Hear from Andy Borregales after his game-winning field goal \u2014 12:20 a.m.<\/p>\n
Andy Borregales made the biggest kick of his young NFL career on Sunday, drilling a 52-yarder down the middle to give the Patriots a huge upset win over the Bills in Buffalo.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what the rookie had to say about his big moment:<\/p>\n
On approaching his 52-yard, game-winning field goal: \u201cJust treated it like any other kick. Went out there, trusted that the snap was going to get there, hold was going to be great, everyone\u2019s going to block in front, and the ball goes in.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the support he received from the team after a difficult performance in Miami in Week 2: \u201cIt meant a lot. Obviously I\u2019m a rookie, had my struggles in the beginning, but just having them come tap me on the shoulder, like, \u2018Hey, don\u2019t worry about it, on to the next one,\u2019 helped me remind myself that one kick doesn\u2019t define me. Just keep moving on, because life doesn\u2019t stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Mike Vrabel saying he couldn\u2019t watch the kick: \u201cSome people can\u2019t watch, some people can watch. … I watched it halfway and saw it down the middle and got excited, started celebrating a little bit. Because at that point, I knew it was going in.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Patriots need Rhamondre Stevenson, but he needs to protect the football \u2014 12:15 a.m.<\/p>\n
By Nicole Yang<\/p>\n
The Patriots have a dilemma on their hands: How should they handle running back Rhamondre Stevenson?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
During the first quarter of Sunday night\u2019s 23-20 win over the Bills, Stevenson fumbled the ball on his second touch of the game. He caught a short pass from quarterback Drake Maye and gained seven yards, before Buffalo linebacker Shaq Thompson knocked the ball loose on a tackle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Patriots had just gained possession at Buffalo\u2019s 47-yard line when defensive lineman Joshua Farmer recovered a botched handoff, only for Stevenson to give the ball right back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The fumble was Stevenson\u2019s third of the season \u2014 and 11th in his last 21 games.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When\u00a0Stevenson fumbled twice against the Steelers<\/a>\u00a0in Week 3, again in costly situations, coach Mike Vrabel continued to stick by him. He opted not to discipline Stevenson against the Panthers a week later. Vrabel and the rest of the coaching staff highlighted the need for all players to evaluate their roles in fumbles, stressing the need to finish blocks and protect the ball carrier.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBall security is not just an individual statistic,\u201d offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said.\u00a0<\/p>\n It sure feels as though ball security is a recurring issue for Stevenson. He led all non-quarterbacks in fumbles last season and is on pace to do so again.\u00a0<\/p>\n So, what can the Patriots do?\u00a0<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018It took everyone in the locker room\u2019: What Drake Maye said after the game \u2014 12:10 a.m.<\/p>\n By Emma Healy<\/p>\n Second-year quarterback Drake Maye finished 22 of 30 for 273 yards and led the Patriots on a late drive that ended in a game-winning field goal. Here\u2019s what he said.<\/p>\n On how it feels to upset the Bills: \u201cGive thanks to the good lord. Man, that was fun. That was a tough one. It took everyone in the locker room. The guys came out and we battled. Didn\u2019t play the best in the first half, the defense helped us out, and we came back offensively and got some things going. The two-minute drive at the end, just go down and win it. That\u2019s what you want.\u201d<\/p>\n On Stevenson coming back from fumbling to score two touchdowns: \u201cThat\u2019s the story of life, of football. Adversity. Being able to bounce back. He was still running hard. He was running as hard as he could. We trust Rhamondre for the whole season. We need him. He\u2019s a great player, and he\u2019s fun to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n On how late first-half completions helped the team: \u201cThey played a lot of zone. They got eyes on me. Just trying to start to get completions in the first half, and in the second half, felt like we had some things open in down field. Had Diggs, he made a great catch. We should\u2019ve scored. We\u2019ve got to do better in the red zone. I know that\u2019s going to be an emphasis.