Full coverage: Buffalo Bills fall to 7-5 after loss to New England Patriots

During his postgame press conference, Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott brought up the red zone five times unprompted.

In the Bills’ 14-10 loss to the New England Patriots, Buffalo was 1 of 4 in the red zone, failing to capitalize and instead moving in the wrong direction.

Quarter by quarter: Promising Buffalo Bills drives stall out in loss to Patriots

Don't miss Katherine's Fitzgerald's quarter-by-quarter analysis of the Buffalo Bills' 14-10 loss to the New England Patriots on Monday night.

“We went backwards, then you’re trying to kick a field goal," McDermott said. "We had a first-and-goal at the 6-yard line, and we ended up going backwards.”

The Bills entered the game tied for 11th in red zone touchdown percentage, at 61.7%. But they are now 6-for-16 in the red zone in their five losses, while 24-for-35 in seven wins. 

The two more dismal outings came in the fourth quarter, ending in a missed field goal and a turnover on downs.

Observations: Even when they knew it was coming, Bills' run defense was helpless to stop Patriots in ugly loss

The Buffalo Bills' 14-10 loss to the New England Patriots on Monday night was overshadowed by weather, weather and more weather.

The Bills landed at the 6-yard line as the result of a horse collar tackle by Dont'a Hightower after a seven-yard catch by Zack Moss. Just six yards out, and trailing by four, the Bills saw their hopes of scoring quickly unravel.

First, Moss ran for no gain, and the Bills burned a timeout after the play. Next, quarterback Josh Allen was sacked for a loss of nine yards. On third-and-15, Allen threw to tight end Dawson Knox, incomplete over the middle.

"We've got to find a way and we were 1 for 4 in the red zone tonight. Didn't play good enough. I take that very personally," Allen said. "I've got to play better and be better for this team."

The Bills went for a field goal, but with Tyler Bass kicking right into the wind, he was no good from 33 yards out. It was his first miss from 40 yards or less on the season.

The Buffalo defense then forced a three-and-out, giving the Bills another chance. They moved the ball well to start the drive, but once in the red zone, ended up going backward again. On third-and-9 from the 14, Knox was flagged for a false start, bringing up third-and-14. Allen again went to Knox on third down, unsuccessfully again, though with heavy contact on Knox from Patriots safety Adrian Phillips. Still, McDermott attributed the struggles to the Bills’ own woes.

“Just sloppy football,” McDermott said. “I mean you name it: presnap penalty, just no rhythm. No rhythm down there.”

When McDermott was asked directly about offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, he again brought up the red zone.

“I didn’t think we honestly took advantage of our opportunities tonight,” McDermott said in response. “I honestly didn’t. The ball’s at the 40-yard line and we’re 1 for 4 in the red zone. We gotta figure that part of it out.”

It wasn’t that the Patriots were efficient in the red zone – they were 0 for 1 – but they didn't need to be. Instead, the Bills’ inability to score when needed highlighted the missed opportunities that caved them in.

“I think it's just the familiar topic of shooting ourselves in the foot at (inopportune) times,” center Mitch Morse said. “There's no opportune time to shoot yourself in the foot – we just seem to tend to do it at the absolute worst time.”

Report Card: Coaching, run defense come up small in damaging defeat to New England

The two fourth-quarter drives were the Bills’ longest of the day, 49 and 62 yards, respectively. During them, the Bills looked more like the offense they’ve shown when they’ve played their best this season, despite the conditions. Allen ripped off a 21-yard run on one drive, and connected with wide receiver Stefon Diggs for a 26-yard pass, the Bills’ longest play of the day, to start the second. But even when looking closer to what they believe their offensive identity is, the Bills couldn’t score on either.

“With conditions and how defenses are going to play that type of way – going back to that, can’t take a sack there and force us out of field goal range, understanding the weather,” Allen said. “Again, just situational football, gotta be better.”

The Bills’ lone touchdown of the day came quickly: A 14-yard pass to Gabriel Davis on the first play after recovering a muffed punt. But on a night when a second touchdown could have won it, the Bills’ inconsistent offense was unable to score again.

“The red zone percentage, being successful in the red zone is a key factor in winning games along with turnovers,” Morse said. “And when you lose either two of those, or you don't get the percentages that you need to, it becomes a very hard game to win. And like I said before, there's plenty of times for all of us to look internally and see what we could have done better. And that's the frustrating thing.”

Grading the Buffalo Bills in their 14-10 loss to the New England Patriots on Monday at Highmark Stadium …

Observations: Even when they knew it was coming, Bills' run defense was helpless to stop Patriots in ugly loss

The Buffalo Bills' 14-10 loss to the New England Patriots on Monday night was overshadowed by weather, weather and more weather.

Running game: F

Would it surprise anyone if the Bills had an entirely new backfield next season? Week after week, the production from Devin Singletary, Zack Moss and Matt Breida ranges from “meh” to miserable. Monday was decidedly the latter. Singletary ran for 36 yards on 10 carries, while Moss gained just 21 yards on eight attempts. Go back and watch his first-and-goal carry from the Patriots’ 6-yard line. His vision on that play was severely lacking – if he bounces outside, he walks into the end zone. Breida chipped in a lowly 3 yards on one carry. His inability to cleanly field a handoff from quarterback Josh Allen led to a costly turnover. Combined, the Bills’ running backs averaged 3.2 yards per attempt on 19 carries. On a night when it was plainly obvious that running the ball was a must because of the weather, the Bills couldn’t do it nearly consistent enough. Allen was the Bills’ leading rusher, with a 21-yard gain highlighting his six carries for 39 yards.

“We’re going to try our darndest to fix it. It’s tough,” coach Sean McDermott said of the run game’s struggles. “I’m not going to sit up here and lie to you guys. To fix that part of your game this time of year is tough. That’s why we try like heck to do it in training camp. That’s where you develop the toughness of the football team. That’s why we run the football in training camp.”

Passing game: D

Once again, Allen didn’t get much help. Tight end Dawson Knox had an absolutely brutal game, with three passes that were off his hands that fell incomplete. Even if not all were classified as drops, they were plays a team needs its starting tight end to make. Knox finished with just two catches for 17 yards, despite being targeted six times. No. 1 receiver Stefon Diggs had trouble tracking a deep throw that would have gone for a touchdown, with the ball bouncing harmlessly off his wrist to the turf. Cole Beasley was a non-factor, with just one catch for 11 yards. On a night when short passes figured to be a bigger part of the game plan, it’s odd that Beasley wasn’t more involved. Allen finished 15 of 30 for 145 yards and a touchdown. Comically, he described the wind as “not too bad,” after the game, which is an asinine thing to say.

