The Bills were able to hold the Giants out of the end zone in the final seconds of Week Six, but they couldn’t do it again in Week Seven.
Patriots quarterback Mac Jones hit tight end Mike Gesicki from a yard out with 12 seconds play and New England knocked off their AFC East rivals 29-25 at home. The win moves the Patriots to 2-5 on the season and the Bills are now 4-3.
Jones kicked off the game-winning drive by hitting running back Rhamondre Stevenson with a pass that Stevenson took for a 41-yard gain. There was a flag thrown for ineligible receiver downfield thrown on the play, but officials picked it up after conferring. Jones then connected with tight end Hunter Henry, wide receiver DeVante Parker and Stevenson for more yards and Bills cornerback Christian Benford was flagged for pass interference on the 1-yard-line to set up the score.
Jones was 25-of-30 for 272 yards and two touchdowns in his best outing of the 2023 season. Stevenson had 85 yards of offense, Demario Douglas had 74, and nine receivers caught passes over the course of the day for New England.
Kendrick Bourne was one of those receivers, but he lost a fumble inside the Patriots’ 30-yard-line after the Bills cut the New England lead to 22-17 with 5:32 left to play. The Bills drove for a Josh Allen touchdown run and two-point conversion for their first lead of the afternoon, but the defense wasn’t able to come up with the final stop.
Allen threw an interception on the Bills’ first offensive play before going 27-of-40 for 265 yards and two touchdowns the rest of the way. The Patriots went up 10-0 after that score and the Bills missed a field goal and failed to convert a fourth down for other plays that will loom large as they replay the reasons for Sunday’s loss.
They’ll return to action against the Bucs at home on Thursday night while the Patriots will head to Miami for another divisional matchup.
