down on their next drive but threw incomplete on third-and-1 rather than trying to pick up a yard on the ground. That led to a punt.
The Bills went three-and-out again after linebacker Jack Gibbens, filling in for Robert Spillane, sacked Allen on third down. The Patriots were assisted by a false start on Bills wide receiver Joshua Palmer on third down.
Maye kept getting it done with his legs as the Patriots went on another scoring drive to go ahead 14-0. He picked up 17 yards on the ground on the first play of the series, evading pressure. He scored on his second rushing touchdown of the game, untouched for seven yards.
The Patriots forced the Bills to punt for the third time, this time getting pinned back on their own 6-yard line. Outside linebacker Harold Landry made a key play with a coverage sack, pushing the Bills back to third-and-15.
Rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson showed off his game-breaking speed, extending the Patriots’ lead to 21-0, with a 52-yard touchdown run. That was the final snap of an impressive eight-play, 94-yard drive.
The Bills weren’t about to completely give up. Helped by a facemask penalty on Patriots special-teams captain Brenden Schooler on the kickoff, the Bills scored after a seven-play, 42-yard drive on a 5-yard touchdown catch by running back James Cook to make the score 21-7.
The refs had some trouble managing the clock at the end of the half, but the Patriots put three more points on the scoreboard, extending their lead to 24-7 on a 36-yard field goal from rookie kicker Andy Borregales.
The Bills, playing with a short field again after a 58-yard kick return from Ray Davis, cut the Patriots’ lead to 24-14 on their first drive of the second half. Allen tossed a 4-yard pass to tight end Dawson Knox for the touchdown.
The Patriots followed that up with their first three-and-out of the game, punting away to the Bills.
The Bills scored a touchdown on their third straight possession, cutting the Patriots’ lead to 24-21 on a 3-yard touchdown run up the middle by Cook.
Penalties pushed the Patriots back to third-and-25 before Maye threw an arm punt and was picked off by Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White. The Bills got the ball at their own 9-yard line.
They drove 91 yards down the field for their fourth touchdown in four possessions to take a 28-24 lead. Allen hit Knox again, this time on a 14-yard touchdown over linebacker Jack Gibbens.
Henderson is unbelievable. He turned a broken play into a 65-yard touchdown by simply reversing field and sprinting for a score with Maye outrunning him as his lead blocker.
It didn’t take long for the Bills to re-take the lead on an 11-yard touchdown run from Cook after a seven-play, 65-yard drive. Cornerback Carlton Davis was penalized for pass interference on a late flag with some pretty minimal contact.
The teams then traded three-and-outs with strong defensive stands from both units.
Best
RB TreVeyon Henderson: Henderson has become everything the Patriots were hoping for when they drafted him in the second round as a big-play threat. He ripped off a 52-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to give the Patriots a 21-0 lead. He had a 65-yard run in the third quarter that briefly gave the Patriots a 31-28 lead, as well. He finished with 14 carries for 148 yards with two touchdowns and caught two passes for 13 yards.
QB Drake Maye: Maye was good through the air but even better as a runner, scoring two rushing touchdowns in the first half.
Worst
ST Brenden Schooler: A facemask penalty gave the Bills a short field before their first touchdown.
Special teams: Let’s throw the whole unit in here, as well. Davis averaged over 40 yards per kick return. A long return by Patriots kick returner Kyle Williams was also called back by a holding penalty on Marte Mapu.
RG Mike Onwenu: Onwenu was flagged for a holding penalty and was charted with allowing a sack, per PFF.
Second-half defense: Woof. The Bills scored touchdowns on five straight possessions, with four of those coming in the second half. The Patriots have forced just 14 takeaways all season. They desperately could have used a Bills turnover in the second half of this game.
What we learned
• Linebacker Robert Spillane was listed as questionable heading into Sunday’s game with a foot injury. He was active but didn’t play. Gibbens and Christian Elliss started in his place at linebacker. Both players allowed touchdown catches.
• From ESPN Stats and Research, via Mike Reiss: “The Patriots now have 3 rushing TDs of 50+ yards this season. They had 2 such TD total over the previous 15 seasons.”
• Cornerback Carlton Davis left the game in the third quarter with a groin injury and was replaced by Charles Woods. He later returned to the game in the fourth quarter.