“Overall, when you lose, I’m not going to single out a guy good or bad, at the end of the day it’s a team deal here. Like always, there’s some plays he wants back and I thought there were some opportunities on the ball and we dropped it,” McDermott said.

Red zone woes plague Bills again in loss to Patriots

In the Bills’ 14-10 loss to the New England Patriots, Buffalo was 1 of 4 in the red zone, failing to capitalize and instead moving in the wrong direction.

Run defense: F-

What a joke. That’s about the only thing to say after Damien Harris went 64 yards – untouched! – to open the scoring in the first quarter on a third-down carry when the Patriots were very clearly not going to throw the ball.

“There’s no reason a run should go for 64 yards. I can see how you hand it off 45 times or whatever it is and occasionally you’re going to hit an 8-yarder or 10 yards. That’s going to happen. This is the NFL. But 64 yards? No way,” McDermott said.

Star Lotulelei’s long-awaited return from the Covid-19 list amounted to a whole bunch of nothing. The fourth quarter started with linebacker Matt Milano making a pair of tackles for loss – it was nice to see someone on the defense had a pulse – but that doesn't cover up the collective no show through the first three quarters.

Quarter by quarter: Promising Buffalo Bills drives stall out in loss to Patriots

Don't miss Katherine's Fitzgerald's quarter-by-quarter analysis of the Buffalo Bills' 14-10 loss to the New England Patriots on Monday night.

Pass defense: Incomplete

Why even give it a grade? The Patriots threw the ball three times. Hey, at least Tre White’s absence wasn’t all that impactful Monday. As for next week, however …

Special teams: B-

Tyler Bass missed a 33-yard field goal wide right. That’s not a huge surprise given that kicking to the scoreboard end of the stadium was all but impossible. Should he even have tried? More on that later. Bass did hit one from 35 yards going the other way. Punter Matt Haack was surprisingly good, averaging 38.6 net yards on five punts. He did put two punts in the end zone, but again, it was tough to stop the ball kicking toward the tunnel end. Siran Neal recovered a muffed punt to set up the Bills’ only touchdown. Micah Hyde returned one punt for 8 yards and Breida’s only kickoff return went for 27 yards.

Plays that shaped the game: Patriots rely on heavy personnel to make big run plays

The toss sweep out of “heavy personnel” was the bread-and-butter play of the New England Patriots’ game plan on a blustery night in Orchard Park.

Coaching: F

Where do we start? The decision to challenge a spot late in the game was doomed from the start. Rarely does the spot of the ball get overturned, and in a close game, that was a wasted timeout. So, too, was the second timeout of the second half, which came with 8:18 left in the fourth quarter and came after a run for no gain. Clearly, there was a huge problem getting the next play in. The timeout at the end of the second quarter was a strange one, seeing as that it could have given the Patriots one more play to throw a Hail Mary (why they didn’t is a mystery). Allowing 222 yards on the ground is bad enough, but when it comes in a game when it’s clear what the opposition is going to do, that makes it a whole lot worse.

“That’s been their formula – run, don’t make a mistake, play good defense, play good special teams," McDermott said. "Eventually, they’ll take the ball away. So, and then when you add the weather on top of that, again it wasn’t a surprise. I can promise you that. It wasn’t a surprise.”

Why, then, did it happen is a question fans should be asking. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is a popular target for fan angst after losses, but he deserves to take plenty of heat. Why did Allen, easily the team’s best runner, have only six attempts on a night rushing the ball was going to be so important? Why was such good field position consistently squandered? Why are the issues in the red zone not getting any better? There is a lot for this coaching staff to sort out on a short week.

Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott seemed more animated than usual on the sideline Monday night. 

When it was pointed out that he was visibly frustrated at times during the Bills' 14-10 loss to the New England Patriots, he was asked about whether that was related to coaching against Bill Belichick.

McDermott pointed to why "sloppy football" was the culprit, more than the coach on the other sideline. 

"It’s not Bill – let’s not give more credit than we need to give credit to Bill Belichick in this one," McDermott told reporters. "Whether it was Bill or anyone else, they beat us. You sit here and you tell me when we start with the average starting field position at the 40-yard line and he starts at the 23-yard line and I’m rounding up in both cases. And we were 1 for 4 in the red zone and they’re 0 for 1 in the red zone. You give me that ahead of time and I’m telling you I like my chances. I like my chances.

"I don’t think, with all due respect, it’s not a Bill Belichick type thing. It’s what are you doing with the opportunities that you got. What are you doing with the opportunities that you’ve got. We turned the ball over at the plus-30 something yard line. Sloppy football. I’m very comfortable in that situation."

pic.twitter.com/PfNwmmvQuP

— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) December 7, 2021

That comment immediately stirred the ire of the hosts of Post Game Live on NBC Sports Boston, notably Michael S. Holley. The hosts quickly took aim at the Bills' coach. 

"The whole team is in denial," Holley began, saying it again for emphasis. "I said let’s wait for Post Game Live and for Sean McDermott, he’s going to say something snarky. He’s going to say something petty. Once again, he is. He doesn’t want to give credit to Belichick. He knows, they failed to adjust to the game plan.

"He’s in denial. His players are denial. … The Patriots, really, they did a wonderful job, they won the game and they were able to take away 11-month reign of the Buffalo Bills is over. It’s over atop of the AFC East. Didn’t even last a calendar year. They’re done. Bye bye."

"The whole [Bills] team is in denial"@Teddyjradio, @tomecurran & @MichaelSHolley react to Sean McDermott & the Bills' postgame comments pic.twitter.com/YlvFcCljN1

— NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Coverage (@NBCSPatriots) December 7, 2021

Later, former Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson added, "Clearly, the Patriots are in the Buffalo Bills’ heads right now. That does not bode well for the Bills, because they got the Patriots again in two weeks. Sean McDermott is wound up tight. He doesn’t do his team any favors because they’re all wound up after losing to the Patriots when everybody expected them to win this game."

Don't miss Katherine's Fitzgerald's quarter-by-quarter analysis of the Buffalo Bills' 14-10 loss to the New England Patriots on Monday night.

Observations: Even when they knew it was coming, Bills' run defense was helpless to stop Patriots in ugly loss

First quarter

Lineup: Wide receivers Marquez Stevenson and Isaiah McKenzie, fullback Reggie Gilliam, defensive end Efe Obada, offensive lineman Jamil Douglas and DT Vernon Butler were inactive for the Bills. Additionally, linebacker A.J. Klein was placed on the Reserve/Covid-19 list ahead of the game.