\u201d<\/p>\n On how he navigated the Bills defense: \u201cI think they\u2019re a great defense. They do a lot of different things. Played a lot of two-deep zone on us tonight. Disguising great. Part of disguising is you\u2019re going to be out of place vs. when you\u2019re not disguising. So just trying to see the coverage post-snap and let it rip.\u201d<\/p>\n On responding to pressure at halftime: \u201cIt wasn\u2019t like the first half was terrible. We had the ball, I missed a third-down throw to [Diggs] on the back shoulder, I missed him underneath, we fumbled down there, and the defense had some turnovers but we didn\u2019t score in the red zone. Just tell the guys \u2018Keep playing.\u2019 We were up 6-3 on one of the best teams in the league with the MVP. There\u2019s nothing to be sad about. Just keep playing.\u201d<\/p>\n On the team\u2019s mindset coming into the game: \u201cTake the next step. This is a division game at 8:20 in Orchard Park in a great environment playing the Buffalo Bills. Where else would your rather be? It was fun.\u201d<\/p>\n On how he led the game-winning drive: \u201cI was just trusting the guys around me. I grew up with my dad and my brothers always saying in basketball or baseball, on the last shot I wanted the ball in my hand, so I\u2019m not going to lose that mindset. Keep that mindset my whole career.\u201d<\/p>\n On the game-winning field goal: \u201cCouldn\u2019t watch. It was just trust. Trust in him. Back in the day he was committed to North Carolina out of high school, but he flipped on us and went to Miami. But what a kick. Pressure. Ultimate pressure. Kickers get it. There\u2019s a lot on the line. It\u2019s great to see.\u201d<\/p>\n On the role his faith plays in his career: \u201cIt\u2019s huge. Our chaplain just told me before the game, just be a blessing. Just thank the good Lord for being out here. Keeping me healthy, keeping the guys healthy. What a good position an I in in my life to spread the word and know that everything I do in my life is through him and for him.\u201d<\/p>\n On if Diggs had extra motivation in his return to Buffalo: \u201cYou knew. It\u2019s storybook. I thought he should\u2019ve gotten in the end zone. But coming back here, first game in prime time … you\u2019ve seen it all week. He just loves football. He loves the game, and he\u2019s got a lot in the tank left. It\u2019s good he\u2019s a Patriot.\u201d<\/p>\n On if he expected the Bills to blitz as much as they did: \u201cThey weren\u2019t blitzing really at all in the first half, so I figured they\u2019re down, they need to make something happen they\u2019re going to come after us, and they do a great job disguising. Just trying to make something happen, and the guys did a great job staying alive.\u201d<\/p>\n On what he did to help the team: \u201cI didn\u2019t hurt the team. I protected the football, made some plays. Gave us a chance to win. Used my teammates around me, and that\u2019s the biggest thing. We\u2019ve got a lot left, and we\u2019ve got to keep it going.\u201d<\/p>\n What Mike Vrabel said after the Patriots\u2019 big win \u2014 12:00 a.m.<\/p>\n By Amin Touri<\/p>\n Mike Vrabel picked up his biggest win as coach of the Patriots on Sunday, leading New England to a major upset of the unbeaten Bills.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what Vrabel had to say after the victory:<\/p>\n On an upset win over the Bills: \u201cEverybody helped us again tonight. … And I think just a gutty performance from Drake. Really just continue to enjoy watching him grow and lead this football team. It was good for us to, again, would love to win by two scores, but being able to come back and execute in a critical situation, take the clock down, and win it on our terms.\u201d<\/p>\n On a strong defensive performance: \u201cThat\u2019s how we practiced. We talked about taking the next step, and we got off to a really good start defensively and kind of just beat ourselves a little bit from the details in the first half, offense came back when we needed them in the second half, and defensively, it\u2019s a huge challenge to defend them. We got some stops, we didn\u2019t get as many as wanted to, but we got enough to give ourselves a chance in the end. So a ton of credit to everybody on defense and Zak (Kuhr) and his staff and everybody over there.