WATCH: Mac Jones Hits Kendrick Bourne for Touchdown; New England Patriots Lead Buffalo Bills Late

The New England Patriots have parlayed some fundamentally-sound football into a lead over the Buffalo Bills in Week 7 at Gillette Stadium.

FOXBORO — The New England Patriots want to be a team in motion. All they need is a pair of wheels. 

With the Pats holding a 16-10 lead over the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills in their Week 7 matchup at Gillette Stadium, quarterback Mac Jones engineered a nine-play, 66-yard drive, to give New England its second trip to the end zone on the day. 

The connection between Jones and rookie Demario Douglas has been one of the top stories of the day for New England. On the series, Jones found Douglas for a 19-yard gain to bring the team deep within Buffalo territory. The Pats starter then found receiver Kendrick Bourne for the four-yard touchdown reception, giving the Pats a 22-10 lead. 

Bourne for this 😤@MacJones_10 | @BournePoly11

📺 on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/zuLs7lwu9G

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 22, 2023

Despite Jones' failed attempt to convert the quarterback sneak into two points, New England holds a double-digit lead over the Bills 7:36 remaining in the game. It was theor largest lead of the season, before Josh Allen and the Bills traveled 75-yards on five plays to cut the Pats' lead to 22-17. 

The Pats entered this matchup hoping to rebound from their 21-17 defeat at the hands of the Las Vegas Raiders. Conversely, the Bills are fresh off a 14-9 victory over the New York Giants last Sunday night.

Despite being riddled with injuries for much of the season, New England has welcomed cornerback Jack Jones (hamstring), left guard Cole Strange (knee) and Demario Douglas (concussion) back to the lineup for Week 7.

Unfortunately, injuries kept receivers Kayshon Boutte (hamstring) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (concussion), linebacker Josh Uche (foot and defensive end/linebacker Keion White (concussion) from suiting up for the Pats first matchup of the season against their division rival.

Lastly, quarterback Malik Cunningham was declared a healthy inactive, leaving reserve Bailey Zappe as the team’s primary backup, with Will Grier serving as the emergency third quarterback.

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