Three and outs: Both teams started the game by going three and out. The Patriots, up first, had a botched handoff from quarterback Mac Jones to running back Damien Harris on third-and-4. They recovered, but Ed Oliver finished the job, chasing Harris out of bounds. The Bills didn’t fare much better on their first outing, gaining just three net yards.

Pats score first: The Patriots were determined to run the ball in the first quarter. Running back Harris made it look easy on one play: He was untouched as he ran for a 64-yard touchdown. The Patriots went for two, as they would have been kicking into the wind, and were successful, taking an 8-0 lead.

Bills answer: Special teams helped get the Bills on the board. Back to return a punt, Patriots wide receiver N’Keal Harry tripped and tried to avoid touching the ball, but it just barely grazed his helmet. The Bills' Siran Neal pounced on it, and Buffalo took over on the New England 14-yard line. The Bills scored the next play, a 14-yard throw to Gabriel Davis doing the trick.

Jason Wolf: Josh Allen gets no help as Bills lose to Patriots, fall from thick of AFC playoff race

Second quarter

Tacking on three: The Patriots added to their lead in the second quarter with a 41-yard field goal from Nick Folk. Ahead of that, they went 52 yards in nine plays. Three of those plays were runs of 10 or more yards.

Stalled out: The Bills’ longest drive of the first half did not result in any points. Toward the end of the drive, a delay of game penalty backed up the Bills. So did a five-yard sack on Allen. On third-and-19, Allen had a sharp pass to tight end Dawson Knox, who was unable to reel it in. In all, the Bills’ drive lasted nine plays, only to gain just 26 yards.

Heading into half: Toward the end of the second quarter, the Bills went three-and-out again. On third-and-3, Allen’s pass to wide receiver Cole Beasley was batted at the line. The Patriots got the ball back after the two-minute warning, but would end up punting to end the half.

Staying grounded: The Patriots finished the first half with Jones throwing just one pass, a 12-yard completion to Jonnu Smith, which Smith had to jump to snag. Other than that, the Patriots ran the ball 23 times. According to Elias Sports, that was the fewest first-half pass attempts since 1978, which is how far back that data goes.

Plays that shaped the game: Patriots rely on heavy personnel to make big run plays

Third quarter

Slow start: The Bills got the ball to start the second half, but were unable to do much. They picked up 16 yards in four plays, the bulk of that an 11-yard catch by Cole Beasley to start the drive. Devin Singletary picked up a few more yards, only for the Bills to punt two plays later.

Start then stop: The start of the next drive was promising, with a 19-yard catch by Emmanuel Sanders. Then, Allen threw deep to Stefon Diggs in the end zone early in the drive, and it bounced off Diggs’ hands. Later, on third-and-7, Allen ran for six yards. He was pushed out by cornerback Myles Bryant, who was flagged for unnecessary roughness, extending the Bills’ drive.

Bass is good: After the unnecessary roughness call kept them on the field, the Bills couldn’t reach the end zone. They settled for a field goal; Tyler Bass was good from 35 yards to make it 11-10. With the kick, Bass improved to 16-of-16 on kicks of 40 yards or less.

Timeout taken: The Patriots continued to march down the field, running the ball over and over. On fourth-and-1, Jones went for a quarterback sneak, which was ruled a first down. Coach Sean McDermott challenged the first down, but the ruling on the field stood, and the Bills used their first timeout.

AFC playoff picture after Buffalo Bills' loss to New England Patriots

Here is how the AFC playoff picture looks following Monday night’s victory by the New England Patriots over the Buffalo Bills.

Fourth quarter

A defensive stand: Bills linebacker Matt Milano started the fourth quarter with back-to-back tackles for loss, totaling a loss of a eight. The Patriots couldn’t convert the ensuing third down, and settled for a field goal. Folk was good from 34 yards to give New England a four-point lead.

Yikes: The Bills had first-and-goal from the 6, but it did not go well from there. A no-gain, a nine-yard sack and an incomplete pass brought fourth down, and the Bills elected to kick into the wind. Bass was no good from 33 yards out.

Mac passes: Jones did something unusual for the night: He threw twice on one drive. The Patriots went three-and-out on a drive that featured two attempts from the rookie quarterback, with one completion. Cornerback Dane Jackson had a pass break up.

The end: The Bills moved the ball more efficiently with their last chance, but it was for naught. They had first-and-10 at the Patriots' 14, but were unable to score. It came down to a pass on fourth-and-14, which was broken up by Bryant. The Patriots got the ball back with 1:55 left.

The toss sweep out of “heavy personnel” was the bread-and-butter play of the New England Patriots’ game plan on a blustery night in Orchard Park.

New England turned the play into the first touchdown of the game and never trailed afterward en route to a 14-10 victory Monday night.

Here's a closer look at key plays that shaped the game:

Observations: Even when they knew it was coming, Bills' run defense was helpless to stop Patriots in ugly loss

Big cutback. The Patriots ran a toss sweep to the left to running back Damien Harris, who cut back against the flow of the play up the middle of the field for a 64-yard touchdown.

"That can’t happen," said Bills coach Sean McDermott. "That’s a big play whether you throw it or run it. When you run the ball 45 yards, you’re gonna get some yards here or there, but I think if you take that one out, then you help the average a little bit, but at the end of the day, you can’t give up a 64 yarder. That really skews the numbers there."

The Patriots had big fullback Jakob Johnson on the field, along with sixth offensive lineman Michael Onwenu, who was lined up next to right tackle, along with tight end Jonnu Smith.

Jason Wolf: Josh Allen gets no help as Bills lose to Patriots, fall from thick of AFC playoff race

Both linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano got pushed beyond the flow of the play, and free safety Micah Hyde got caught overflowing to the left. Johnson’s lead block took out the linebacker on the play-side, Tyrel Dodson. Patriots left guard Ted Karras got out on Edmunds and shoved him to the outside. Patriots right guard Shaq Mason got out on Milanon and pushed him to the outside. That appeared to be the gap that needed to be filled, and it opened up a big cutback line.

It might have been a 12- or 15-yard gain if Hyde hadn’t overflowed to the outside as well.

“How lucky are we to have those guys?” Patriots center David Andrews said of Harris and the other New England running backs. “What a memorable game that will be for me in my career.”

"It was a toss play, so usually that starts with setting an edge," said McDermott. "You’ve got to set the edge and then you’ve got to have pursuit up and in on the backside."

Bills defensive end A.J. Epenesa knifed into the backfield, past Harris.

