Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen: 'Feels Bleak Right Now' After 29-25 Upset Loss to New England Patriots; Live Blog
The Buffalo Bills were looking to lay waste to an already crumbling New England Patriots team on Sunday. But instead, it was the vaunted Bills who crumbled.
Said Bills QB Josh Allen after the 29-25 upset loss: "It feels pretty bleak right now.''
Allen and Diggs
How did we get here on this NFL Week 7 Sunday? Our chronological look at the day ...
The Patriots, the rival that dominated the Bills for so long, will play host to them, hoping for a different outcome than the past few Sundays. New England barely knows if starting quarterback Mac Jones will make it through four quarters without a demotion, and Buffalo is holding on tight to a playoff spot. Even so, there’s a chance this one remains close to the end.
That’s simply a matter of competing against the greatest head coach of all time, Bill Belichick. This year, more than any other, has put his legacy to the test. How long can the Patriots continue to get blown out? The slide almost stopped in Week 6, but another pitiful offensive performance has led to even more angry callers on Boston airwaves.
Buffalo is still fairly vulnerable due to injuries sustained on the defensive end, including, now, defensive tackle Ed Oliver. The Bills have effectively lost their best two defensive tackles against a team that may be inclined to pound the rock repeatedly. It’s not exactly a recipe for success.
Regardless, Buffalo is far more talented than their northeastern counterparts and has a decided advantage where it matters most: quarterback. On paper, this one shouldn’t be close, but it’s still hard to doubt Belichick’s savviness.
Expect to see a lot of resources thrown toward receiver Stefon Diggs in an attempt to slow this game down and keep Jones out of a shootout.
RECORDS: Buffalo Bills (4-2) at New England Patriots (1-5)
ODDS: Buffalo is an 8.5-point favorite vs. the Patriots
GAME TIME: Sunday, Oct 22nd, 2023 at 1 p.m. ET
LOCATION: Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, MA
TV/RADIO: CBS, WGR 550
Live updates will appear after kickoff.
FIRST QUARTER
Patriots First Drive: New England received the opening kickoff and Jones completed his first three passes of the day.
Running back Rhamondre Stevenson also had a satisfactory start to his game with four rushes for 22 yards, including a 14-yard rush. They would enter the red zone but ultimately stalled out.
A Chad Ryland field goal would open the scoring.
The Bills trail 3-0 with 10:02 remaining in the first quarter.
Bills First Drive: Buffalo's first drive of the game ended in disaster after Allen's first pass was intercepted by safety Jabrill Peppers.
Patriots Second Drive: Running back Ezekiel Elliott made his appearance with a couple of runs for nine yards and a third rush that got down to Buffalo's two-yard line after a defensive pass interference call on defensive back Taron Johnson.
Elliott would find his way into the end zone on his next rush, extending the Patriots' lead.
The Bills trail 10-0 with 6:58 remaining in the first quarter.
Bills Second Drive: Running back James Cook's first carry of the night went for yards. After a five-yard completion to receiver Khalil Shakir, an offensive offside penalty forced a third-and-6.
On the ensuing play, Allen hit Cook out of structure for 28 yards.
Cook also saw a rush and a second reception for 17 combined yards. On second-and-7 from the eight-yeard line, Allen was forced out of structure and nearly hit Diggs for a touchdown. On the next play, an offensive pass interference would negate a Dawson Knox touchdown.
At the end of the first quarter, the Bills trail 10-0.
SECOND QUARTER
On the first play of the second quarter, Allen missed receiver Gabe Davis to force a field goal attempt.
Bass converted to cut the lead to one possession.
The Bills trail 10-3 with 14:49 remaining in the second quarter.
Patriots Third Drive: New England had a three-and-out after Stevenson was stopped short of the line of gain.
A false start would diminish any hope of a fake, and they punted on fourth-and-6.
Bills Third Drive: The Bills would return the three-and-out favor after a third-down delay of game and another out-of-structure miss to Diggs.
New England took over at Buffalo's 46-yard line.
