Josh Allen’s late-game interception and a defensive collapse derailed Buffalo’s perfect season, overshadowing record-breaking milestones and a breakout performance from wide receiver Keon Coleman in New England.
The Buffalo Bills are undefeated no longer. With a chance to take a lead late in the fourth and move to 4-0, a Josh Allen interception sealed the loss as Buffalo fell 29-26 to the New England Patriots.
The loss puts the Bills to 3-1 and just a game up on the Patriots who are now 2-2.
Rather than fill you with the mundane, let's just get into the positives and negatives from this ugly loss for the Bills.
Bills vs. Patriots Instant Reactions
Postives
Keon Coleman - With DJ Moore aggravating his shoulder injury, Keon Coleman stepped up in a big way. The third-year wide receiver finished with 6 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. It might have been his best game as a Bill.
James Cook - He finished with 75 yards on 12 carries. For some reason, despite averaging 6.3 yards per carry, the Bills felt they shouldn't keep giving the ball to their best running back.
Josh Allen sets record - Allen set another Bills franchise record with his rushing touchdown in the second quarter. He now has 88 career touchdowns, passing both Thurman Thomas and Andre Reed.
Tommy Doman Jr. - Of his four punts, two pinned the Patriots inside the 20. Good showing for the rookie.
Negatives
Josh Allen - He may be banged up because Josh Allen finished with just four rushing yards. But that nor the record is what people will be talking about. Instead, it'll be the game-losing interception on the final drive of the game on a throw he didn't have to make. All the Bills needed was a field goal to tie. Instead, Allen took away that chance with one of the worst throws he's made in some time.
Joshua Palmer - Catch the ball. That's it. If it hits you in the chest, you have to make that catch.
The defense can't get a stop - Is there any unit in the league that's less trustworthy than the Bills defense when a stop is needed? With a lead and less than five minutes to play, all the defense needed to do was get a stop.
Instead, the Patriots, which averaged 12 points per game and had just two offensive touchdowns coming into the game, drove 73 yards in just 2:37 to take the 29-26 lead.
Maxwell Hairston - Some might say Kaiir Elam is was the worst first-round pick of Brandon Beane's tenure. I'd say it's Maxwell Hairston. There was no worse sequence on Sunday than Hairston getting called for defensive holding to negate a Bills sack on 3rd and goal only to follow it up with letting Romeo Doubs get open for a touchdown two plays later.
That wasn't the only bad play as "The Chosen One" gave up a 4th and 3 to Doubs earlier in the game as well. He's approaching Mike Williams (offensive tackle in 2002) level of bust for the Bills
Injuries - DJ Moore, Ed Oliver, Dee Alford, Te'Cory Couch, and Landon Jackson all left the game at one point due to injury. Jackson was ultimately cleared to return.
Up Next: The Bills head to Los Angeles to face the Rams on Monday Night Football. Buffalo will be looking to bounce back, otherwise they could find themselves behind the Patriots in the AFC East by the time the game ends.