The Patriots have six quality offensive linemen, and their use of an extra blocker as a big tight end has been a common tactic this season. Onwenu, a 350-pounder, has started 23 games over the past two years, including seven of the first eight this season. But he lost his starting job at midseason to Karras.

New England used the extra offensive lineman on 15 of 24 plays in the first half and all but five plays of the second half.

Quarter by quarter: Promising Buffalo Bills drives stall out in loss to Patriots

Don't miss Katherine's Fitzgerald's quarter-by-quarter analysis of the Buffalo Bills' 14-10 loss to the New England Patriots on Monday night.

Key sack. The Bills’ second-last drive was a great scoring chance, but was foiled by a sack deep in Patriots’ territory.

It was a second-and-goal from the 6. The Bills ran a fake split zone run up the middle in which the tight end, Tommy Sweeney, shifts behind the line of scrimmage at the snap and blocks the edge defender, which was Matthew Judon.

The first problem was that Pats defensive end Deatrich Wise got a big bull rush on Bills right guard Daryl Williams, pushing him back toward Allen. The Bills QB was looking toward Jake Kumerow, running a pivot route to the right side of the end zone. The second problem was Judon was too tough for Sweeney, pushing the tight end backward. Allen tried to escape the pocket to the left, because the right was blocked by Wise, and he tripped on Sweeney’s leg. Allen fell down at the 15, got back up and easily was swarmed by Judon for a 9-yard loss. That forced the Bills to try a 33-yard field goal, which was missed wide right.

With the sack, Judon equaled the most sacks by a Patriots player in the Bill Belichick era (since 2000). Judon has 12.5, tied with former Patriots Mike Vrabel (2007) and Chandler Jones (2015).

Judon, who signed a four-year, $56 million contract in March, now has 35.5 sacks in six NFL seasons.

AFC playoff picture after Buffalo Bills' loss to New England Patriots

Here is how the AFC playoff picture looks following Monday night’s victory by the New England Patriots over the Buffalo Bills.

Late self-inflicted blow. The Bills made only three penalties for 20 yards, but their final foul was a big one. They faced a third-and-9 from the Pats’ 13 with 2:11 left when Dawson Knox was called for a false start.

No defensive holding? On the ensuing third-and-14 snap, Allen made a miraculous escape from a near sack, was flushed toward the right sideline and threw incomplete at the goal line for Knox.

Replays showed Patriots safety Adrian Phillips was clutching and grabbing Knox in the end zone before the throw – and maybe after – but there was no defensive holding call, which would have given the Bills 5 yards and a first down.

Early self-inflicted blows. The Bills had a good scoring chance late in the second quarter after driving from their own 25 to the Pats’ 39 into the wind. But on a second-and-9, Buffalo was called for a delay of game. On the next play, Allen was sacked, and on third and 19 a throw deep downfield was dropped by Knox.

Giveaways, continued. The Bills’ bad giveaway streak continued in the first quarter when their first good scoring chance was foiled. On a first-down play from the Patriots’ 30, running back Matt Breida never got the exchange on a handoff from Allen and the ball fell to the ground. Patriots defensive end Lawrence Guy fell on it.

It was the Bills’ 12th giveaway in the last five games. It was New England’s 13th takeaway in the last five games.

Facemask advantage. The Patriots returned the turnover favor when punt returner N’Keal Harry tried to back off the Bills’ second punt of the game. But he leaned over and the ball caromed slightly off his facemask. Buffalo’s Siran Neal recovered at the New England 14.

Early TD. The Patriots entered the game ranked third in the NFL in the red zone. They held Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 1-of-7 performance in the red zone. The Bills finished 1 of 4 on Monday.

The only TD came on the 14-yard scoring strike from Allen to Gabriel Davis. The Bills beat the blitz on the play. New England rushed a safety, Phillips, but Allen’s throw on a slant was a strike to Davis, who beat cornerback Jalen Mills in man-to-man coverage.

Analyst Louis Riddick mentioned during Monday Night Football that New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick doesn’t care about “style points.”

That was obvious after the Big Mac (Jones) attack of the Pats consisted of 46 rushing attempts and three passes in a 14-10 victory over the Buffalo Bills.

But I’m all about distributing style points in my TV analysis and the member of the ESPN trio getting the most of them Monday was play-by-play announcer Steve Levy.

He cut the tension several times during the game with his humor.

When Bills coach Sean McDermott decided to challenge a key spot after it was unclear Pats QB Jones had made a first down on a fourth and one, Levy looked at the mass of bodies making it difficult to see where the ball was and cracked, “Let me know when you can find him.”

That was his way of explaining there was no way to change the ruling. In a way, it also illustrated there was no way for the officials to award Jones the first down, either.

When ESPN showed the blue lights coming out of a downtown building, Levy cracked there were plenty of Blue Lights in the stadium, indicating his knowledge of one of Western New York’s favorite beers.

When another aerial view of downtown from a blimp was shown, Levy noted, “This is a shot from last night because you wouldn’t want to be up in the wind tonight.”

And then there was this gem before Bills kicker Tyler Bass lined up for a field goal at the more difficult part of the stadium: “This ought to be fun.” Soon afterwards, Levy explained it was “the shortest miss of his career.”

Of course, the weather probably lessened the fun for many at the stadium. It should have added to the stylish look of the game. But the cameras couldn’t fully capture the feel of the winter wonderland at the stadium because wind isn’t as visual as snow or rain.

It surely looked a lot less uncomfortable than it undoubtedly was for the Bills Mafia experiencing Buffalo’s third home loss of the season at Highmark Stadium.

The home losses to Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and New England with the Bills Mafia behind them illustrate as much as anything how overrated the team was in preseason.

Upon Further Review: All signs after loss to Patriots point to Bills becoming unglued

The No. 1 seed in the AFC? Forget about it. At this point, the Bills are fighting for their playoff lives, Jay Skurski says.

Analyst Brian Griese doesn’t get many style points for his voice or presentation, but he was excellent explaining how Bills quarterback Josh Allen lowered his elbow to throw in the wind and where in the stadium Allen told him he was more comfortable throwing.

Griese also raised the issue on the minds of Bills fans – whether they could compete with the Patriots’ “physicality.” The answer was clearly no as the Pats became the second team in three games to run over the Bills for more than 200 yards.

The analyst was generally softer in his criticism than Bills fans and the local media undoubtedly will be. Some of his toughest criticism directed at Buffalo was for not being ready on the fourth down sneak by Jones that resulted in a questionable first down.

