Game Summary
The Bills came out hot in the second half, going 71 yards down the field in over six minutes to put the first touchdown on the board.
After a four-yard gain from running back James Cook III, Allen connected with tight end Dalton Kincaid for a 20-yard completion. Kincaid ended his night with six passes for 108 yards.
The pass put Buffalo in New England territory. As the offense neared the end zone with a seven-yard completion to Dawson Knox and an eight-yard pass to wide receiver Khalil Shakir, the Bills were in first-and-goal territory. Allen threw the ball away on the first down and bounced back with a short pass left to Curtis Samuel for a six-yard touchdown.
Fumbles and penalties plagued the first half of Sunday night. Both offenses struggled to keep their hands on the ball, which resulted in just three field goals being kicked to get points up on the board.
Buffalo's first drive of the game ended in a forced fumble by New England after a promising 20-yard gain on third-and-four from Kincaid on the previous play. After the snap, Allen bumped into Cook and dropped the ball on the ground. The Patriots' Joshua Farmer recovered it and put New England at the Buffalo 47-yard-line.
Shaq Thompson responded immediately for the Bills, forcing a fumble on the first play of the drive while Terrel Bernard finished it off with the recovery. Once Buffalo took the field, its drive was soon bruised by two illegal formation penalties that halted the Bills from capitalizing on the forced fumble from their defense.
In the second quarter, Buffalo evened out the score with a field goal. On third-and-three, Allen escaped trouble, but Shakir, who caught the lofted pass, was immediately brought down by the Patriots defense. He lost three yards on the play, with Prater coming to cut the deficit.
Though Buffalo was hoping to end the half on a high note, defensive penalties kept New England on the field and in position to take the lead. With one second left on the clock, Borregales hit a 19-yard field goal that put the Patriots up 6-3 heading into halftime.
With the three-point advantage, New England answered Buffalo's opening touchdown in the second half with one of its own, taking the lead again at 13-10.