The start was a shock, but the result was not.
The New England Patriots couldn’t sustain their fast start and allowed the Buffalo Bills to score 24 unanswered points and earn a 24-21 win at Highmark Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
New England fell to 3-12 while the AFC East champion Bills improved to 12-3.
Here are four takeaways from Patriots-Bills:
Three second-half turnovers help Bills pull away
The Patriots played arguably their best first half of the season and took a 14-7 lead into the break. But then the Patriots turned the ball over on each of their first three second-half possessions. The first turnover was a fumble by running back Rhamondre Stevenson (seventh of season), the second was an interception on a poor throw by Drake Maye and the third involved both. Maye threw a backward pass to Stevenson out of the backfield, it hit Stevenson and fell to the ground as Buffalo recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown. Buffalo scored 10 points off those turnovers and was plus-2 in the turnover battle, not a winning formula for these Patriots.
Taking stock of Jerod Mayo’s status
The Patriots showed obvious progress with their start against the Bills. New England, which entered as a two-touchdown underdog, scored touchdowns on each of their first two drives and took a 14-0 lead 15:44 into the game. New England was largely competitive against one of the top teams in the conference. That’s what Patriots fans have been asking for, right? ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported the plan is for Mayo to return, barring a catastrophe. A competitive, non-blowout loss like Week 16 surely will help Mayo in Robert Kraft’s eyes — especially after a no-show in Week 15.
Inconsistencies with aggressiveness
One growing theme with Mayo’s Patriots is their inconsistencies. That was on display again in Buffalo. Mayo signed off on a fourth-and-1 fake punt from the New England 23-yard line, which ultimately was converted on a direct snap to Dell Pettus. It was far and away the team’s most aggressive decision of the season. New England’s competitiveness was a product of its aggressiveness during large stretches Sunday. However, Mayo then opted to punt it away with the offense facing a fourth-and-6 from its own 45-yard line. Given the Patriots faced a 10-point lead with 8:33 remaining, it was another questionable decision. The offense didn’t operate as if it was a two-score game when it got the ball back either. It summed up New England’s in-game and weekly inconsistencies.
Drake Maye squashes narrative
One pre-draft critique of Maye was that he couldn’t play in the cold. Drafted to New England, that obviously would have been an issue. But Maye (22-for-36, 260 yards, two touchdowns, interception) put those silly narratives to bed during the coldest game of his college or professional career. Maye was not fooled by pressure or blitzes early on, beating a delayed blitz on a big-time throw to Hunter Henry on the first drive. Maye perfectly placed a 28-yard touchdown pass to Kayshon Boutte on the game’s first touchdown. Another narrative Maye and the Patriots put to bed? They answered critics with multiple quarterback-designed runs while Maye rushed for 31 yards on six carries.
Plus: Run defense an key factor, again
When the Bills went to the ground, they found success. Patriots defenders Jeremiah Pharms Jr. and Sione Takitaki were thrown out of the way on James Cook’s 46-yard touchdown run to cut Buffalo’s lead to 14-7. Buffalo started the second half with a 25-yard run by Cook, which jumpstarted a nine-play, 68-yard scoring drive. The Bills compiled 172 yards rushing on 6.1 yards per attempt. Arguably New England’s biggest defensive flaw showed up again.
