Bills Central

3 winners & 4 losers as Bills suffer embarrassing loss to Patriots in Week 5

These players stood out as winners and losers in the Buffalo Bills first loss of the season.
Randy Gurzi|
Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White reacts against the New England Patriots during the first half at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White reacts against the New England Patriots during the first half at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

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The Buffalo Bills looked good on Sunday Night Football, wearing their NFL Rivalries Uniform for the first time. The play on the field, however, was rather ugly.

Both the Bills and New England Patriots were guilty of careless turnovers and several frustrating penalties. That led to a 6-3 halftime score, with the Patriots leading at the break.

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In the second half, there were far more fireworks as both teams came out determined to put points on the board. Still, it was a three-point differential with the Patriots winning 23-20. Let's look at who stood out as winners and losers from the Bills' first loss of the season.

Loser: Tre'Davious White

Buffalo Bills CB Tre'Davious White during a timeout.
Buffalo Bills CB Tre'Davious White during a timeout. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tre'Davious White didn't have the best night on Sunday. He was unable to keep up with Stefon Diggs whenever he was guarding him, giving up multiple receptions. He was also flagged for a pass interference in the end zone, which gave the Patriots the ball at the one-yard line.

Buffalo's secondary as a whole could be named, but White was unfortunately on the wrong side of far too many plays in this one.

Winner: Greg Rousseau, EDGE

Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau sacks New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.
Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau sacks New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Greg Rousseau has been off to a somewhat slow start, but that wasn't the case on Sunday. He made two big plays on the opening drive, starting with a tackle for a two-yard loss on running back Rhamondre Stevenson. Two plays later, Rousseau got into the backfield and sacked Drake Maye on third down, forcing an early punt.

Loser: Dawson Knox, TE

Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox practices before the game against the New England Patriots at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox practices before the game against the New England Patriots at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

On their first drive, the Bills moved into New England territory after a 20-yard reception by Dalton Kincaid. On the next snap, Buffalo attempted a fake handoff to Dawson Knox, and it appeared Allen was going to get the ball to James Cook.

He never got the chance to pitch it to Cook, however, as Knox knocked the ball out of Allen's hands. That led to a fumble, which was recovered by the Pats.

This was the first of three turnovers for the Bills, who were uncharacteristically sloppy all night.

Winner: Shaq Thompson, LB

Bills linebacker Shaq Thompson makes a diving catch during position drills during day six of Buffalo Bills training camp.
Bills linebacker Shaq Thompson makes a diving catch during position drills during day six of Buffalo Bills training camp. | Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Buffalo's defense had to hurry onto the field after the fumble from Knox and Allen's communication, and they didn't stay there long. Linebacker Shaq Thompson punched the ball out of Rhamondre Stevenson's hands, leading to a fumble.

Fellow linebacker Terrel Bernard recovered the ball, getting the ball back for their offense. They weren't able to score, but the defense still responded well to the turnover.

Thompson came up with another big play late in the game, pushing Drake Maye out of bounds for a sack on third down. With Buffalo down 20-17, Thompson's play forced New England to punt the ball back to the Bills, who were able to tie the game with a field goal.

Loser: Keon Coleman, WR

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman makes a catch and then fumbles the ball against the New England Patriots.
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman makes a catch and then fumbles the ball against the New England Patriots. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Following a holding penalty, Buffalo was in trouble facing a first-and-17 from their own seven and needed to get out of trouble. Instead, they turned the ball over for the second time in the first quarter.

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This time, it was Keon Coleman, who caught a three-yard pass from Allen and fumbled the ball when he was hit by Robert Spillane. New England recovered the ball at the Buffalo 11-yard line, giving them excellent starting position.

The defense was up to the challenge again, holding the Patriots to a field goal, but Coleman's gaffe still gave them three points for free.

Winner: Curtis Samuel, WR

Buffalo Bills WR Curtis Samuel scores a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second half at Highmark Stadium
Buffalo Bills WR Curtis Samuel scores a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second half at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Veteran wide receiver Curtis Samuel was inactive for the first three games and had just one reception for nine yards when he was finally active in Week 4. This weekend, he had a much better showing.

Samuel's first catch went for 20 yards, putting the ball in New England territory. They were unable to capitalize, but that wasn't the case on his second catch. Buffalo scored on their first drive of the second half, going 71 yards on 10 plays with Samuel scoring on a six-yard reception.

Samuel added 84 yards on three kick returns, proving to be a decent weapon.

Loser: Cole Bishop, S

Buffalo Bills S Cole Bishop and LB Shaq Thompson celebrate after an interception against New Orleans.
Buffalo Bills S Cole Bishop and LB Shaq Thompson celebrate after an interception against New Orleans. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

After making the play of the game in Week 4, Cole Bishop was on the wrong end of a huge play that helped New England take a two-score lead in the fourth quarter.

The Patriots were up 13-10 and were facing a second-and-11. Drake Maye threw a short pass to Stefon Diggs, who had Bishop one-on-one in the open field. The safety missed the tackle, and Diggs took off for a 30-yard gain, finally being stopped at the six-yard line.

This set up a touchdown for Stevenson, who gave the Patriots a 20-10 lead. Buffalo was able to tie it at 20, but in the end, it wasn't enough as they fell to 4-1 and allowed New England to improve to 3-2.

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Randy Gurzi
RANDY GURZI

Randy Gurzi is a graduate of Arizona State and has focused on NFL coverage since 2014.