Late Comeback Effort Falls Short as Bills Lose to Patriots

Last season, the New England Patriots traveled to Western New York and handed the Buffalo Bills their first loss by three points. On Sunday, history repeated itself at the new Highmark Stadium; the Bills squandered an opportunity to distance themselves from the Patriots in the AFC East race and fell by a 29-26 score.

A wild sequence at the end of the first half allowed the Bills (3-1) to take a three-point lead into the intermission; Dee Alford intercepted a low pass that popped up off a receiver's hand, setting up a field goal to make the score 17-14. New England (2-2) began the 3rd quarter with a 14-play touchdown drive to take a 21-17 advantage. Buffalo battled back and regained the lead in the 4th quarter. A field goal trimmed the deficit to one point, then on the Bills' next drive, Keon Coleman caught passes of 24 and 34 yards, the latter for a touchdown with 4:27 remaining to make the score 26-21. However, the two-point try was no good, giving the Patriots an opening to regain the lead. And they did that when Efton Chism made a one-handed catch for a 23-yard touchdown with 1:50 remaining. After a successful two-point conversion made it a three-point game, the Bills began their ensuing drive at their own 24-yard line. On the third play, Josh Allen spun away from a defender and threw a deep ball in double coverage. Craig Woodson intercepted the pass at the New England 19-yard line, and the Patriots were able to run out the rest of the clock to seal the win.

After the game, Bills head coach Joe Brady said his team had trouble getting into a rhythm...

Joe Brady: we weren't executing

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye threw for 269 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, while also leading the team in rushing with 54 yards on eight carries. For the Bills, Keon Coleman had six catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. Josh Allen went 23-for-33 for 253 yards, one touchdown and one pick. He also became the franchise's all-time leading touchdown scorer with a 2-yard run in the 2nd quarter.

A Monday night game looms for the Bills next week on the West Coast, as they face the Los Angeles Rams.

Photos by the Buffalo Bills