Patriots Fourth Drive: The Patriots' drive opened with a splash play to Kendrick Bourne, who took a Jones pass for 33 yards.
Elliott would take the next two rushes for no net gain. Jones' third-down pass couldn't move the chains but made for an easier field goal.
The Bills trail 13-3 with 7:36 remaining in the second quarter.
Bills Fourth Drive: Buffalo did a good job distributing to its secondary targets on this drive. Dalton Kincaid, Davis, and Cook all saw the football.
Kincaid is up to four catches for 44 yards on the day -- their leading receiver.
On the play preceding the two-minute warning, Allen was sacked for a seven-yard loss.
Bass' field goal was no good.
Patriots Fifth Drive: Operating in a two-minute drill, Jones was able to get into Buffalo territory. After being stopped on third-and-2, they elected to punt with 29 seconds remaining in the half.
The Bills would kneel out the half.
The Bills trail, 13-3, at halftime.
THIRD QUARTER
Bills Fifth Drive: Diggs made his presence felt quickly in the second half, hauling in his longest catch of the day.
A roughing the passer call would bail out Allen after an air-mailed pass in Kincaid's direction. A Cook 20-yard rush would put them in the red zone.
A Cook catch would bring the Bills into the end zone for their first touchdown of the day.
The Bills trail 13-10 with 9:53 remaining in the third quarter.
Patriots Sixth Drive: New England looks efficient coming out of the gate, starting the drive with three first downs in four plays.
Receiver Demario Douglas had a 20-yard rush to get deep into Buffalo territory.
On third-and-11, Jones was sacked for a four-yard loss.
The Bills trail 16-10 with 4:30 remaining in the third quarter.
Bills Sixth Drive: Allen missed Diggs, but on third-and-15, running back Latavius Murray caught a pass for 17 yards.
Patriots edge rusher Anfrenee Jennings went down with an injury, forcing a television timeout.
On third-and-8, Kincaid made a nice grab, but couldn't convert. An Allen sneak would move the chains.
FOURTH QUARTER
They would turn the ball over on downs soon after.
Patriots Seventh Drive: Pharaoh Brown caught a 27-yard catch to start the drive.
A Jones sack-fumble would be negated by an illegal contact penalty on Taron Johnson. They would receive a new set of downs on an Elliott rush.
On second-and-goal, Bourne caught a flat route for a touchdown, extending the Patriots' lead.
The Bills trail, 22-10, with 7:36 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Bills Seventh Drive: Allen opened the drive with a completions to Kincaid for 12 yards and Diggs for seven.
A few plays later, Diggs would make a sliding catch but broke tackles after getting up and found himself in the end zone.
The Bills trail, 22-17, with 5:32 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Patriots Eight Drive: The Patriots have once again found themselves in. the middle of a disaster.
A Bourne completion would find itself on the turf. Terrel Bernard would recover, putting Buffalo in position to win.
Bills Eighth Drive: Despite Allen's best attempt to throw an interception, his third down pass was incomplete, setting up a fourth-and-2. A timeout would wipe the ensuing incompletion off the board.
Kincaid would move the chains on the next play, setting up a goal-to-go situation.
On second-and-goal from the one-yard line, Allen was stuffed. One play later, the sneak worked, giving the Bills the lead.
The Bills lead 25-22 with 2:00 remaining.
Patriots Ninth Drive: Stevenson would make a 34-yard catch on the first play of the drive to help New England stay alive.
After a couple more Stevenson rushes, Jones hit Hunter Henry for 14 yards and DeVante Parker for eight yards.
Stevenson would make another catch for 10 yards, bringing them to the seven-yard line. Defensive pass interference would make it first-and-goal at the one-yard line.
A Mike Gesicki touchdown catch would put the Bills in dire straits.
The Bills trail 29-25 with 12 seconds remaining.
Bills Ninth Drive: Diggs would drop a prayer from Allen to lead to the game's final play. A hook-and-ladder play would be unsuccessful.
The Bills lose, 29-25.