\u201d<\/p>\n On snapping the Bills\u2019 home win streak: \u201cReally proud of the whole team for being able to come into this road environment. We talk about, there\u2019s a lot of other people that had cracks of beating them here, for 14 games they had their opportunity, and those players took advantage of that opportunity and beat a really good football team that hasn\u2019t lost here much.\u201d<\/p>\n On Andy Borregales\u2019s big kick: \u201cYou can see when he\u2019s building some confidence in his swing, it just looks good. I don\u2019t know much about kicking except that it just looks like a good drivers, when those pros hit it right down the middle, and there\u2019s some balance to it and some calmness. He\u2019s been working hard … I\u2019m happy for him.\u201d<\/p>\n On containing Bills RB James Cook: \u201cJust a great performance by our defense. We had a couple leaky ones, and I thought that they tackled OK, and I thought that we had a good scheme and they executed it. But all the credit goes to the players. Would\u2019ve like to have been able to get Josh [Allen for a sack] a couple times, but that\u2019s no easy task. In the end, we made a couple more plays than they did.\u201d<\/p>\n On what this win will do for the team: \u201cI mean, we were confident coming in here, so it\u2019ll probably only help. But we\u2019ll have to start over and continue to improve. We\u2019ve talked about how we need to improve along the way and this was the next step that we needed to take. We\u2019ll pick up the pieces and get back to work as soon as we get on the plane, and there\u2019ll be another team waiting for us on the road in New Orleans.\u201d<\/p>\n On Rhamondre Stevenson bouncing back from another fumble: \u201cWe got to get this corrected. We got to get it corrected, but we also need everybody\u2019s skillset. We want to be aggressive but we don\u2019t want to be reckless. You can\u2019t relax. We\u2019ll keep practicing it, we\u2019ll keep repping it, but to his credit, he was able to help us in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n On a big night for Stefon Diggs: \u201cDiggs came up big all night and was able to do some things after the catch, too, which was good.\u201d<\/p>\n On greeting each player in the tunnel after the win: \u201cWell, this is their day. I\u2019m happy for them. We challenge them all week, we push them, we coach them … they think I\u2019m an [expletive] all week or not, I don\u2019t know, but I\u2019m going to try to coach the heck out of them all week and get them ready in the things I think are important for us to do. They get to the game, it\u2019s their day to put all that hard work out there, and I\u2019m happy for them. I want to thank and congratulate each and every one of them. Everybody has a role, everybody has a job, and those jobs are critical.\u201d<\/p>\n On trying to get to Bills QB Josh Allen: \u201cYeah, [the defense] ran around, they chased him around. Again, Josh extends the play and it\u2019s hard. When the ball doesn\u2019t come out in rhythm, it gets hard to chase him around and be able to defend him. But we did, and we were able to, and again, we felt like we could cover him, I just wish we didn\u2019t have to cover him as long as we did.\u201d<\/p>\n Volin: Maye and the Patriots have arrived \u2014 11:55 p.m.<\/p>\n By Ben Volin<\/p>\n Instant analysis from the Patriots\u2019 23-20 win over the Bills:<\/p>\n \u22c5 Coach Mike Vrabel didn\u2019t shy away from the enormity of Sunday\u2019s divisional showdown on Sunday Night Football. He addressed it in the post-game locker room with the players last Sunday after they beat the Panthers. During the week, he told the media the game was important for the Patriots to take the next step. And according to Drake Maye, he told his players that the Bills, winners of five straight AFC East titles, are \u201cwhere we want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n Over three hours Sunday night, the Patriots made their statement. They have arrived.<\/p>\n The Patriots didn\u2019t just improve to 3-2 with Sunday night\u2019s win. They established themselves as a legitimate, playoff-caliber outfit just five games into Vrabel\u2019s tenure.<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n Stefon Diggs joined NBC sideline reporter Melissa Stark after the game, and the receiver was eager to praise his teammates.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just so excited,\u201d he said. \u201cObviously this game has a way of teaching you a lot of things, I told everyone before the game: \u2018Band together, lean on your brother.