Recap of Patriots vs. Bills: New England falls to 4-12 on the year as turnover problems prove too much to overcome in a 27-21 loss.
First Quarter
- The Patriots offense, led by Bailey Zappe, never saw the field as the Bills won the toss and elected to defer. Instead, Jalen Reagor took the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown.[Bills 0: Patriots 7]Buffalo, trailing 7-0 early on, began the game sideways as Deatrich Wise returned home for a first-down sack that forced the Bills to retreat 15 yards. Josh Allen’s eighteen-yard run created a third-and-seven, but Dalton Kincaid’s downfield ball was incomplete.
The Patriots blew the opening offensive play and gave the ball away for the second week in a row. Ed Oliver tipped and intercepted Zappe’s initial pass to Mike Gesicki.
After the turnover, Buffalo was set up within the red area, but they were unable to completely capitalize since Allen threw two incomplete passes to set up a field goal. It was scored by Tyler Bass from 35 yards out.[Bills 3: Patriots 7]
Regaining possession of the ball, Ezekiel Elliott scored twice to set up an early third-and-five. Zappe managed to avoid contact from the shotgun, but his pass to Gesicki was incomplete.
James Cook scored twice to help Buffalo advance the score, and then two errors created a third-and-10 situation. A punt resulted after Allen’s pass to Trent Sherfield being dropped.
Rasul Douglas intercepted a first-down slant route from Zappe to DeVante Parker.
After the interception, Buffalo started at the New England 14-yard line and kept the ball on the ground four times in a row before Josh Allen sneaked it for a score from one yard out.[10 Bills : Patriots 7]
Elliott’s run was stuffed for no gain, and Zappe found Pharaoh Brown for his first pass of the game, but the tight end was taken down and lost the ball as a result.
After the turnover, Buffalo’s offense was once more set up with good field position, and after an Allen scramble and Cook run, they were inside the red area in no time. After keeping it for himself once more, Allen sent the ball to Khalil Shakir, who moved the chains once more. After that, Allen attempted an incomplete pass to Kincaid in the end zone while facing third-and-goal. Bass made an excellent 24-yard field goal.[13 Bills in Patriots 7]
Buffalo went home for a third-down sack to force a punt after Zappe’s first-down toss to Elliott was incomplete and Demario Douglas gained just one yard on a jet sweep.
During Buffalo’s subsequent drive, the ball was moved to midfield by an unnecessary roughness call on Jalen Mills after Allen’s pass to Dawson Knox was dropped. Another Buffalo punt resulted after two incompletions after a screen to Kincaid.
Quarter Two
Near their end zone, New England executed their best play of the game, with Kevin Harris slicing through traffic to gain 15 yards on the ground. Zappe went back to Harris for no gain before finding Parker downfield for an additional fifteen yards. Then, with a third-and-11, a misunderstanding between Zappe and Reagor led to Rahul Douglas’ second interception, which he returned 40 yards for a touchdown.[20 Bills : Patriots 7]
Elliott’s two runs set up a third-and-six for New England, who began their next possession with the ball on the ground. After a review determined that Harris was down and ruled out a probable fumble, Zappe’s check down to him for a first down was successful. After a downfield incompletion, Harris escaped after a screen pass for 48 yards. The very next play, Zappe took the ball in the pocket and ran it himself for a score that was good for 17 yards.Patriots 14: Twenty Bills
Buffalo’s second drive began with a 14-yard pass to Kincaid, and Shakir converted on a third down after that. When faced with a third-down near midfield, Allen managed to move the chains on his own. Following the cancellation of Diggs’ 11-yard gain due to a holding call, Allen attempted a downfield pass that Alex Austin intercepted.
Zappe took over at their own 11-yard line, found Tyquan Thornton for a 14-yard completion, and then the quarterback utilized his legs once again to gain 17 yards. The ball was carried over midfield by a Gesicki completion, and then Zappe hit Douglas for 16 yards to reposition the chains. Elliott’s run for no gain and Douglas’ incomplete pass downfield created a third-and-10 situation, in which Gesicki received a pass that was completed but fell short of the sticks. After that, Chad Ryland’s 47-yard field goal veered to the left.
The Bills drive began with an eight-yard pass from Allen to Diggs with 1:49 remaining in the half. After forcing an incompletion due to pressure by Keion White, Allen’s third-down ball was intercepted. Midfield facing a fourth-and-two, Buffalo punted the ball back to New England.
With 1:05 left in the game and three timeouts, the Patriots recovered possession of the ball within their own 10-yard line. Zappe gained two yards on a QB sneak before taking a knee to close the half.
Quarter Three
After a great play by Anfernee Jennings to assist force a loss on the ground, Buffalo began the second half leading the football and then proceeded to lose ground. The Bills soon regained ground when Allen lofted a pass downfield to Kincaid for a 51-yard gain after hitting Gabe Davis for 15 yards. After moving the chains three times in a row, Buffalo was positioned close to the goal line, where Allen retained it for a score.[14th Patriots: 27 Bills]
Elliott got the ball rolling on New England’s first drive of the second half, and after a quick completion to Gesicki, they found themselves in a third-and-one situation, where a reverse to Douglas brought up another set of downs. The Patriots had a third-and-nine after a second-down sack, and Zappe held off pressure to find Gesicki for another conversion. Zeke and QB Sneak moved the chains once more with a nine-yard run, and Zappe was subsequently hauled down for a five-yard sack. Subsequently, with the Buffalo 40 in possession, Zappe found Thornton with a pass that was incomplete but fell short of the first down. Chad Ryland’s 53-yard attempt was unsuccessful, however it was offset by a delay of game penalty. Following the penalty, Bryce Baringer punted away.
On Buffalo’s subsequent drive, Allen uncorked a deep downfield pass to Diggs, but the ball was misthrown and ended up on the turf. A false start penalty and a quick run by Cook set up a third-and-12, on which Allen killed time before connecting with Kincaid for a first down. Afterwards, a handoff to Latavius Murray was stuffed for no gain when faced with a third-and-one. After that, Buffalo punted.
Quarter Four
In the fourth quarter, trailing 13 points, runs by Elliott and Douglas gave New England a third-and-one opportunity, which Zeke took advantage of by eluding multiple tacklers for a six-yard gain. Then, Reagor caught one that Zappe let go down the left sideline and grabbed in over his shoulder for 39 yards. A screen to Douglas gained 17 yards as he ducked past multiple defenders following an incompletion back in Reagor’s direction. In addition, a late hit call put New England within the 10-yard line. The next handoff was subsequently taken by Elliott into the end zone for a touchdown.[Bills 27 in Patriots 21]
The following play, Allen promptly made up for the loss with an 18-yard completion to Shakir after Buffalo’s first possession ended with a negative four-yard completion to Cook out of the backfield. Allen then attempted to run for the convert when faced with a third-down, but he stumbled short of the sticks. Buffalo managed to bounce back and continue punting.
- With 6:41 left, Bailey Zappe recovered at his own three-yard line. They were soon in position for a third-and-six, in which Thornton received a perfect pass from Zappe but was stopped short of the sticks.
Just short of midfield, the Bills reclaimed possession, and Cook’s two rushes set up a third-and-seven. In less than three minutes, Allen and Shakir connected from the shotgun to move the chains. Diggs was then set up for a third-and-one after Allen sneaked for nine yards, which resulted in another set of downs. After a run, New England was forced to utilize their last timeout, and Buffalo subsequently ran out the clock to the two-minute warning. Again, Allen held it himself for a first down on third down and four.