Week 16: Bills 33, Patriots 21
At Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
Observations: Josh Allen loudly states his MVP case in leading Bills over Patriots
Plays of the game: Micah Hyde caught a tipped pass for an interception to set up a short field in the second quarter, and while the Bills failed to score – they turned the ball over on downs at the New England 1-yard line after three consecutive incompletions – the pick flipped field position.
The defense held the Patriots to a three-and-out on the ensuing possession and the Bills started their next drive in Patriots territory. Josh Allen hit Stefon Diggs for a 12-yard touchdown to give Buffalo a 17-7 lead with 1:45 remaining in the first half.
Late in the game, with the Bills leading 26-21, Allen orchestrated a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. He converted a fourth and 1 at the New England 34 by running for eight yards on a naked bootleg, then tossed a two-yard touchdown pass to Dawson Knox.
Q&A: Bills QB Josh Allen channeled his inner Tom Brady (only better)
For the record: Bills 9-6, 4-1 AFC East; Patriots 9-6, 3-2 AFC East.
The Bills moved back into first place in the AFC East based on a tiebreaker (division record) and have the inside track to repeat as division champions after splitting the season series with New England.
Buffalo scored a touchdown on its opening possession and never trailed.
Isaiah McKenzie set career highs with 11 catches for 125 receiving yards and a touchdown. His previous career highs were six catches and 65 yards in last year’s regular season finale against Miami.
Fellow Bills receivers Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis missed the game after testing positive for Covid-19. McKenzie and Beasley (twice) are the only Bills to surpass 10 catches in a game this season.
The Bills scored at least 30 points for the ninth time and are 8-1 in those games.
New England has lost two consecutive games after winning seven in a row.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Bills became the first team to win at New England in consecutive seasons since the Colts in 2005 and '06, and the first to win by double-digits at New England in consecutive seasons since the 1995-96 Broncos.
Stars of the game:
• Josh Allen, Bills: 30 of 47 for 314 yards, three TDs, 104.4 rating; 64 rushing yards on 12 carries.
• Isaiah McKenzie, Bills: 11 catches on 12 targets for 125 yards, TD.
• Micah Hyde, Bills: Six tackles, two INTs.
• Damien Harris, Patriots: 103 rushing yards, three TDs on 18 carries.
Josh Allen throws 100th TD: Josh Allen became the ninth player in NFL history to reach 100 passing touchdowns in his first four seasons when he connected with Stefon Diggs on a 12-yard scoring pass late in the first half.
Diggs is the first Bills wide receiver with nine touchdown catches in a season since Sammy Watkins in 2015. It tied his single-season career high.
Diggs and Knox are the first Bills teammates with nine or more touchdowns in a single season since Eric Moulds and Peerless Price in 2002.
Quarter by quarter: Strong start on defense, Allen's 100th TD mark 33-21 win over Pats
Mac Jones stays grounded: New England rookie quarterback Mac Jones, who attempted only three passes in the Patriots’ 14-10 victory against the Bills at wind-whipped Highmark Stadium on Dec. 6, completed just 14 of 32 pass attempts for 145 yards, two interceptions and a 31.4 passer rating.
Going for it: The Bills’ four fourth-down attempts (3-of-4) were the most attempts in a game under Sean McDermott, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
The Patriots went 5-of-6 on fourth down, tying their most fourth-down conversions in a game under Bill Belichick (five vs. San Francisco in 2012). New England went 1-of-10 on third down.
Bills O-line depleted, reshuffled: Third-round rookie Spencer Brown started the game at left tackle despite Dion Dawkins returning from the reserve/Covid-19 list. Undrafted third-year pro Ryan Bates started at right guard with Jon Feliciano and Cody Ford on the Covid-19 list.
The starting line, from left: Brown, Ike Boettger, Mitch Morse, Bates, Daryl Williams.
Boettger was carted off the field with a ruptured Achilles with about 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter. Dawkins entered the game at left tackle.
The reshuffled line, from left: Dawkins, Bates, Morse, Williams, Brown.
Next up: Bills vs Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 2