\u2019 And I\u2019m just proud of these guys. Things kind of happen, but way to bounce back … I\u2019m just glad to be a part of this thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Stark then asked Diggs what it felt like to beat his former team.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously I love those guys, I still have a good relationship with a lot of them, got a lot of respect for them, but I love the game of football more,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd every time I go out there, I\u2019m trying to prove it, not only to them, but to myself.\u201d<\/p>\n Patriots secure the upset victory \u2014 11:27 p.m.<\/p>\n What an upset for the Patriots. New England knocks off the unbeaten Bills, 23-20, on a 52-yard field goal from Andy Borregales after a brilliant game from Drake Maye (22 of 30, 273 yards) and Stefon Diggs (10 catches, 146 yards). It\u2019s the biggest win of Maye\u2019s young career and a statement victory for Mike Vrabel\u2019s Patriots on the road.<\/p>\n Andy Borregales hits from 52 to give the Patriots the lead with 15 seconds remaining \u2014 11:25 p.m.<\/p>\n Rookie kicker Andy Borregales came up clutch after a superb drive led by Drake Maye, hitting from 52 yards to give the Patriots a 23-20 lead with 15 seconds on the clock. <\/p>\n Bills FG ties it up; Patriots get the ball back with 2 minutes to go \u2014 11:13 p.m.<\/p>\n The Bills drive down the field but come grind to a halt outside the red zone, as the Patriots hold Buffalo to 3 points after three straight Josh Allen incompletions, the last of which coming on a crucial pass breakup from Christian Gonzalez. <\/p>\n Matt Prater knocks it through from 45 yards to make it 20-20, and New England will get the ball back with 2:17 to play as Drake Maye looks to author the biggest game-winning drive of his young career. \u2014 Amin Touri<\/p>\n A costly penalty forces Patriots to punt \u2014 11:02 p.m.<\/p>\n Another penalty could prove costly for New England, as Vederian Lowe false starts on third and 1 \u2014 just before Drake Maye appeared to pick up a first down \u2014 and the Patriots have to punt after their second shot at a third-down conversion fails. Josh Allen and the Bills will get the ball back at their own 20 with 5:52 to go and New England hanging onto a 20-17 lead. \u2014 Amin Touri<\/p>\n Bills pull back within one score \u2014 10:55 p.m.<\/p>\n Penalties killed the Patriots on that Bills drive, as two ill-advised hits cost New England big as the Bills drove for another touchdown to cut the deficit back to 3-points. <\/p>\n Two backup defense linemen cost New England 15 yards each on consecutive plays (each of which would have been a stop for no gain or negative yardage): Cory Durden hit Bills quarterback Josh Allen high and was flagged for roughing the passer, then Joshua Farmer committed a needless late hit on Buffalo running back James Cook after Cook was stopped in the backfield. A sloppy drive at a bad time for the Patriots, who now lead 20-17 with 7:37 to go in the fourth. \u2014 Amin Touri<\/p>\n Another Patriots TD puts Buffalo on upset alert \u2014 10:45 p.m.<\/p>\n The Stefon Diggs show continues. He\u2019s up to 134 yards on 11 catches and starred through another New England touchdown drive, setting up another score for Rhamondre Stevenson to extend New England\u2019s lead to 20-10. <\/p>\n Diggs is the first Patriots receiver since Julian Edelman in 2019 to post back-to-back games of 100-plus yards receiving in the same season, and he\u2019s put New England in position for a huge upset in the process. \u2014 Amin Touri<\/p>\n Patriots 13, Bills 10 | End of 3Q<\/p>\n The Patriots are driving at the end of the third quarter \u2014 10:38 p.m.<\/p>\n After three quarters in Buffalo, the Patriots are giving the Bills their best shot, taking a 13-10 lead (and the ball) into the fourth. <\/p>\n Stefon Diggs has been excellent for New England, racking up 104 yards on 10 catches so far in his return to Buffalo. The Patriots will start the fourth with the ball on their own 41-yard line with a chance to make this a two-score game and put the unbeaten Bills on upset alert. \u2014 Amin Touri<\/p>\n Marcus Jones picks off Josh Allen in the red zone \u2014 10:32 p.m.