11 takeaways from Patriots wild comeback win in Buffalo

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – The Patriots had their opportunities.

In the first half, the defense had two turnovers from a talented Josh Allen-led offense. The Bills were also called for eight penalties compared to two for the Patriots in those first two frames.

The Patriots’ offense was twice within scoring distance, at one point just 11 yards and later even 1 yard from the end zone. Drake Maye’s group even got to midfield five times in that half.

Despite all that, Mike Vrabel’s team led 6-3 at the half.

Inside a loud Highmark Stadium, the Patriots had a chance to make an even louder statement against the reigning MVP and the AFC East kings. This was the type of matchup where a typical Patriots team would blow it - and the signs were there with several missed opportunities in the first half.

Instead, Vrabel’s team showed fight in a tough environment against a talented opponent.

As they did in the first half, the Patriots had their opportunities down the stretch to put away the Bills. Unlike in the first half, Vrabel’s team pulled through as Maye and Stefon Diggs led the Patriots to a wild 23-20 comeback victory in Buffalo.

Here’s what happened:

Captain Diggs

Stefon Diggs was a captain on Sunday night against his former team. The veteran receiver then kicked the night off with a 15-yard reception on the Patriots’ first offensive snap.

That brought the team near midfield, but the offense couldn’t take advantage of Diggs’ play. Rhamondre Stevenson lost 2 yards on the next snap, and Drake Maye was sacked on third down as the Patriots punted in their first series.

Fumble goes Patriots’ way

Josh Allen and the Bills were moving on their first drive, but it ended with a big break for the Patriots.

At 8:23 of the first quarter, Allen fumbled the ball on a botched handoff. When the football hit the ground, Patriots rookie Joshua Farmer pounced and recovered the fumble.

This moment was timely as Allen just completed a 20-yard pass to Dalton Kincaid to bring Buffalo to midfield. It was the Bills’ second first down of the drive. Instead, the momentum briefly shifted in the Patriots’ favor – for four seconds.

Rhamondre Stevenson gives it away

Instead of taking advantage of the turnover, the Patriots instantly gave the ball back to the Bills.

Four seconds after Allen’s fumble, Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled after catching a Maye pass. And at 8:21 of the first quarter, the Patriots gave the ball back to the Bills as Terrell Bernard recovered Stevenson’s third fumble of the season.

The Bills regained possession around midfield, but the Patriots’ defense held strong. Marcus Jones broke up an Allen deep pass on third down to force a punt.

Teams swap field goals after fumble

The Patriots’ defense stepped up again in the first quarter, resulting in the team’s first lead.

At 1:54 of the first quarter, Robert Spillane forced a fumble on Bills receiver Keon Coleman. Safety Jaylinn Hawkins recovered it to give the offense the ball back at the 11-yard line.

The Patriots offense wasn’t efficient as they only moved backwards. However, Andy Borregales hit a 30-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 3-0 lead with 56 seconds left in the first quarter.

The defense had two turnovers in the first quarter, but the Patriots went into the second quarter with a slim 3-0 lead due to the offense not being efficient. The defense bent to the Bills at the beginning of the second frame, but they didn’t break.

Allen’s group traveled down to the 10-yard line, but Vrabel’s defense stood tough and didn’t allow the Bills to get in the end zone. Matt Prater hit a 31-yard field goal, and the game was tied, 3-3, at 9:34 of the second quarter.

Gibson hurt, Patriots stall

Following the Bills field goal, Gibson fumbled and suffered a knee injury on the ensuing kickoff return. Treveyon Henderson recovered the ball as his teammate needed help to get off the field. The Patriots soon ruled Gibson out of the game.

This drive saw the Patriots get to midfield for the fourth time in the first half – and for the fourth time, they stalled and punted.

Maye hit Diggs for a 14-yard reception, and soon, the offense was at the 50-yard line. However, after a sack on second down and an incomplete pass on third down, the Patriots punted for the third time near the Bills’ logo. That was also the spot where Stevenson fumbled in the first quarter.

