Josh Allen threw for two touchdowns and the Buffalo Bills cruised to a 24-10 victory over the New England Patriots on Thursday night in Foxborough, Mass., in a rematch of an AFC wild-card game last season.
Allen completed 22 of 33 passes for 223 yards to lead the Bills (9-3) to their third straight win. James Cook rushed for a game-high 64 yards on 14 carries, and Stefon Diggs had seven catches for 92 yards and a touchdown.
Mac Jones finished with 195 yards and a touchdown on 22-of-36 passing for New England (6-6), which dropped its second straight game. Rhamondre Stevenson totaled 78 yards from scrimmage (54 rushing, 24 receiving), while cornerback Marcus Jones was the team’s leading receiver with two catches for 51 yards and a TD.
Buffalo outgained the hosts 355-242 in total yards, and after allowing a touchdown in the first quarter, surrendered only Nick Folk’s 39-yard field goal with 1:53 left to play.
The Patriots tallied just 31 yards in the third quarter, and Buffalo made them pay at the start of the fourth.
Buffalo’s Devin Singletary ran for a 1-yard touchdown to cap a 15-play, 94-yard drive that consumed 8:55, putting the game out of reach at 24-7 early in the fourth quarter.
In the second quarter, after Josh Uche’s strip-sack of Allen, Matthew Judon recovered the loose ball to set New England up at its own 42. The Patriots moved into field-goal range with a chance to pull within 17-10 before the break, but Folk’s attempt from 48 yards clanged off the crossbar.
New England mixed up its offensive personnel to respond to Tyler Bass’ 48-yard field goal that opened the scoring, as Mac Jones threw a screen to Marcus Jones, who dashed 48 yards to the end zone.
It took the Bills just 4:50 to reclaim the lead, though, as Allen hit Diggs for an 8-yard TD on the first play of the second quarter to put Buffalo up 10-7.
Allen extended the lead with 5 1/2 minutes left until halftime, eluding pressure, scrambling to his right and tiptoeing along the sideline before finding Gabe Davis for an 8-yard score.
–Field Level Media