<\/p>\n A huge play from Marcus Jones: New England\u2019s special teams star comes up big on defense, picking off Josh Allen to stop what seemed like a certain scoring drive in its tracks. <\/p>\n Jones dove in front of Bills receiver Khalil Shakir for the pick, giving the Patriots the ball back at their own 10-yard line. New England still leads, 13-10, late in the third quarter. \u2014 Amin Touri<\/p>\n Rhamondre Stevenson runs it in for the score \u2014 10:20 p.m.<\/p>\n The Patriots respond right away with a touchdown drive of their own, driving 74 yards in just five plays to retake the lead on a 4-yard rush from Rhamondre Stevenson. <\/p>\n Drake Maye and Stefon Diggs connected beautifully on that drive, first for 16 yards on the drive\u2019s first play before a big 32-yard completion to set up Stevenson\u2019s touchdown run. Diggs has delivered in his return to Buffalo, leading all receivers with seven catches for 81 yards.<\/p>\n The Patriots lead, 13-10, with 6:34 to play in the third quarter. \u2014 Amin Touri<\/p>\n Bills find the end zone to take the lead \u2014 10:12 p.m.<\/p>\n The Bills finally break through against New England\u2019s defense, driving 71 yards on 10 plays for the game\u2019s first touchdown. Josh Allen picked the Patriots apart for short yardage throughout that drive, eventually dumping it off for Curtis Samuel to walk into the end zone untouched and give Buffalo a 10-6 lead early in the second half. \u2014 Amin Touri<\/p>\n Christopher Price\u2019s halftime observations \u2014 9:55 p.m.<\/p>\n By Christopher Price<\/p>\n Two quarters are in the books, and the Patriots lead, 6-3. Here are a few quick notes:<\/p>\n Drake Maye: 9-16, 89 yards<\/p>\n Stefon Diggs: 3 catches, 5 targets, 33 yards<\/p>\n TreVeyon Henderson: 3 carries, 19 yards<\/p>\n Andy Borregales: Two field goals (30 and 19)<\/p>\n Josh Allen: 9-11, 100 yards<\/p>\n James Cook: 9 carries, 32 yards<\/p>\n Dalton Kincaid: 3 catches, 3 targets, 48 yards<\/p>\n \u2022 Let\u2019s start with this: any time you have a halftime lead on the road against a playoff team, it\u2019s a good thing. New England has played well on defense and on special teams over the first two quarters. Bottom line? This is an eminently winnable game for the Patriots, and if they can finish this thing off, it would be one of the best wins the franchise has achieved in the last few years.<\/p>\n \u2022 However, they have a lot of questions at running back the rest of the night. Where to start?<\/p>\n \u2022 Rhamondre Stevenson\u2019s ball security issues were a problem again, as the running back fumbled the ball away after a completion midway through the first quarter. Although Stevenson wasn\u2019t benched, it\u2019s fair to say Antonio Gibson got the bulk of the reps on New England\u2019s ensuing offensive series with Hunter Henry and Jack Westover clearing a path for him. But Stevenson\u2019s fumble \u2014 his third of the season \u2014 brings his ball security issues back to the fore.<\/p>\n \u2022 Adding another layer to the situation is the fact that Gibson went down with a knee injury on a kick return with just over nine minutes left in the first half. TreVeyon Henderson came in to work in relief after Gibson went down, and got the bulk of the work the rest of the first half. You\u2019d think that Stevenson, even with the fumble issues, would get significant snaps in the second half. But it could be Henderson\u2019s show down the stretch. (Dropping back 20-plus times in the second half against the Bills isn\u2019t a recipe for success.) We\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n \u2022 That being said, Buffalo wasn\u2019t sharp at all in the first half. The Bills gave the ball way twice and committed eight penalties. New England took advantage of one of the takeaways with an early field goal, but there were some missed chances by the Patriots. Against a team with legit Super Bowl aspirations, you can\u2019t leave points on the field and hope to win.<\/p>\n \u2022 The Patriots came roaring out of the gate with a 15-yard pickup on the first play from scrimmage to Stefon Diggs but couldn\u2019t sustain the offensive rhythm and were forced to punt it away. (Diggs was on the field with the captains for the coin toss, for what it\u2019s worth; my guess was that Mike Vrabel made him the game captain for the night.) They found some success on later drives but couldn\u2019t punch it into the end zone, ending up with a pair of field goals from Borregales. If New England loses this thing by single digits, it can look back on numerous opportunities in the first half as one of the reasons why.