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For most of Sunday night, it felt like New England had finally turned back the clock. Snow was falling, Gillette Stadium was buzzing, and the Buffalo Bills were reeling early. It looked like a vaeritable AFC East coronation. Instead, it became the moment everything unraveled. The Patriots didn’t just lose a football game in Week 15. They may actually have lost control of their season. A 21–0 lead, a 10-game win streak, and a clear path toward the division crown all slipped away in one brutal, sobering second half. When the dust settled, New England’s playoff fate was no longer fully in its own hands.
The Patriots suffered a stunning 35–31 loss to the Bills in the snow. New England blew a commanding three-touchdown lead built early behind quarterback Drake Maye and a fast, aggressive start. The Patriots controlled the first quarter. Maye scored twice on the ground and the defense swarmed Josh Allen into early mistakes.
From late in the second quarter onward, though, the game flipped entirely. Allen, the reigning MVP, engineered five consecutive touchdown drives. He carved up a Patriots defense that could not adjust. Buffalo erased the deficit with precision throws, timely third-down conversions, and relentless pressure. Their blistering rally was punctuated by a 37-yard strike to Khalil Shakir and a third-and-goal touchdown to Dawson Knox. The loss snapped New England’s winning streak and denied the franchise its first opportunity to clinch the AFC East at home since 2019. The Patriots left the game stunned and searching for answers.
Here we’ll try to look at and discuss the New England Patriots most to blame for their Week 15 loss to the Bills.
Drake Maye didn’t lose this game by himself, but he also didn’t win it when the moment demanded it. The Patriots’ quarterback completed 14 of 23 passes for 155 yards. He threw no touchdown passes, and added one interception. His two rushing touchdowns gave New England its early cushion. His poise in the first quarter suggested another controlled performance was on the way.
That never materialized, though. Once Buffalo adjusted, the Patriots’ offense stagnated. Outside of two long TreVeyon Henderson touchdown runs, Maye and the passing game offered little resistance. Drives stalled, and opportunities evaporated. Allen elevated everyone around him in the second half, while Maye couldn’t counterpunch.
That gap matters. This was a measuring-stick game. Sure, Maye remains the future. However, Sunday showed how much distance still exists between promise and dominance.
The Patriots’ secondary had no answers once Buffalo found rhythm. The mistakes weren’t always explosive, but they were constant and costly.
Brenden Schooler’s facemask penalty on a kickoff return turned a strong special-teams stop into prime field position for the Bills. It set up one of Buffalo’s easiest touchdown drives of the night. Those are hidden yards that don’t show up in box scores but decide games.
In coverage, the Patriots struggled to handle Buffalo’s tight-end-heavy attack. Craig Woodson was put in...