He also gently criticized Allen for not seeing an open Stefon Diggs short of the goal line when the quarterback was scrambling and instead tried to hit tight end Dawson Knox in the end zone.

However, Griese also gave Bills fans the most hope for the Dec. 26 rematch.

At game’s end, Griese said New England “was better in this style of game,” but things may be different in the rematch in a few weeks.

Riddick was at his best explaining coverages and the Patriots ground game and the importance of linebacker Kyle Van Noy in keeping Allen from running.

ESPN’s referee expert John Parry was utilized effectively on questionable calls, including what he termed a “tight” delay of game penalty against the Bills that had McDermott agitated and a weak “very technical” personal foul against the Pats’ Myles Bryant that led to a Bills field goal.

We could have heard more from Parry, especially on what appeared to be a potential holding call or pass interference call against Patriots safety Adrian Phillips that prevented Knox from catching a touchdown late in the game.

He also could have been asked about something Griese brought up – whether the Pats’ Matt Judon could have been called for roughing the passer after landing on top of Allen.

There also could have been more debate on key McDermott decisions. The analysts gave no opinion on McDermott’s decision to have Bass kick an extra point rather than go for two when the Bills were down, 8-6, in the first quarter.

And they didn’t question a late-game decision to have Bass try that “fun” field goal late in the game down 14-10 in the direction of the stadium that led Belichick to go for a two-point conversion rather than have Nick Folk try an extra point.

After all, even if Bass had made the kick – the wind blew it wide right – the Bills still would have needed another one in terrible conditions to win the game.

Now on to more highs and lows of the broadcast:

Let Me See If You Can Find Him: Bills nose tackle Star Lotulelei, who was supposed to be key in stopping the Patriot running attack, was barely mentioned, except for reportedly being on “a pitch count” after recovering from Covid.

Define Fascinating: Griese called it a “fascinating game” on the postgame show with Scott Van Pelt.

Inside Baseball: Levy praised ESPN’s outside crew a few times for putting on a broadcast in less-than-ideal circumstances.

Complete Nonsense: The praise heaped on the Patriots’ Bryant for knocking down an Allen pass on fourth and 14 to seal the victory seemed over the top since the pass most likely was going to be incomplete anyway.

C’mon Man: The pregame praise of Jones as the best rookie quarterback also was over the top when you consider how little Belichick trusted him. Before the game, Levy said Jones is “playing like the draft boards had it all wrong.” A case can be made that if Jones were with Jacksonville, the New York Jets or Chicago Bears, he’d be doing as well as the rookies there. The announcers were so desperate to praise Jones that they glorified a 12-yard completion on a floated pass that led to a circus catch by tight end Jonnu Smith.

Sneaky Comments: After Jones ran two quarterback sneaks, including the disputed one for a first down, Riddick cracked it was his way of saying, “let me do something.” At another point when the Bills left a gunner on the Pats punting team open to almost dare them to fake a punt and throw, Griese cracked: “If the quarterback can’t throw, certainly the punter can’t throw it.”

The Camera Can Lie: ESPN initially had trouble tracking New England’s punts against the wind.

You Can’t Hyde: The replay of the 64-yard touchdown run by the Patriots’ Damien Harris showed how out of position Bills linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and safety Micah Hyde were on the play.

Understatement of the Night: Before the game started, Levy said: “It is probably a nice night to be watching on the couch.”

Model Child: Even Bills fans would have to admit that the pictures of Mac Jones at around age 7 were cute. He has confirmed he had a modeling career as a child.

Name the Top 2: Bass told the announcers that the game was in the top three of the worst weather conditions he’s played in.

Anger Management: After repeated shots of McDermott on the sideline, Levy noted, “he’s been angry from the opening kick … He’s been wearing out the officials.”

Cue Bob Seger: After Harris’ touchdown run, Griese said, “scoring against the wind is like scoring twice.” Not really.

Quatro: Griese noted that’s the Belichick word for being in four-down territory.

 Poyer Endorsement: After noting that Bills safety Jordan Poyer has been receiving about 100 messages a day since revealing his struggle with alcohol, Levy said the crew doesn’t usually campaign for players to make the Pro Bowl. Then he added of Poyer: “There is a guy you can throw a vote to and feel good about it.”

Would Have Been Nice to See: The announcers noted that McDermott talked to Bills linebacker Matt Milano at length during a commercial before Milano made back-to-back tackles for losses. ESPN either didn’t have it on camera or didn’t have time to show it.

No Eruption: As the Bills entered the red zone and had the potential to take the lead, Griese noted that fans “were ready to erupt if they score.” They didn’t.

A Sense of Urgency: Griese suggested that McDermott’s challenge of the Jones’ sneak for a first down without any evidence to support it illustrated his “sense of urgency.” With the Bills now 7-5 and perhaps needing “quatro” victories to make the playoffs, the sense of urgency for a trendy preseason Super Bowl pick undoubtedly has heightened.

A hyped-up Bills Mafia was excited to cheer on the Buffalo Bills in a Monday night showdown with the New England Patriots.

But the Patriots left windy Highmark Stadium with a 14-10 win after gaining for 222 yards and only through the air on a night where their quaterback, Mac Jones, attempted only three passes.

Needless to say, Bills fans were not happy, and took to social media to voice their displeasure.

Fire these coaches … 1- bad coaching calls all season 2- bad running game 3- discipline 4- penalties … 5- oline … same reasons we lost 5 games and no one is fixing anything

— Honest Bills Fan (@Honst_bills_fan) December 7, 2021

It hurts to admit that the Buffalo Bills do not have what it takes to be a playoff contender this season. We all had high hopes just a few weeks ago.

— 🌊 🌊 🌊 Jeff Hancock🌊 🌊 🌊 (@sabres4jeff) December 7, 2021

It’s all going according to plan. Nobody wants to play the Buffalo Bills when they are an underdog in the playoffs

— Mickey (@MickeyTurnover) December 7, 2021

The Patriots just won a game with Mac Jones throwing only 3 passes against 7-4 Buffalo Bills team. Bill Belichick is a madman and the NFL in trouble once again

— Cody Shannon (@codyshannon1287) December 7, 2021

I hope the coaches keep the film of this game and play it on repeat all week and show the poor run defense and Josh Allen putting his head down and missing throws, Edmunds needs to be a OLB cause he chases and runs around looking lost, and why are we in NICKEL tryna stop the run?

