Patriots Earn High Honors for Latest Victory

As the New England Patriots prepare to turn the page from their Week 5 victory over the Buffalo Bills, they must continue to take stock in their areas of strength, as well as their areas of improvement.

While the Pats had much to celebrate during their 23-20 win at Highmark Stadium, there were both moments of value and areas in need of improvement on which they may build a solid foundation for their upcoming Week 6 matchup against the New Orleans Saints.

In that vein, here is a look at the Patriots offensive, defensive and special teams’ performances in Week 5, along with a grade for each positional group.

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACK

Maye turned in perhaps his most impressive showing since taking the reins as the Patriots starting quarterback. The third overall selection in the 2024 NFL draft completed 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards. Maye was near-flawless in the second half by going 13 of 14 for 184 yards. The UNC product was perhaps at his best during his final drive by eluding Bills defensive tackle DaQuan Jones to complete a 12-yard pass to Diggs. In doing so, both Maye and Diggs helped put the Patriots in position for rookie kicker Andres Borregales to connect on a game-winning 52-yard field goal. Maye’s late-game efficiency and poise leave little doubt that he is New England’s franchise quarterback.

Grade: A+

RUNNING BACKS

Prior to running back Antonio Gibson suffering a first-half knee injury which promptly ended his night, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels appeared to be employing an evenly-spread distribution of the football to his rushers — a strategy which worked well during their Week 4 win over the Carolina Panthers. Rhamondre Stevenson (31 snaps), TreVeyon Henderson (30 snaps) and Gibson (9, before his injury) turned in solid performances respectively — with Henderson rebounding from a first-quarter fumble to finish the game with two rushing touchdowns.

Grade: B-

RECEIVERS

In what was billed by many as a “revenge” game for Patriots’ receiver Stefon Diggs — in reference to the four seasons he previously spent in a Bills uniform — the 31-year-old took advantage of an injury-weakened Buffalo secondary to put up his biggest numbers of the season. Diggs caught 10 passes for 146 yards against his former team — his longest coming on a 32-yard connection with Maye in the third quarter. Kayshon Boutte also contributed with three catches for 53 yards.

Grade: A-

Stefon Diggs, a former Bills player, looks around at the crowd as the crowd has a mixed reaction. — Stefon Diggs, a former Bills player, looks around at the crowd as the crowd has a mixed reaction to his return with another team before the Bills home game against the New England Patriots at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Oct. 5, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

TIGHT ENDS

With Diggs understandably acting as New England’s offensive focal point, the tight ends group has a relatively quiet evening in Orchard Park. Hunter Henry finished with two catches for 48 yards on the night, while Austin Hooper was held without a catch. Intent on using the run game to facilitate the passing game, the Patriots deployed additional blockers at both the running back and tight end positions, As a result, fullback/tight end Jack Westover took a season-high 14 snaps.

Grade: B-

OFFENSIVE LINE

The Patriots entire starting offensive line consisting of left tackle Will Campbell, left guard Jared Wilson, center Garrett Bradbury, right guard Michael Onwenu and right tackle Morgan Moses went the distance in Week 5, aligning on every snap on offense. Campbell particularly maximized each of his 60 snaps, 40 of which he aligned on as a pass blocker. The fourth overall selection in April’s draft was credited with a 97.2 percent pass block efficiency [per Pro Football Focus,] while allowing zero sacks, pressures or quarterback hits. In doing so, they largely held Bills’ defenders such as defensve ends Joey Bosa and Gregory Rousseau in check during this Week 5 showdown.

Grade: B+

DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE LINE

Perhaps New England’s most consistent performers throughout their first five games, the defensive line once again turned in a high-level performance, led by tackles Milton Williams, Christian Barmore and Khyiris Tonga. Bills running back James Cook entered the night averaging over 100 yards a game. Still, the Pats defensive line held the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Month to just 15 carries for 49 yards. Bills quarterback Josh Allen had 53 yards mostly on scrambles when he did not find a suitable target open in the passing game.

Grade: A

LINEBACKERS

The Patriots’ linebackers were equally as effective as their defensive line counterparts. Team captain Robert Spillane appears to have found his place within New England’s front seven by leading the team with eight tackles, along with fellow linebacker Christian Ellis. Seeing his first action of the 2025 season, linebacker Jahlani Tavai logged 15 defensive snaps, earning two total tackles. The Pats veteran, who was activated from injured reserve last week, also aligned on 13 special teams snaps against the Bills.

Grade: A-

CORNERBACKS

In just his second game back from a hamstring injury which sidelined him for the first three weeks of the season, Gonzalez logged six total tackles and one pass defensed. His break up of Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen’s fourth-quarter pass intended for receiver Khalil Shakir on 3rd and 10 at the New England 27-yard line helped keep the Patriots within reach of a a victory inside the final two minutes of the game. Marcus Jones returned to his role as the team’s third corner, having aligned on 76 percent of the team’s snaps on defense. New England played a great deal of nickel coverage in their hopes of containing Josh Allen. Despite some struggles from Jones and Carlton Davis in coverage, the Pats five-defensive-back strategy worked well.

Grade: B+

Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid (86) makes a catch against New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez. — Oct 5, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid (86) makes a catch against New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (0) during the first half at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

SAFETIES

While New England’s defense deserves ample credit for their overall performance against Buffalo, they struggled to contain tight end Dalton Kincaid. The third-year tight end caught six passes for 108 yards, often beating New England’s safeties in coverage. In the interest of fairness, Kincaid is not only adept at gaining separation, he is also outstanding after the catch. The Utah product often won his Week 5 battles against New England’s defensive backs on contact and over the middle of the field. While the Pats should deservedly enjoy their performance in all three phases, Kincaid’s success could provide a blue print for earning significant yardage against their defense.

Grade: C+

SPECIAL TEAMS

With 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the Patriots looked to Borregales to break a 20-20 tie by attempting a 52-yard field goal. The Miami product, who had his share of struggles to begin the season, accurately and decisively delivered a split of the uprights to give the Patriots a 23-20 lead. In the process, he put New England in position to earn its biggest victory of the season, as well as in recent memory. Borregales punctuated his role in the potential Patriots’ victory by delivering a textbook deep-kickoff on the next play. The rookie’s impressive boot forced a Buffalo runback which drained seven seconds off the clock, while drawing a costly holding penalty to force the Bills an additional ten yards back. Punter Bryce Barringer averaged 47.8 yards on his four punts, putting three of them inside the 20-yard line.

Grade: A

FINAL ANALYSIS:

New England conquered the “last of the unbeatens” in their Week 5 win over the Bills. In the process, they not only moved above .500 on the 2025 NFL season, they also won back-to-back games for the first time since 2022. With their prime time victory over the defending AFC East champions, the Patriots have proven that they are a formidable force within the NFL. Still, with their increased prowess will come the responsibility of playing to that level and beyond for each remaining week. In the meantime, New England may deservedly take pride in a statement-type performance in all three phases.

OVERALL GRADE: A

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