<\/p>\n \u2022 On defense, the Patriots have played well, limited one of the NFL\u2019s highest-scoring offenses to just three first-half points. Keion White got the start on the edge in place of K\u2019Lavon Chaisson. Jahlani Tavai rotated in on the edge and was a step slow in the early going while pursuing a Buffalo ballcarrier. But the Patriots did plenty of rotating on the edge early with Chaisson out for the evening. Meanwhile, in the secondary, it was mostly zone \u2014 Christian Gonzalez had a couple of snaps against Khalil Shakir, but for the most part, he stayed to one side, with Carlton Davis III on the other. (Davis got cracked on a block in the early going and limped off but quickly returned to action.)<\/p>\n \u2022 Defensive lineman Joshua Farmer was the man on the spot early, jumping on an Allen fumble midway through the first quarter and giving New England possession at the Buffalo 47-yard line. But Stevenson lost the handle after a completed pass, and the ball went back to the Bills.<\/p>\n \u2022 The biggest defensive play of the first half came when Robert Spillane punched a ball away late in the first quarter, giving New England terrific field position. But the Patriots could only manage a 30-yard field goal from Borregales to make it 3-0 just before the end of the first quarter.<\/p>\n \u2022 Not every team has an elite tight end, but it\u2019s worth noting that the issue that bedeviled them in the opener \u2014 an issue slowing opposing tight ends<\/a>\u2014 continues to be an issue, with Kincaid helping move the stick on multiple occasions in the early going. They need a coverage linebacker in the worst way. Maybe Marte Mapu eventually develops into that guy, but on the meantime, they\u2019re going to continue to get burned by good tight ends in the passing game.<\/p>\n \u2022 The Bills will get the ball to start the second half.<\/p>\n Patriots 6, Bills 3 | Halftime<\/p>\n Patriots settle for a field goal to end the half \u2014 9:50 p.m.<\/p>\n The Patriots will take a lead into halftime, as Andy Borregales knocks through his second field goal of the game to make it 6-3 in favor of New England. Drake Maye orchestrated New England\u2019s best drive of the night, pushing the Patriots as far as the Buffalo 1-yard line after a pass interference in the end zone, but New England only had time to run one play from the goal line before having to settle for a field goal with a second left in the half.<\/p>\n A sloppy game in Buffalo: The teams have combined for more penalties (10) than points (9) through two quarters. \u2014 Amin Touri<\/p>\n RB Antonio Gibson ruled out with knee injury \u2014 9:40 p.m.<\/p>\n Patriots RB Antonio Gibson has been ruled out with a knee injury, the team said. Gibson took a hard hit on a kickoff return that led to a fumble \u2014 recovered by teammate TreVeyon Henderson \u2014 and had to be helped to the locker room. \u2014 Amin Touri<\/p>\n Another punt for New England \u2014 9:25 p.m.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been tough sledding for the Patriots offense in the first half, as New England has just 72 total yards and four first downs across its first five possessions. The Patriots punt again, with Bryce Baringer pinning Buffalo inside its own 10-yard line. \u2014 Amin Touri<\/p>\n Bills tie it up with a field goal \u2014 9:15 p.m.<\/p>\n The Bills quickly respond with a scoring drive of their own, reaching the red zone before the Patriots make a nice stand at their own 10-yard line to hold Buffalo to 3 points. Matt Prater\u2019s kick is good from 31 yards to tie it up at 3-3 with 9:34 to go in the half. \u2014 Amin Touri<\/p>\n Patriots 3, Bills 0 | End of 1Q<\/p>\n Patriots hold a 3-0 lead after one \u2014 9:05 p.m.<\/p>\n One quarter is in the books at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo, and the Patriots lead the Bills, 3-0. <\/p>\n Flags and turnovers have been the story of the game early on: Buffalo has already fumbled twice and committed five penalties for 29 yards, while New England\u2019s ball security issues continued with another Rhamondre Stevenson fumble. <\/p>\n The teams have combined for just 128 yards of total offense \u2014 76 for the Bills, 52 for the Patriots \u2014 in a sloppy opening 15 minutes. \u2014 Amin Touri<\/p>\n New England settles for a field goal \u2014 9:01 p.m.<\/p>\n The Patriots go nowhere offensively after the turnover but come away with points anyway as Andy Borregales converts from 30 yards to open the scoring. New England leads, 3-0, with just under a minute to go in the first quarter. \u2014 Amin Touri<\/p>\n Patriots force another Bills turnover, take over in the red zone \u2014 8:58 p.m.