Heading into Sunday, the Bills (4-1) were 8-3 since the start of the 2020 season against their AFC East rivals from Foxborough, MA.
This run of dominance over the Patriots (3-2) for Buffalo comes after a 20-year run where New England led their head-to-head series with a staggering 35-5 record.
Brady and Belichick owned the Bills. When the schedules came out each spring, both games against Buffalo were auto-Ws for fans as they mapped out the path to another AFC East crown each and every year.
But this decade, Bills Mafia has taken that mantle as the Kings of East, winning each of the last five division titles on the back of 2024 NFL MVP Josh Allen at quarterback.
But for a night, we got a glimpse into a potential future where these two teams are battling at the top of the division year in and year out, with two dynamic quarterbacks capable of taking over any given game with elite playmaking ability.
As a 7.5-point underdog, the Patriots went into Highmark Stadium and upset the Bills 23-20.
Here are your Ups & Downs column for Week 5:
Ups:
- Stefon Diggs: In case you live under a rock - Diggs used to play football for the Bills.
Back when he was first traded to Buffalo, Allen was far from the player he is today. Many credit Diggs for the growth the Wyoming-product made during the early part of their partnership together, as the wide receiver gave Allen a true No. 1 receiver to help highlight that big arm of his.
Diggs was seen as the vocal leader of those Buffalo teams. And on Sunday, the 31-year-old did more than just lead with his words.
10 catches on 12 targets for 146 receiving yards in his first game back in Buffalo after being traded away in the spring of 2024, with three big plays in the second half as exclamation points on the performance.
On a 2nd and 9 from the Buffalo 36, quarterback Drake Maye escaped the pocket and found Diggs on a bootleg open down field for a 32-yard pass to the Bills 4 yard line. One play later, running back Rhamondre Stevenson punched one in to give the Patriots a 13-10 lead in the third quarter
On New England’s next offensive possession, they were faced with a 3rd and 7 from their own 13 yard line. Maye rolled to his right, and found Diggs on the sideline for a 10-yard gain. Diggs perfectly dragged his toes ahead of the white border to give New England a first down. It was beautiful, and it was the type of high level wide receiver play we haven’t seen in a Patriot uniform in a long time.
Six plays later at the top of the fourth quarter, Maye found Diggs on a short button hook. With a ton of open space, Diggs expertly navigated the defense for a huge 30-yard gain on the play, setting the Patriots up with a 1st and goal from the Buffalo 6. Two plays later, and Stevenson was running it in for his second touchdown on the day.
After a slow start to the season, Diggs is rounding into one of Maye’s most reliable pieces on offense.
Maybe Diggs will help unlock Maye the same way he did with Allen. Stay tuned.
- Drake Maye: He wasn’t able to get comfortable in the pocket early in the ballgame, yet was able to have some moments as the game went along that showed why fans and media have been so high on him over the first month of the season.
Cris Collinsworth did a good job of pointing out Maye’s discomfort on both sacks he took in the first half, where the young QB was unable to keep his eyes down field while trying to navigate the pocket. Instead of giving himself a chance to make a play in both instances, he took sacks that inevitably led to punts.
Contrast that with the 11-play drive over the final 2:22 of the second quarter that ended with a Patriots field goal to give New England a 6-3 lead heading into halftime, and you got to see Maye’s poise under pressure on full display. His best play on this drive came on a 2nd and 15 from the Buffalo 41, where Maye found tight end Hunter Henry up the left side of the field with a perfectly placed ball, giving New England a 1st and 10 from the Bills 19 yard line.
The Patriots obviously would have rather had that drive end in a touchdown, but he did his part to ensure his team was getting points to end the half.
Maye started to settle in when the second half rolled around, leading the charge on consecutive touchdown drives to give the Patriots a 20-10 lead with 12:10 to go in the 4th quarter.
On both drives, he was the beneficiary of high-level route running from Diggs. As their chemistry continues to improve, I have to imagine those early frustrating sacks will start to be more and more of a thing of the past. Maye will know to keep his head up for his safety valve - a true No. 1 receiver capable of making big plays.
Fast forward to one play before the two minute warning, and Maye made what might have been his most impressive throw of the day. As he was being dragged down for a sack on 1st and 10 from their own 29, Maye stiff-armed the defender, and had just enough body control to fling the ball towards Diggs at the right sideline. The veteran came down with it, and picked up 12 to give the Patriots a first down heading into the final two minutes of the ballgame.
It was sick.
On the day, Maye was 22 for 30 for 273 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. He had a QBR of 97.6.
- Marcus Jones: On 3rd and 10 on Buffalo’s second offensive possession of the game, Allen looked to receiver Keon Coleman up the left sideline.
Jones, among the best punt returners in all of football, is a nickel corner by trade. And at 5-foot-8, he was in a tough man-coverage situation with the 6-foot-3 Coleman. Despite a beautiful ball from Allen, Jones showed amazing body control to knock the ball away, forcing the Bills to punt the ball away.
Fast forward to the third quarter, and the Bills were driving down 13-10. Buffalo had the ball all the way down to the New England 19 yard line, and Allen thought he had receiver Khalil Shakir open in the middle of the field for what would have set them up for a 3rd and short. Instead, Jones came out of nowhere with two high safeties as the security blanket behind the play, intercepting Allen at the 10 yard line and completely flipping the momentum of the quarter.
