The Patriots’ win streak stopped at 10 when they fell to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon.
The loss also kept New England from clinching its first AFC East championship since 2019, while Buffalo kept its hopes alive to clinch the division.
Drake Maye had a strong first half that included two rushing touchdowns and the Patriots took a 21-point lead into the half. But they took their foot off the gas in the second half and allowed Josh Allen and the Bills to erase the deficit and leave Gillette Stadium with a win.
Here’s what’s being said about the 35-31 loss.
“After playing one of their best halves of the season, the Patriots played one of their worst. They had poor coverage on the opening kickoff of the second half (allowing a 58-yard return), penalties (six after halftime), their defense struggled to stop the run and answer Allen in the clutch, and their rushing offense couldn’t generate consistent positive yardage after looking dominant in the first half. The Patriots would have clinched the AFC East with a win. The Patriots still have to prove they can put some of the NFL’s best teams away.”
“A 21-0 lead should have been enough for the Patriots to beat the Bills and officially stake their claim as the AFC East’s best squad. It didn’t happen.
“Instead, New England allowed the Bills to score five straight touchdowns, starting with Buffalo’s final first-half possession.
“Keep in mind, New England features a top-10 scoring defense. Josh Allen is different, though, and the same will apply with other top quarterbacks once the postseason begins.
“New England lacks the talent on the outside to truly threaten opposing defenses.”
“This was a monumental collapse by a Patriots team that blew a 21-0 lead. The always accurate Drake Maye, who threw just two incompletions in the first half, went ice cold in the second half, going just 5 of 12 for 47 yards with an interception. With Maye struggling, the Patriots turned to their rushing attack and that briefly worked when TreyVeyon Henderson broke loose for a 65-yard score, but New England only had four rushing yards in the second half outside of that play. The Patriots (11-3) are still in the driver’s-seat to win the AFC East, but this second half collapse is certainly going to leave a bad taste in their mouth and it makes you wonder if they’ll actually be able to win a game come playoff time.”
“With a chance to clinch the AFC East Sunday, Mike Vrabel eschewed talk of Sunday being a shirt-and-hats game. His young squad showed why the head coach wasn’t getting ahead of himself. The Pats built a big lead and looked to run away with the division early. However, the faltering on both sides of the ball showed how far Vrabel’s young squad still has to go. Against an MVP player like Allen, it’s never over. On the flip side, the Bills showed why they are never out of it.
“A defense that couldn’t get a stop early made massive plays late. Joey Bosa continued to play a central role, deflecting a Maye pass late to force a turnover. Falling to 11-3, the Pats still control their path to the division title. Next Gen Stats gives them a probability of winning the AFC East at 63%. The Bills solidified their playoff spot, and have a 37% probability of overtaking the Pats in the division.”
“By Week 15, teams deserve to be judged on their full body of work rather than an isolated outcome. The problem for the Patriots, however, is that a soft schedule left many doubting the legitimacy of the AFC East leader’s resurgence. New England at first looked like it was ready to turn its divisional showdown with Buffalo into a coronation, but the defense came undone in the second half and gave the doubters more fodder. Getting Milton Williams back by the playoffs should aid an ailing front susceptible to giving up big plays on the ground, and a run at the conference’s No. 1 seed is still realistic. But this served as a reminder that a young and unproven squad might be unreliable come January.”
“The Bills survived, thanks in equal parts to their superstar quarterback, their opponent’s inability to close, and a generous whistle from the refs. And suddenly, the AFC East race is back on with just one game separating the two top teams. The Patriots have to quickly regroup before a trip to Baltimore for a matchup with a Ravens team coming off its best performance of the season, while Buffalo gets a bad Browns team.”
“If Drake Maye was leading the MVP race heading into Sunday, it might now be Allen’s to lose. He’s been that good of late, and now has head-to-head wins over the following quarterbacks in 2025: Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Maye.”