ORCHARD PARK, NY – As a long shot sprinting to an early lead at Saratoga Raceway, there was always a sense that the thoroughbred would catch up, but it was entertaining to watch an upset bid in real time .
The patriots raced to a 14-0 lead at Highmark Stadium over the 14-point favorite Bills, but Jerod Mayo’s team ultimately faded and fell short of the winner’s circle. Here are five takeaways from a cold evening in upstate New York that ended in a 24-21 Buffalo win:
1. Finally: a quick start
The Patriots took an early two-touchdown lead because of excellent complementary football.
Antonio Gibson opened the game with a 42-yard field goal and Drake Maye and the offense cashed in on a relatively short field. The defense then made a stop and the Patriots found the end zone again. When they outgained Buffalo 127 yards to 11 in the first quarter, New England was getting contributions from all three phases.
It wouldn’t last though.
2. The water found its level
The Bills had retaken the lead in the third quarter thanks to New England’s turnovers and run defense that was too leaky. James Cook ripped off a 46-yard touchdown run, finished with 100 rushing yards on just 11 carries, and the Bills averaged 6.1 yards per carry. Instead of New England’s usual loss at the hands of Josh Allen, it was really Buffalo’s running game that made a big difference in this one.
“The big run hurt us, and we just have to do a better job of tackling,” Mayo lamented.
3. Stevenson’s turnovers hurt
For the seventh time this season, Rhamondre Stevenson put the football on the turf. Buffalo turned its third quarter possession into an easy three-pointer to take a 17-14 lead and never looked back. Stevenson is the first running back since 2020 to hit seven games in a season. by Andrew Callahan, and only the fourth since 2010. It was a costly turnover.
“I need to hold onto the ball,” Stevenson said. “I’m very confident right now. I just need to hold onto the ball. It’s very simple.”
Then it got even worse.
As Maye looked for Stevenson on a reverse swing pass later in the quarter, the running back let the ball bounce off his hands as an edge defender was beating him, and cornerback Taron Johnson recovered the sideline for a Buffalo touchdown.
“I mean, (expletive), the end of the d was released,” Stevenson said. “He threw me the ball, I saw the loose end guy, it was a backwards pass and they scored a touchdown.”
It went into the books as a tally on Maye, but Stevenson never saw the field again after that.
4. A flash of aggression, but not enough
Conservative with quarterback decisions most of the season, holding a 14-7 lead with 3:59 to play in the second quarter, Mayo called for a fake punt at its own 23-yard line. The direct hit to Dell Pettus was successful as he gutted the ball for a first down. The Patriots couldn’t do much with the momentum from there, punting on the next set of downs, but the successful fake allowed them to bleed more time off the clock, forcing Allen into an (unsuccessful) two-down drill minutes
However, things totally changed in the fourth quarter.
With the Patriots trailing 24-14 and just 8:33 to play, Mayo went for a punt on fourth-and-5 from the New England 45-yard line. Down by two scores with Allen on the other end, it seemed unlikely that the Patriots would have enough time to mount a real comeback, and that’s exactly how things went.
“For me, it’s a field position thing,” Mayo said. “For me, it’s about our timeouts, especially right now, they’re definitely important. You have three timeouts at the end of the game, you have a chance to get the ball back and we didn’t.”
5. Maye goes to bat for his coaches
Maye was once again the best player on the New England offense. The rookie threw a nice touchdown pass to Kayshon Boutte down the right side early and hit Hunter Henry for another late. He finished 22 of 36 for 261 yards with two touchdowns, one interception and also added 30 rushing yards.
After the game, Maye defended his coaches, as Mayo and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt have seen many question their job security amid a 3-12 season.
“A lot of talk about our coaching staff and things like that. I think it’s a bit of BS, to be quite honest,” Maye said. “Coach Mayo, we have supported him. He is training us hard. He wants to win. We all want to win. We are all frustrated. AVP has been, I think, calling it cool these (few) weeks. We are just plays away. It’s me turning the ball over. I think it’s a testament that these guys keep fighting, keep fighting.
“Come on, we’re not going to make the playoffs. We’re out of the running and these guys come in, frustrated when we don’t score and have energy in training. They have energy coming into the game. We want to win. There aren’t even guys playing who are yelling on the sideline and wanting to win. So I think we’re building something good, building something that looks like here. And I’m proud to be a patriot.”
- BETTING: Check out our MA Sports Betting Guidewhere you can learn basic terminology, definitions and how to read the odds for those interested in learning how to bet in Massachusetts.