If he wasn’t already, Jones is quickly becoming one of the best players on New England’s roster. He’s helping flip the field (and occasionally scoring) as AFC Special Teams Player of the Week, and he’s having an impact on the defensive side of the football.
He might not be the most vocal guy in the locker room, but it’s that lead-by-example play style that makes him a no-brainer captain for this team in 2025.
- Christian Gonzalez: You didn’t hear his name much throughout the game, which is generally the mark of a high level game for a cornerback.
But late in the fourth quarter, you saw why this team desperately needed their All-Pro corner back from injury to reach their full potential.
On consecutive plays during Buffalo’s final scoring drive, Gonzalez made big plays that forced Buffalo into a field goal instead of a longer touchdown drive.
First, it was great defense on Coleman at the back of the end zone to force a 3rd and 10 for the Bills. One play later, Gonzalez had a pass break up on a throw to Shakir where he dove across the receiver to make a spectacular play.
This is not breaking news - Gonzo is good.
- Christian Barmore: He made his presence felt on the first defensive series of the game for New England, drawing hold Buffalo’s first offensive play while making himself a fixture in the backfield throughout the rest of the drive.
With 3:16 to go in the second quarter, Barmore was at it again. On a 3rd and 7 for Buffalo, Barmore helped blow up the pocket for Allen, commanding two blockers as the Patriots overloaded the right side of the line. This allowed fellow D-tackle Milton Williams to break free for a sack, forcing Buffalo to punt the ball away.
With how good Williams has been throughout the first month of the season up the middle, seeing Barmore return to his 2023 form make the two of them, arguably, the best defensive tackle duo in the NFL.
- Robert Spillane: Coming into the season, Spillane was among the most hyped free agent additions for New England. For a team that had one of the worst front sevens in all of football in 2024, Spillane’s quick motor had fans excited for a potential spark being added to the middle of the defense.
Through two games, he had been somewhat of a disappointment for fans and media. More was expected of the guy that was supposed to be everywhere at all times.
Sunday night marked a third straight week where Spillane lived up to the hype, highlighted by a forced fumble on Coleman in the first quarter that set up the Patriots with a 1st and 10 from the Buffalo 11.
The turnover only yielded a field goal for New England, but it’s those types of winning plays that will continue to make Spillane a fan favorite while playing for the Patriots.
He finished with 8 tackles on the night, and his swarming style is one that’s infectious for a defense.
Some Ups, Some Downs:
- Rhamondre Stevenson: He fumbled again, guys.
After leading the NFL in lost fumbles last season, he’s up to three on the year in 2025.
Tonight’s fumble was especially painful, given that it came just one play after the Bills had a sloppy fumble of their own to set up the Patriots with a 1st and 10 from the Buffalo 47.
After a 7-yard gain, Stevenson was heading to the ground. This was an incredibly avoidable fumble. For a fifth-year veteran with a long standing fumbling problem, this type of giveaway is inexcusable.
Collinsworth said Vrabel told the NBC crew pregame that Stevenson’s fumbles weren’t a problem just yet. After tonight’s fumble, Melissa Stark said on the broadcast that Vrabel was showing Stevenson signs of encouragement on the sideline.
The head coach might be saying and doing all these things to support Stevenson. But at a certain point, the fumbles need to end for him to remain a part of this offense.
Despite the fumble, Stevenson finds himself avoiding the “Downs” category because he did account for two rushing touchdowns on the night. You would think two scores would void the fumble all together, vaulting him into “Ups.” But with how bad the fumbling issues have been for him in recent years, this one can’t be ignored.
Downs:
- Hunter Henry: I might be in the minority on this, but he needs to catch that touchdown at the end of the first half.
He was open, and the ball hit him in the one hand he threw up while running up the goal line. Had he kept his head up the entire route, he would have been ready to get two hands on the ball and help give the Patriots a full touchdown lead over Buffalo heading into the half. Instead, they were relegated to a 19-yard field goal.
Better than nothing, but still.
I know he had the nice catch earlier in the drive, and was the recipient on a couple big throws from Maye in the second half. But that’s sort of been my frustration with Henry.
When he’s good, he looks like one of the best players at his position in the league. But when he’s bad, he’s making mental errors that feel way below his talent level.
For this team to actually be in the playoff mix, Henry is going to have to have more complete games start-to-finish of good football. Have to come up with touchdown catches that hit you in the hands from one yard out.
- Vederian Lowe: I didn’t think we’d have to see his name in this column again this year, but here we are!
In the game as a part of a package on 3rd and 1 from the Patriots 33, Lowe jumped early to trigger a false start. It was the slightest of twitches, but it was enough for a flag to be thrown.
This pushed the Patriots back five yards, setting up a 3rd and 6 that resulted in a Maye sack.
So instead of the Patriots having the ability to add to their lead and eat clock, they ended up being forced to punt. Bills ended up getting a field goal on their next possession, tying the game at 20-20 with 2:17 to go in the game.
Can we keep this guy off the field, please?
Patriots are back on the road in Week 6, as they’ll head down to New Orleans to take on the Saints.
As of publishing, the Patriots are 3-point road favorites at FanDuel. You can get them on the moneyline at -154, and the total sits at 45.5.
Tune in each and every Monday throughout the football season to Patriots Monday on WEEI. Head coach Mike Vrabel joins The Greg Hill Show at 6:30 a.m. ET, and quarterback Drake Maye joins WEEI Afternoons.