The New England Patriots remain in control of the AFC East, but the Buffalo Bills made sure the division crown will have to wait.
Josh Allen threw three touchdown passes and James Cook accounted for three scores as the Bills stormed back from a 21-0 deficit to beat New England 35-31 on Sunday. The comeback prevented the Patriots from clinching the division and pulled Buffalo within one game in the AFC East race.
Allen finished 19 of 28 for 193 yards, while Cook powered the offense with 107 rushing yards on 22 carries, two rushing touchdowns and a receiving score. Dawson Knox caught two touchdown passes as the Bills improved to 10-4, reached double-digit wins for the seventh straight season and avoided being swept by a division opponent for the first time since 2019.
Buffalo erased a double-digit deficit for the third time this season, adding another dramatic rally to wins earlier this year against Baltimore and Cincinnati.
New England fell to 11-3, snapping a 10-game winning streak and suffering its first division loss of the season. The Patriots have not won the AFC East since 2019.
Rookie quarterback Drake Maye led New England’s fast start, rushing for two touchdowns as the Patriots scored on four of their first five possessions. TreVeyon Henderson delivered the biggest blows, ripping off touchdown runs of 52 and 65 yards and finishing with 148 yards on 14 carries. New England led 24-7 at halftime and appeared firmly in control.
Buffalo flipped the game coming out of the break. A 58-yard kickoff return by Ray Davis and a 20-yard scramble by Allen set up a 4-yard touchdown pass to Knox on the opening drive of the third quarter. After a Patriots three-and-out, the Bills marched 70 yards in 11 plays, capped by Cook’s 3-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to three.
With two touchdown receptions, Knox became the Bills’ all-time leader in touchdown catches by a tight end with 26.
Momentum swung fully when Tre’Davious White intercepted Maye deep in New England territory. Allen kept the ensuing drive alive with a 37-yard completion to Dalton Kincaid on fourth down, then found Knox for a 14-yard touchdown to give Buffalo a 27-24 lead.
The Patriots answered immediately, as Henderson raced 65 yards down the sideline on the next snap to put New England back in front. Buffalo responded again, finishing a seven-play, 65-yard drive with Cook’s 11-yard touchdown run to take a 35-31 lead with 6:48 remaining.
Henderson became just the second player in NFL history to record multiple games in a season with two rushing touchdowns of 50 yards or more.
New England’s final chance ended on fourth-and-5 from its own 22 with 2:43 to play, when Maye’s pass was batted down at the line by Joey Bosa. The Bills ran out the clock from there.
Light snow and freezing temperatures didn’t slow the offenses, but Buffalo’s resilience and late execution made the difference in a game defined by explosive plays and momentum swings.
Injuries
Bills: DT Jordan Phillips left in the second quarter with an ankle injury.
Patriots: CB Carlton Davis III exited in the third quarter with a groin injury but later returned.
Up Next
*Bills: Visit Cleveland next Sunday.
Patriots: Visit Baltimore next Sunday night.*
