The New England Patriots hit a go-ahead 52-yard discipline purpose with 15 seconds left within the recreation to knock off the beforehand undefeated Buffalo Payments by a closing rating of 23-20. This was New England’s first win at Highmark Stadium since 2021.
The Payments made a number of uncharacteristic errors. They have been penalized 11 occasions for 90 yards. In addition they gave the ball away thrice after recording only one turnover within the first 4 video games of the season.
An excellent-looking drive by the Payments ended with their second giveaway of the season. Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen botched a handoff when he was ran into by tight finish Dawson Knox. That unfastened fumble was picked up by Patriots rookie defensive lineman Joshua Farmer. Sadly for the Pats, Rhamondre Stevenson was stripped of the soccer on the following play, giving the Payments the ball again on their very own 38. Stevenson leads the league in misplaced fumbles with three on the marketing campaign.
Amazingly, one other Payments fumble occurred in the direction of the tip of the primary quarter. After Buffalo wideout Keon Coleman was stripped of the soccer, it was picked up by the Patriots within the purple zone, the place New England really someway misplaced yards. Regardless, they have been shut sufficient to try a chip-shot discipline purpose from 30 yards out to go forward 3-0 heading into the second body.
Going through a one-score deficit, the Payments determined to cease screwing round on offense. Josh Allen hit tight finish Dalton Kincaid for 13 yards after which wideout Joshua Palmer for an additional 23 yards to get into New England territory. The drive stalled within the purple zone, so Buffalo settled for a 3-3 tie after a 31-yard discipline purpose.
The Payments had numerous psychological errors within the first half of this recreation. They have been penalized seven occasions for 54 yards, had two giveaways, went 0/1 within the purple zone, and allowed a sack. By comparability, the Patriots solely had two accepted penalties referred to as in opposition to them within the first two quarters of the sport.
The Pats acquired on the board as soon as extra earlier than the break. Quarterback Drake Maye hit tight finish Hunter Henry for 22 yards to get into the purple zone. Drake Maye picked up one other 9 yards on the bottom to make it to the seven with 37 seconds left within the half. After a defensive move interference name acquired the Pats to the one, Drake Maye failed to finish a move to Hunter Henry, so the Pats needed to kick a discipline purpose for a 6-3 halftime lead.
It was night time for Buffalo tight finish Dalton Kincaid, who caught six passes for 108 yards. His 20-yard reception on the primary drive of the third quarter acquired the Payments previous midfield. That ultimately led to a walk-in landing move from Josh Allen to wideout Curtis Samuel for the sport’s first TD, placing Buffalo on high 10-6. That was Samuel’s third catch of the season.
Former Payments vast receiver Stefon Diggs got here to play in opposition to his outdated workforce. On the Pats’ first sequence of the third quarter, he caught two passes for 48 yards, which arrange a four-yard landing run by Rhamondre Stevenson to place New England again in entrance 13-10. Diggs completed the night with ten catches for a game-high 146 yards.
Buffalo picked up 33 yards on their subsequent possession after the Pats have been penalized for pointless roughness on the tail-end of an 18-yard reception by wideout Khalil Shakir. On a third and 5, Josh Allen related with Dalton Kincaid for a 17-yarder to get the ball into the purple zone. From there, issues took a shocking flip when Josh Allen threw his first interception of the season, killing a drive that would’ve tied the sport.
Drake Maye was strong on this one, finishing 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards and 12 speeding yards. He hit Hunter Henry and Stefon Diggs for 54 complete yards to get all the way down to Buffalo’s six yard line. Two performs later, Rhamondre Stevenson took a halfback pitch into the tip zone untouched for a seven-yard TD to increase the Patriots’ result in 20-10 early within the fourth quarter.
At this level, New England started to shoot itself within the foot. They have been penalized for private fouls on back-to-back performs to get the Payments to the Pats’ 26. After Buffalo acquired into the purple zone, they have been confronted with a third and 1 on the 5. Josh Allen picked up the primary down simply through the use of the Payments’ model of the tush push. On the very subsequent play, Josh Allen hit Keon Coleman at the back of the tip zone for a toe-tapping landing to chop into the lead 20-17 with 7:37 left within the fourth. That was Coleman’s first TD catch since Week One.
After a Patriots three-and-out, Buffalo’s offense took the sector with just below six minutes to go within the recreation. On a third and 6, Josh Allen hit Keon Coleman on the sideline for a 13-yard pickup to maintain the Payments’ drive alive. Nevertheless, the sequence died out at New England’s 27, so Buffalo kicked a discipline purpose to tie the sport 20-20 with 2:17 left within the fourth.
Drake Maye made a tremendous move to Stefon Diggs for a 12-yard pickup to convey this one to the two-minute warning. Whereas the clock was working, Maye related with vast receiver Kayshon Boutte for 19 yards to get the ball onto Buffalo’s aspect of the sector with 1:18 to go. On a third and 5, Drake Maye was sacked for zero yards, permitting the Pats to try a 52-yard discipline purpose with 20 seconds left on the clock. They nailed that kick to go forward 23-20 with solely 15 seconds remaining within the recreation.
By the point Buffalo’s offense took the sector, they solely had eight seconds left to select up 50 to 60 yards and get into discipline purpose vary. Josh Allen accomplished a move, however the receiver was tackled within the discipline of play, inflicting the clock to expire and giving New England the victory.
With the loss, there are not any extra undefeated groups within the NFL. This additionally represented the primary profession game-winning drive for Drake Maye.
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