— Shitsubo (@KimaniU) December 7, 2021

@BuffaloBills ruined my birthday because they couldn't stop the same play over and over again no one can tackle well thats fun

— Brian (@BrianPellnat) December 7, 2021

I still believe in Josh Allen. Only reason the Bills lost that game was because they were out coached. Buffalo has the better roster and will turn up in the playoffs. I’ll be back to say I told you so. #BillsMafia #BuffaloBills #NEvsBUF

— James Deerfield (@deerfield_james) December 7, 2021

here is a 5th fact that we all learned tonight:5. Brandon Beane’s refusal to address the TE & RB pos, on the @BuffaloBills , should be cause for concern. The fact that he didn’t even try to go after anyone of talent proves he’s an inadequate GM #BillsMafia #Bills

— david roth (@silverfoxroth) December 7, 2021

I will always love @BuffaloBills and #BillsMafia but this loss is an embarrassment, I honestly believe something is going on behind the scenes, this is not the cohesive unit we saw last year, how did we lose to a pat’s rookie qb?

— ricky (@whickywhit) December 7, 2021

After tonight against the @Patriots my heart is broken once again for going on 25+ years. Makes it so hard traveling to @Buccaneers next weekend; I’m reluctant to pay $300 plus for a shit ticket and my wife’s first @BuffaloBills game.

— Chris Baker (@BakerRaker) December 7, 2021

You CANNOT lose a game when the opposing team attempts 3 passes All game. That is really blowing my mind right now. New England hid their QB from us for 4 Qtrs and we lost. On top of that we keep losing these close 1 score games. Ughhh

— LeShawn Jerman (@warloc6) December 7, 2021

Night, y’all. Just go sleep it off lol #GoBills pic.twitter.com/4RuJGuo3PD

— Los™️ (@losinvictus) December 7, 2021

The 2021 Buffalo Bills pic.twitter.com/mUAi5GAc7I

— Derek Kramer (@DerekKramer49) December 7, 2021

This game was the reason the Buffalo Bills drafted Josh Allen.

The big arm, suitable for cannon blasts through the biting wind. The big hands, making it easier to grip the pigskin in wet and frigid conditions. He had the mobility to elude rushers to buy time to throw and the wheels to take off, gobbling chunks of yardage on the ground, when necessary.

Then they built a team around him that can’t run the ball or stop the run.

Observations: Even when they knew it was coming, Bills' run defense was helpless to stop Patriots in ugly loss

The Buffalo Bills' 14-10 loss to the New England Patriots on Monday night was overshadowed by weather, weather and more weather.

The Bills’ quarter billion-dollar franchise quarterback, the runner-up for the NFL MVP award last season, did all he could to will Buffalo back into the thick of the AFC playoff race.

But Allen received little help from teammates on either side of the ball, as the Bills fizzled in a playoff atmosphere against the one-dimensional New England Patriots, losing 14-10 on Monday Night Football at wind-whipped Highmark Stadium.

“I don’t know if it affected us too bad,” Allen said. “Maybe a throw here or there. But that’s why I’m here, to play in those types of conditions and we’ve got to find a way.”

The Patriots (9-4), winners of seven consecutive games, have tightened their grip on first place in the AFC East and own the best record in the conference, a half-game ahead of Tennessee, Baltimore and Kansas City with five weeks remaining in the regular season.

The Bills (7-5), now a game-and-a-half back, have just a 28% chance of winning the AFC East and hosting at least one playoff game, according to odds via the New York Times.

Forget about the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye. They have a 50% chance of earning a wild card berth and a 22% chance of missing the playoffs altogether.

Quarter by quarter: Promising Buffalo Bills drives stall out in loss to Patriots

Don't miss Katherine's Fitzgerald's quarter-by-quarter analysis of the Buffalo Bills' 14-10 loss to the New England Patriots on Monday night.

“This is crunch time,” Bills center Mitch Morse said. “We understand the implications of this game. We understand the magnitude of what this meant and this loss meant. That’s not lost on us.”

The remaining schedule includes next week's visit to Tampa Bay for a matchup against Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers, a home game against Carolina, a rematch against the Patriots in Foxborough the day after Christmas and home games against Atlanta and the New York Jets.

But there’s little reason to believe the Bills, who had 11 days to prepare for the Patriots, can turn this season around.

With sustained winds around 30 mph and gusts exceeding 40 mph, the Patriots attempted just one pass through three quarters Monday night and nevertheless ran roughshod against a Bills rush defense that had no excuses, with middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds healthy and defensive tackle Star Lotulelei returning from the Reserve/Covid-19 list.

New England piled up 222 rushing yards on 46 carries, including a 64-yard touchdown run by Damien Harris, who breezed untouched through the Bills’ defense in the first quarter, with the Patriots driving against the wind.

“There’s no reason a run should go for 64 yards,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “I can see how you hand it off (46) times, occasionally you’re going to hit an eight yarder or a 10 yarder. That’s going to happen. This is the NFL. But 64 yards? No way.”

Plays that shaped the game: Patriots rely on heavy personnel to make big run plays

The toss sweep out of “heavy personnel” was the bread-and-butter play of the New England Patriots’ game plan on a blustery night in Orchard Park.

Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones didn’t attempt his second pass until late in the fourth quarter.

He finished 2 of 3 for 19 yards.

Bills safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer took exception to being asked whether they were embarrassed losing to a team that attempted just three passes, while Edmunds was matter-of-fact about the Patriots’ offensive gameplan and the Bills’ shortcomings.

“We knew they were going to come in and try to pound the ball,” Edmunds said. “We’ve just got to do a better job stopping it.”

Allen was 15 of 30 for 145 yards, a touchdown and a fumble, though that was more on Matt Breida failing to secure a handoff.

Allen also led the Bills with 39 rushing yards on six carries, with one of those runs going for 21 yards.

Dawson Knox had two drive-killing drops. Stefon Diggs dropped a deep ball in the end zone.

Allen's 21 yard scramble, the Bills’ longest run of the day, came on their penultimate possession, helping to set up first and goal on the 6. But they came away with no points after Tyler Bass’ 33-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right.

The Bills still had a chance to win the game, driving from their own 25 to the New England 13-yard line with 2:15 to play. Then a Knox false start turned third and 9 into third and 14. Allen dodged two tacklers and threw incomplete. His fourth down pass was knocked down by Myles Bryant.

“Not good enough,” McDermott said. “We’ve got to be able to run the football and stop the run, and those things don’t change. The message hasn’t changed, in terms of the necessity for physicality and what we do. … You’ve got to win the line of scrimmage.”

AFC playoff picture after Buffalo Bills' loss to New England Patriots

Here is how the AFC playoff picture looks following Monday night’s victory by the New England Patriots over the Buffalo Bills.