Patriots miss another opportunity

The defense kept giving the offense a chance.

At the end of the second quarter, Milton Williams sacked Allen on third down, forcing another punt. Henderson took his first carry for 13 yards – and once again, the Patriots were close to midfield.

They finally crossed it when Maye hit Hunter Henry for a 22-yard gain at the 19-yard line. The Patriots soon had a first-and-goal from the 7-yard line after a Maye keeper.

On third-and-7, Diggs drew a defensive pass interference penalty on Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White. That set up a first-and-goal from the 1-yard line with 4 seconds left in the half. On the next play, Maye’s pass to Henry fell incomplete.

The missed opportunity led to Borregales hitting a 19-yard field goal as time expired, and the Patriots went into halftime up, 6-3.

Patriots respond after Bills score

The Bills came out of halftime on fire and wasted no time getting downfield and taking their first lead of the game.

Allen hit Dalton Kincaid for a 20-yard gain at midfield, and before the defense knew it, the Bills had a first-and-goal at the 6-yard line. At 9:21 of the second quarter, Allen hit Curtis Samuel for a 6-yard touchdown, completing a dominant 10-play, 71-yard scoring drive to give the Bills a 10-6 lead.

For the first time this night, the Patriots responded with a touchdown drive of their own.

Diggs set this up with a highlight-reel 32-yard catch, giving the Patriots a first-and-goal at the 4-yard line. Stevenson ran the ball in for a touchdown on the next snap, at 6:34 of the second quarter, and the Patriots led, 13-10.

Jones steps up

Marcus Jones stepped up in the first half with a pass breakup on Allen on third down. In the second half, he made an even better play when he intercepted the reigning MVP.

The Bills were quickly moving downfield and were in the red zone as Allen looked like he was on fire. The Bills were at the 19-yard line when Jones jumped in front of a pass intended for Khalil Shakir, intercepting Allen at 2:57 of the third quarter.

This was the third turnover for the Bills.

Diggs dominates

Following the interception, Diggs took over.

The veteran receiver hauled in three catches to kickstart this drive, two of which went for first downs as Diggs entered the fourth quarter, surpassing the 100-yard mark for the second-straight week.

At 13:30 of the fourth quarter, Diggs hauled in a 30-yard pass from Maye. This set up another first-and-goal for the Patriots. Two plays later, Stevenson ran in for a 7-yard touchdown at 12:10 of the fourth quarter, and the Patriots led, 20-10.

This was the second drive for the Patriots, where a big Diggs catch led to a Stevenson touchdown.

Patriots looked undisciplined

Allen didn’t need any help, but the Patriots defense gave him some.

After taking a 20-10 lead, the Patriots found themselves up by three with 7:37 left on the clock.

On the next Bills series, the defense was called for back-to-back 15-yard penalties with a roughing the passer penalty on Corey Durden and then an unnecessary roughness call on Farmer. Those moved Buffalo to the 25-yard line. Six plays later, Allen hit Keon Coleman for a 2-yard touchdown.

The Patriots had a chance to respond, but the offense also made a mistake. On third-and-1, Vederian Lowe was called for a false start. Maye was sacked on the next play, and the Patriots punted.

The Bills received the ball back with 5:53 on the clock. Once again, the Patriots were called for a big penalty when Jack Gibbens was flagged for a 19-yard pass interference penalty.

That moved Buffalo to midfield. It helped set up a game-tying 45-yard field goal by Prater with 2:17 left on the clock.

Maye sets up game-winner

Maye escaped a sack to hit Diggs for a 12-yard gain at the 41-yard line on the first play of the series. With 1:25 on the clock, Maye hit Kayshon Boutte for a 19-yard gain at the 39-yard line.

That set up a 52-yard field goal by Andy Borregales with 15 seconds on the clock to give the Patriots a 23-20 advantage.

Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here.