<\/p>\n Another big takeaway from the Patriots defense, but this time even deeper in Bills territory: Robert Spillane strips Buffalo wide receiver Keon Coleman, and Jaylinn Hawkins dives on the fumble to set the New England offense up in the red zone. \u2014 Amin Touri<\/p>\n Bryce Baringer punts it away \u2014 8:52 p.m.<\/p>\n A better second drive from the Patriots, who get the ground game going with 22 yards from Antonio Gibson, but the possession is halted when Stefon Diggs lets a third-down throw slip and New England has to punt again. It\u2019s still scoreless in Buffalo with 2:17 to play in the first quarter. \u2014 Amin Touri<\/p>\n Rhamondre Stevenson turns it over on the next play \u2014 8:40 p.m.<\/p>\n The Patriots immediately throw away that big chance at points, as Rhamondre Stevenson fumbles \u2014 his third of the season \u2014 to give the ball right back to Buffalo. Another brutal mistake for Stevenson, who has been dogged by his ball security over the last couple of seasons. \u2014 Amin Touri<\/p>\n Patriots take over in Bills territory after Buffalo fumble \u2014 8:36 p.m.<\/p>\n A big early break for the Patriots, as rookie Joshua Farmer pounces on a botched Bills handoff to give the Patriots possession in Buffalo territory. New England will start its second drive on the Bills\u2019 47-yard line with a big chance to open the scoring on the road. \u2014 Amin Touri<\/p>\n New England\u2019s first drive comes up empty \u2014 8:28 p.m.<\/p>\n The Patriots\u2019 first drive of the night starts strong but quickly fizzles out, as a 15-yard connection from Drake Maye to Stefon Diggs on the first play from scrimmage is all New England can muster. Bryce Baringer punts it away, and Buffalo will take over at its own 14-yard line. \u2014 Amin Touri<\/p>\n The Patriots receive to start the game \u2014 8:20 p.m.<\/p>\n Drake Maye and the offense will start with the ball in Buffalo. <\/p>\n The Globe staff\u2019s predictions \u2014 7:55 p.m.<\/p>\n Chad Finn: Bills 33, Patriots 28. The Patriots measure up … just not fully, not quite yet, against the team I believe is winning the Super Bowl this season. <\/p>\n Christopher Price: Bills 30, Patriots 24. The Patriots are capable of pushing the Bills for three-plus quarters, but the talent gap is still too wide. <\/p>\n Nicole Yang: Bills 30, Patriots 17. The Patriots are headed in the right direction but not yet ready to contend with the top of the AFC.<\/p>\n The Globe staff\u2019s players to watch \u2014 7:15 p.m.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s who the Globe\u2019s reporters and columnists are keeping an eye on. <\/p>\n Patriots<\/p>\n Stefon Diggs. The most compelling player entering the evening, the wide receiver will be in the spotlight on his return to Highmark Stadium. My guess is he meets the moment with another 100-plus yard game, but will that be enough to lift the Patriots to an upset? We\u2019ll see. \u2014 Christopher Price<\/p>\n Stefon Diggs. He\u2019s coming off his best game as a Patriot (6 catches on 7 targets for 101 yards), and he is going to want the ball early and often against the Bills, for whom he spent four highly productive and occasionally tumultuous years. \u2014 Chad Finn<\/p>\n Stefon Diggs. Last week, Diggs broke out for his first 100-yard receiving game since October 2023. Was that performance a sign of what\u2019s to come? Or was it merely Diggs\u2019s time to shine \u00e0 la Kayshon Boutte in Week 1, Rhamondre Stevenson in Week 2, Hunter Henry in Week 3? Plus, there\u2019s the added element of Diggs\u2019s first time back at Highmark Stadium since getting traded in April 2024. \u2014 Nicole Yang<\/p>\n Bills<\/p>\n James Cook. Maybe the most underrated back in the league, he has a chance to make his mark against a defense where Milton Williams might be less than 100 percent, and a linebacking corps that has struggled with missed tackles. With so much of the focus on slowing Josh Allen, Cook has an opportunity to play hero for Buffalo. \u2014 Christopher Price<\/p>\n James Cook. The Bills running back was named the AFC offensive player of the month in September after running for 401 yards, including three consecutive 100-yard games. But I\u2019m actually more worried about him in the passing game. The linebackers in pass coverage are the underbelly of this Patriots\u2019 defense, and Cook could have a Da\u2019Von Achane-in-Week 2 type of impact. \u2014 Chad Finn<\/p>\n James Cook. New England\u2019s linebacking corps has been inconsistent through four games, so there could be an opening for Cook to break off some explosive plays. Cook has only 12 catches so far this season, but it wouldn\u2019t surprise me if he catches a bunch of screen passes because the Bills want to test the Patriots linebackers. Robert Spillane has cleaned up his tackling a little bit, but the Patriots have benched Christian Elliss the past two games for Jack Gibbens.