The Patriots had won 11 consecutive AFC East titles and 16 of the previous 17 until the Bills triumphed last season. Buffalo hadn't won the division since 1995.

No team other than New England has won the AFC East in consecutive seasons since the Bills won four in a row from 1988 to '91.

The Bills had been dominant against the rest of the division over the last two years.

Buffalo had won its last nine games against AFC East opponents since the meaningless 2019 regular season finale against the New York Jets, when the Bills were locked into a wildcard matchup at Houston.

A 10th consecutive victory would have tied a franchise record set from 1990 to ‘91.

Allen had played his best on the NFL’s marquee regular season stage.

The Bills’ quarterback threw for at least 300 yards and three touchdowns in each of his previous three games on Monday Night Football, joining Drew Brees as the only quarterbacks to produce those statistics in three consecutive Monday night games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Buffalo was coming off a decisive, nationally-televised victory in New Orleans, but had alternated wins and losses since defeating Kansas City in primetime on Oct. 10 at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Bills dropped the following game at Tennessee, 34-31, on Monday Night Football when the offensive line failed to generate enough push and Allen slipped on an attempted quarterback sneak on fourth and inches at the 3-yard line.

Since then, the Bills beat Miami at home on Halloween, then fell 9-6 at lowly Jacksonville.

They clobbered the New York Jets, then got stomped at home by Indianapolis.

They slaughtered New Orleans, despite a sloppy performance, on Thanksgiving in the Superdome.

And then came the Patriots.

“This could be one that can rip us apart or bring us together,” Allen said, “and I think the latter. I think we’ll get things rolling. I don’t think, I know for a fact that we will, because of the makeup that we have.”

The schedule makers did the Bills no favors by waiting until December for both games against New England. The delay allowed Jones more than three months to get comfortable in his transition from Alabama to the pros. And the Patriots had been humming along nicely.

New England entered the game on a six-game winning streak, outscoring their opponents by nearly 25 points per game. They remain undefeated in six road games this season, a remarkable accomplishment with a rookie quarterback at the helm.

Ben Roethlisberger and Dak Prescott were the only other rookies since 1950 to win their first five road contests, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Both of their teams not only won their divisions but secured the top seed in the playoffs.

The Patriots are back on top and well on their way to doing the same.

Here is how the AFC playoff picture looks following Monday night’s victory by the New England Patriots over the Bills:

1. New England 9-4

Schedule: Bye, at Colts, vs. Bills, vs. Jaguars, at Dolphins.

2. Tennessee 8-4

Schedule: vs. Jaguars, at Steelers, vs. 49ers, vs. Dolphins, at Texans.

3. Baltimore 8-4

Schedule: at Browns, vs. Packers, at Bengals, vs. Rams, vs. Steelers.

4. Kansas City 8-4

Schedule: vs. Raiders, at Chargers, vs. Steelers, at Bengals, at Broncos.

5. Los Angeles Chargers 7-5

Schedule: vs. Giants, vs. Chiefs, at Texans, vs. Broncos, at Raiders.

6. Cincinnati 7-5

Schedule: vs. 49ers, at Broncos, vs. Ravens, vs. Chiefs, at Browns.

7. Bills 7-5

Schedule: at Buccaneers, vs. Panthers, at Patriots, vs. Falcons, vs. Jets.

In contention

8. Pittsburgh 6-5-1

Schedule: at Vikings, vs. Titans, at Chiefs, vs. Browns, at Ravens.

9. Indianapolis 7-6

Schedule: Bye, vs. Patriots, at Cardinals, vs. Raiders, at Jaguars.

10. Las Vegas 6-6

Schedule: at Chiefs, at Browns, vs. Broncos, at Colts, vs. Chargers.

11. Cleveland 6-6

Schedule: vs. Ravens, vs. Raiders, at Packers, at Steelers, vs. Bengals.

12. Denver 6-6

Schedule: vs. Lions, vs. Bengals, at Raiders, at Chargers, vs. Chiefs.

The Buffalo Bills’ run defense put the thesaurus to the test Monday night.

Dominated. Disgusting. Deplorable.

Jason Wolf: Josh Allen gets no help as Bills lose to Patriots, fall from thick of AFC playoff race

Pick any adjective you want, and it applied to what the defense did against the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football.

Welcome back to your nightmare, Bills fans. It’s December, and the New England Patriots are in firm control of the AFC East. After a 2-4 start, the Patriots have won seven in a row and sit as the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

On a night when everyone inside Highmark Stadium knew what was coming, the Bills were still helpless to stop it. The Patriots won a game in which rookie quarterback Mac Jones completed just two passes – two!

Plays that shaped the game: Patriots rely on heavy personnel to make big run plays

The toss sweep out of “heavy personnel” was the bread-and-butter play of the New England Patriots’ game plan on a blustery night in Orchard Park.

The three attempts were the fewest by a Buffalo opponent in franchise history, easily topping the seven passes attempted by Cincinnati in 1969. The two completions tied three previous games for the least, most recently by Cleveland in 2009.

New England rushed for 233 yards in the first three quarters. The Patriots finished with 222 yards on the ground after being content to take some big losses at the end to run the clock out. They threw for 19 yards; the differential between rush and pass yards was the most by the Patriots since 1983.

"With the conditions, we talked about it: We knew they were going to come in and try to pound the ball," Bills linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said. "We’ve just got to do a better job stopping it."

The Bills didn't do that enough, as the Patriots rushed 46 times for 222 yards. 

"Once they got the run game going, we knew they were going to be running the ball a lot," safety Micah Hyde said, "and then from there, it was just getting into negative situations. They’ve got good backs. They were running downhill, mixing up a little bit on us and whatever was working for them, they were going right back to it. So they were able to (get) 5 yards here and there, broke a few for some first downs. Obviously, the long run in the first half, that kind of hurt us. In the second half we were able to get off the field and make some stops. It was just unfortunate."

Quarter by quarter: Promising Buffalo Bills drives stall out in loss to Patriots

Don't miss Katherine's Fitzgerald's quarter-by-quarter analysis of the Buffalo Bills' 14-10 loss to the New England Patriots on Monday night.

That's one word to describe it, especially in an eagerly anticipated game that was overshadowed by weather, weather and more weather all night.

Forecasted winds of 27 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph, made for some wild pre-game scenes. Snow squalls would also occasionally blow through, creating a snow-globe effect that only added to the absurdity. The real-feel temperature was announced just before kickoff at 24 degrees.

