Bills-Patriots Rapid Reaction: Diggs goes off, BUF suddenly has turnover problem

An abysmal performance put forth by the Buffalo Bills ended in a disappointing 23-20 defeat at the hands of the New England Patriots on Sunday night.

The Bills’ offense failed to show up throughout the first half and carried its struggles into a poor second-half effort, while the Buffalo defense kept the team in the game through the first two quarters only to give way in the second half.

With the win, New England handed Buffalo its first loss of the season while the Patriots pulled within one game of the Bills in the loss column and now hold the head-to-head tiebreaker between the two teams. After a 4-0 start to the season, suddenly there is plenty of cause for concern surrounding the Bills following as dreadful of a performance as we have seen from this team in quite some time.

Where should we start? Let’s dive into a Rapid Reaction from this AFC East tilt, won by the underdogs on a 52-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter:

Oct 5, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White (27) reacts against the New England Patriots during the first half at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Penalties kill Bills

The Bills had 11 penalties totaling 90 yards accepted against them in the loss to the Patriots, including five in the first quarter alone and eight throughout an ugly first half. According to ESPN, the eight first-half penalties were the most against the Bills in any first half since Sean McDermott took over as head coach during the 2017 season. Buffalo was called for 10 first-half penalties during a Week 12 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023.

After finishing a Week 4 win over the New Orleans Saints with 11 penalties, it was another undisciplined performance by Buffalo, which must get things corrected in a hurry before heading into the more difficult portion of their schedule down the stretch.

Bills suddenly have turnover problem

Entering Sunday's game, the Bills had recorded as many or fewer turnvovers than their opponents for an NFL record 25 straight games. But that streak ended with Buffalo giving the ball away three times against New England. The Bills have now failed to win the turnover battle in two consecutive matchups. Josh Allen finished Sunday’s game with an interception and a fumble that came on a failed handoff to Dawson Knox. Keon Coleman also fumbled the ball away during the loss.

Allen hadn’t recorded a single giveaway in the Bills’ first three wins of the season but now has three over the past two weeks. With the way the Bills have struggled to find their rhythm offensively, they cannot afford to suddenly become a team that struggles with turnovers. Ball security must become a point of extra emphasis leading into Week 6 against the Atlanta Falcons.

Stefon Diggs torches Bills’ defense

One of the top storylines entering Sunday’s game was the return of Stefon Diggs to Orchard Park. And boy, did Diggs not disappoint.

The former Bills' wide receiver was a thorn in the side of Buffalo's defense throughout the Patriots’ Week 5 victory, finishing the game with 10 receptions for 146 yards. With his incredible effort, Diggs became the first Patriots wide receiver to record back-to-back games with 100-plus yards receiving since Julian Edelman in 2019.

It wasn’t just the totality of Diggs’ performance that was impressive, but the timing of his contributions, with many of his receptions coming at opportune moments to help the Patriots extend scoring drives. On New England’s first touchdown drive of the game, Diggs recorded a 32-yard reception, burning Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White to help set up the score. Later, Diggs set up the Patriots’ second TD of the game with a 30-yard reception, helping New England seize a 20-10 third-quarter lead.

Diggs was at his best on Sunday night and made many Bills fans who shouted boos and otherwise at him throughout the night eat their words by the end of the game.

Dalton Kincaid has career game

It wasn’t the best performance from the Bills’ offense as a whole, but Dalton Kincaid recorded one of the top efforts of his three-year career during the loss to the Patriots.

The Buffalo tight end finished the game with a career-best 108 yards receiving on 6 receptions, helping the Bills offense hang in the game despite a few turnovers and ongoing issues created by a heap of penalties. Kincaid proved to be an effective downfield target throughout the night, recording three receptions of 20-plus yards en route to a coming-of-age effort.

It’s a shame Kincaid’s transcendent performance came during a Bills’ defeat.

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