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Bills Storm Back From 21–0 Hole to Stun Patriots 35–31 in Foxborough
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots arrived on Sunday with an opportunity to lock up the AFC East. The Buffalo Bills made sure that celebration would have to wait.
Josh Allen accounted for three touchdown passes and James Cook scored three times — two on the ground and one through the air — as Buffalo erased a 21-point deficit and defeated New England 35–31, tightening the race atop the division.
Allen went 19 of 28 for 193 yards, while Cook powered the Bills (10–4) with 107 rushing yards on 22 carries in addition to his highlight-filled touchdown trio. Dawson Knox added two touchdown receptions as Buffalo avoided its first sweep by a division rival since 2019 and notched double-digit victories for the seventh straight season.
“No matter how much we’re down, if we have the ball and time on the clock, we like our odds,” Allen said afterward.
The comeback was Buffalo’s third double-digit rally of the season, following a Week 1 comeback win vs. Baltimore and a rally last week against Cincinnati.
Patriots Start Fast, But Momentum Evaporates
New England (11–3) saw its 10-game winning streak snapped and missed its first chance to clinch the AFC East, something it has not done since 2019. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye rushed for two touchdowns, and TreVeyon Henderson broke loose for scores of 52 and 65 yards en route to 148 rushing yards on just 14 carries.
But the Patriots’ offense stalled late, and their final chance disappeared with 2:43 left. Facing fourth-and-5 from their own 22, Maye rolled out under pressure and Joey Bosa swatted down the pass to seal the win for Buffalo.
“We’ve got to be better when we have a lead,” Maye said. “It wasn’t that we relaxed — we just didn’t make the winning plays.”
Snowflakes drifted down as the game opened in freezing conditions, but the weather didn’t cool off New England early. The Patriots scored on four of their first five possessions, taking a 24–7 lead into halftime.
Bills Flip the Script After the Break
Buffalo, which punted on nearly every first-half possession, came out with renewed energy after halftime. A 58-yard kickoff return by Ray Davis and a 20-yard scramble by Allen set up Knox’s 4-yard touchdown to begin the third quarter.
Following a New England three-and-out, the Bills marched 70 yards in just over five minutes, finishing the drive with Cook’s 3-yard touchdown run to pull within 24–21.
The next Patriots drive unraveled quickly. Maye’s deep shot was intercepted by Tre’Davious White, giving Buffalo the ball at the New England 9. The Bills drove to midfield and faced fourth-and-8 — where Allen fired a 37-yard strike to Dalton Kincaid. Moments later, Allen found Knox again for a 14-yard touchdown to give Buffalo a 27–24 lead.
The Patriots answered instantly. Henderson took the first play of the ensuing series 65 yards down the sideline, flipping the lead back to New England in just 14 seconds.
But the Bills were unfazed. They responded with a 65-yard touchdown march capped by Cook’s 11-yard scoring run, putting Buffalo ahead 35–31 with just under seven minutes left. A key defensive pass-interference penalty on Carlton Davis III helped extend the drive.
“That’s football — a handful of plays decide everything,” Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said.
Records, Notes & Injuries
Bosa returned to Buffalo’s lineup after missing a week with hamstring and wrist issues. The Bills remained without linebacker Terrel Bernard (elbow) and top cornerback Christian Benford (toe).
New England moved the ball effectively early despite those absences. Maye’s 8-yard score on the opening drive and a 7-yard scramble later in the half put the Patriots up 14–0.
Knox’s two touchdown receptions give him 26 for his career, surpassing Pete Metzelaars for the most by a tight end in Bills history.
Henderson continued his breakout season — his two long touchdown runs made him just the second player in league history to log multiple games with two 50+ yard rushing scores in the same season (joining Chris Johnson’s 2009 campaign).
Before kickoff, the Patriots held a moment of silence for the victims of a tragic mass shooting at Brown University on Saturday.
Injuries:
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Bills: DT Jordan Phillips left in the second quarter with an ankle injury.
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Patriots: CB Carlton Davis III exited with a groin injury in the third quarter but later returned.
Up Next:
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Bills: at Cleveland next Sunday
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Patriots: travel to Baltimore for Sunday night football