During pregame warmups, Bills kicker Tyler Bass was good from 53 yards, but came up short from 58 yards kicking to the tunnel end of the stadium. Kicking to the scoreboard end of the stadium, however, was a much different story. Both Bass and Patriots kicker Nick Folk struggled to make anything outside of 35 yards, with several of their attempts blown comically wide to the right.

Throwing it during pregame warmups didn’t prove to be any easier. Quarterback Josh Allen struggled to complete even a 15-yard pass without any defenders around.

"Just a crazy game to be a part of," Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones said. "But we knew if we didn’t turn the ball over, we’d be good. So, it was just a weird day. But at the end of the day, you just get more points than the other team and it’s a good day."

Bass’ opening kickoff toward the tunnel end easily sailed through the end zone, and the Patriots didn’t even think about attempting a pass on their first two offensive possessions.

That New England was able to stay with their game plan of running the football for so long, with so much success, is a massive indictment of the Bills’ run defense.

"One thing about it, the league is not slowing down," Edmunds said. "We’ve just got to come in and stay with a positive mindset. Obviously this one hurt. It hurt bad. We’ve still got ball left. We’ve got to regroup. Our leaders have to step up and we’ve got to lead this football team."

2. The Bills made a late lineup subtraction. Reserve linebacker A.J. Klein was placed on the NFL’s reserve/Covid-19 list just hours before kickoff. That potentially impacted the game plan if the Bills wanted to use a traditional, 4-3 base defensive scheme against the run-heavy Patriots in inclement weather.

Klein had recently started games in place of either Matt Milano or Tremaine Edmunds when the Bills' usual starting linebackers were out with injuries. However, with Milano and Edmunds both healthy for the Bills' most recent game against New Orleans, Klein was back in a reserve role. He played nine snaps (15.8%) against the Saints on defense. However, he is a regular contributor on special teams, playing 36.4% of the snaps in that role against New Orleans.

On the season, Klein has played 42.3% of the snaps on special teams. Defensively, he has 30 tackles, including four for a loss, and a fumble recovery.

After the Bills' Nov. 14 victory against the Jets, Klein conducted his postgame news conference while wearing a mask. That would strongly suggest that, at least as of that date, he was not fully vaccinated, because NFL rules require non-vaccinated players to wear masks during postgame interviews.

In response, the Bills elevated linebacker Joe Giles-Harris from the practice squad, and he made his season debut. Additionally, defensive tackle Eli Ankou was brought up from the practice squad for the second straight game.

3. The Bills changed things up in the return game. Last week, rookie receiver Marquez Stevenson was activated from injured reserve and made his NFL debut against the Saints on Thanksgiving night, working primarily as the kick and punt returner. Stevenson replaced Isaiah McKenzie in that role.

Against New England, both of them were inactive. Without them, the Bills used Micah Hyde as their punt returner. His first attempt went for 8 yards in the first quarter after a line-drive punt by New England’s Jake Bailey.

4. Star Lotulelei and Spencer Brown returned to the lineup. The Bills’ veteran defensive tackle and rookie right tackle missed three and two games, respectively, while on the NFL’s reserve/Covid-19 list. Lotulelei started, but did not record a tackle in the first half.

Brown was whistled for holding in the first quarter, negating a third-down conversion by the offense.

5. Matt Breida had issues hanging onto the ball. The Bills’ running back wasn’t officially charged with a fumble, but he failed to secure Allen’s handoff, leading to a turnover in the first quarter. Breida, who also worked as the kick returner, was unable to cleanly field the ball in that job, either.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the Bills gave more work to Zack Moss a short time later. Moss returned to the lineup after being a healthy inactive against the Saints in Week 12.

6. Turnovers led to points early. The Patriots opened the scoring with a 64-yard touchdown run by Damien Harris that came on the possession after the fumble that was charged to Allen.

Instead of going for the extra point into the wind, New England’s Brandon Bolden ran in for a successful two-point conversion.

The Bills’ first touchdown came after Patriots punt returner N’Keal Harry muffed a punt, which was recovered at the New England 14-yard line by Bills cornerback Gabriel Davis. On the next play, Allen threw a touchdown pass to Gabriel Davis, his third TD reception of the season.

7. Jon Feliciano’s return will have to wait. The Bills failed to activate the veteran guard from injured reserve before the game, missing he sat out again because of a calf injury that has caused him to miss five straight games. Ike Boettger started in Feliciano’s place.

Brown’s return meant Daryl Williams bumped back inside to right guard. Williams briefly left the game after he suffered an elbow injury in the first quarter. He was replaced by Cody Ford. Williams, however, was quickly cleared to return to the game by trainers.

8. Allen missed out on joining exclusive company. Allen and the Bills swept the Patriots last year. A win Monday night would have been Allen’s third straight against Patriots coach Bill Belichick. Only six quarterbacks have accomplished that previously, the most recent being Eli Manning, from 2007-11.

9. The Bills took part in the NFL’s “My Cause, My Cleats” campaign. The initiative allows players to wear customized cleats for one week during the season, giving them a chance to honor people or charitable organizations close to them. The cleats are then auctioned off, with 100% of the proceeds going to the player’s chosen charitable cause.

Allen’s cleats supported the Oishei Children’s Hospital. General manager Brandon Beane wore sneakers that supported the SPCA Serving Erie County and Beane’s “Bills Muttfia,” program, which pays the adoption fee for pets adopted from the SPCA. Some other players who participated, and their causes, included: Brown (Mission 22), wide receiver Stefon Diggs (Call of Duty Endowment), linebacker Tyrel Dodson (Mission of Hope), special teams coordinator Heath Farwell (Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy), long snapper Reid Ferguson (Whirlwind Veterans and Warrior Retreat), offensive line coach Bobby Johnson (Anxiety & Depression Association of America), tight end Dawson Knox (P.U.N.T. Pediatric Cancer Collaborative), linebacker Tyler Matakevich (Show Your Soft Side) and head coach Sean McDermott (food allergy awareness and skin cancer prevention).

10. Reggie Gilliam missed the game because of injury. The Bills’ fullback was unable to play because of an ankle injury suffered in Week 12 against New Orleans. Gilliam was listed as questionable on the final injury report, as was defensive end Efe Obada, who did not play because of a hip injury. Offensive lineman Jamil Douglas and defensive tackle Vernon Butler Jr. were the team’s healthy inactives.

Inactive for the Patriots were linebackers Jahlani Tavai and Ronnie Perkins, quarterback Jarrett Stidham, tight end Devin Asiasi, cornerback Shaun Wade and offensive tackle Yasir Durant.