\u2014 Nicole Yang<\/p>\n Who\u2019s inactive for the Patriots? \u2014 6:50 p.m.<\/p>\n Inactive for the Patriots are linebacker K\u2019Lavon Chaisson, defensive tackle Eric Gregory, guard Caedan Wallace, and receiver Efton Chism. Tommy DeVito is the emergency third quarterback. <\/p>\n Milton Williams and Carlton Davis are active. <\/p>\n The Bills are 4-0, but they struggle to stop the run \u2014 6:45 p.m.<\/p>\n By Ben Volin<\/p>\n The Bills have been on cruise control to start the season, beating the Saints, 31-19, last Sunday for their third straight win by double digits. But the day after the win, the Bills were still shaking their heads over the 18-yard touchdown run by the Saints\u2019 Kendre Miller in the first quarter, in which he broke four tackles en route to the end zone.<\/p>\n \u201cThat first touchdown run in fact was not anywhere near and capable of [how] we want to tackle,\u201d Bills coach Sean McDermott said.<\/p>\n Defensive coordinator Bobby Babich was blunter: \u201cThat was a clinic on how not to tackle.\u201d<\/p>\n The Bills have been teaching a lot of those clinics over the first four weeks. Though they are 4-0 entering Sunday night\u2019s game against the Patriots<\/a>, their run defense has been fairly atrocious.<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n Patriots notebook<\/p>\n Linebacker Jahlani Tavai will make season debut \u2014 6:15 p.m.<\/p>\n By Christopher Price<\/p>\n The Patriots activated linebacker Jahlani Tavai<\/a> from injured reserve Saturday, clearing a path for him to make his regular-season debut Sunday night against the Bills.<\/p>\n Tavai, who sustained a calf injury in June, originally began training camp on the physically unable to perform list, but practiced briefly at the start of camp before re-aggravating the injury. He did not play in the preseason, but returned to the practice field this past week. On Friday, head coach Mike Vrabel acknowledged Tavai for having \u201cworked really hard\u201d through the rehab process in hopes of getting back into game shape as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve tried to maximize the time away from the actual practice, working with our training staff and working with our strength coaches, and [he] was ready to go,\u201d Vrabel said. \u201cIt\u2019s exciting to see him get out there and get to practice [on] defense and special teams and try to see where he\u2019s at.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n Patriots\u2019 hopes rest on measuring up to Bills on Sunday night \u2014 6:00 p.m.<\/p>\n By Chad Finn<\/p>\n As one may recall with some fondness, for nearly two full and glorious decades, the Patriots set the bar not just in the AFC East, but the entire NFL.<\/p>\n The numbers and feats of the Patriots dynasty<\/a> become more impressive the further away they get in the rearview mirror: from 2001-19, they won 17 division titles, reached the conference championship game 13 times, reached the Super Bowl nine times, and hoarded six Lombardi Trophies.<\/p>\n The Patriots\u2019 two-decade run of dominance will almost certainly go unmatched in NFL history, though the Chiefs are about halfway there with miles and miles to go.<\/p>\n They were what every other franchise aspired to be. They were the measuring stick for every opponent, every week, for years upon years.<\/p>\n Six seasons, one brief playoff appearance, and a couple of seismic shifts in fortune after Tom Brady\u2019s New England farewell<\/a>, circumstances around Foxborough are at least getting interesting again.<\/p>\n And now they\u2019re the upstarts hoping to measure up.<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n Emma Healy can be reached at emma.healy@globe.com<\/a> or on X @ByEmmaHealy<\/a>. Amin Touri can be reached at amin.touri@globe.com<\/a>. Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com<\/a>. Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com.Follow<\/a> her @nicolecyang<\/a>. Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him on Bluesky at christopherprice.bsky.social. Chad Finn can be reached at chad.finn@globe.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n