Advertisement

Buffalo Bills 27, New England Patriots 21: Final score, stats, highlights

sal maiorana and ryan miller, rochester democrat and chronicle
·17 min read
1

ORCHARD PARK - New Years’ Eve in western New York - well, at least for those who are fans of the Buffalo Bills - could get an added boost of revelry based on what happens in the NFL Sunday.

First things first: The Bills host the New England Patriots at Highmark Stadium in just their fifth 1 p.m. kickoff of the 2023 season where a victory will set them up for the possibility of clinching an AFC playoff berth.

However, that won’t happen this week unless a couple other things take place.

Sign up for the Bills Blast newsletter Delivered straight to your inbox, additional Bills analysis, insight, stats, quotes and team history from Sal Maiorana

The most direct path to the Bills securing a fifth consecutive postseason invite would be for two of the following three results to occur: The Steelers lose to the Seahawks in Seattle, the Bengals lose to the Chiefs in Kansas City, and the Jaguars lose to the Panthers in Jacksonville.

The other scenario is a little more difficult because it requires three out-of-town losses: Either the Steelers or Bengals losing, plus the Colts losing to the Raiders in Indianapolis and the Texans losing to the Titans.

Assuming the Bills win and get the help they need to quality for the tournament as a wild-card team, fans can really celebrate at their various parties and get-togethers Sunday night if the host Ravens defeat AFC East leader Miami, a huge showdown that will be played at the same time as the Bills-Patriots game.

A Dolphins loss coupled with a Bills win would mean Buffalo will have a chance next weekend to go to Miami and steal the AFC East crown with a victory because that would mean both teams finish 11-6 and Buffalo would win its fourth straight division title because of its sweep of the Dolphins.

It’s going to be a frenetic day of football, so stay right here for constant updates on what’s happening.

Final score: Buffalo Bills 27, New England Patriots 21

It wasn't pretty but it was a huge win for the Bills, who are now a Week 18 showdown against the Miami Dolphins from their fourth consecutive AFC East title. Josh Allen completed 15 of 30 passes for 169 yards with an interception. James Cook led the Bills with 48 yards rushing on 16 carries and Dalton Kincaid made four receptions for 87 yards. Buffalo only tallied 281 yards of total offense but its defense forced four first half turnovers. Bailey Zappe went 16 of 26 for 209 yards with three interceptions for the Patriots.

Buffalo improves to 10-6 and can lock up a playoff spot with some help Sunday.

Buffalo milks the clock

The Bills took possession with 5:02 remaining. On third-and-7, Josh Allen hit Khalil Shakir for 11 yards and a first down. Thee plays later, Allen ran for three yards to convert a third-and-1. New England was forced to use all of its timeouts before the two-minute warning. On third-and-3, Allen ran off tackle for 4 yards anda first down to put the game away.

Patriots go three-and-out - 5:02 4th quarter

Bailey Zappe threw incomplete, Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 4 yards and Zappe completed to Tyquan Thornton for 4 yards. Bryce Baringer punted 45 yards and Deonte Harty returned it 7 yards to the Patriots' 49.

Sam Martin sticks another incredible punt - 6:41 4th quarter

Buffalo chewed up more than four minutes of clock but didn't get any points. On third-and-5, Josh Allen scrambled and fumbled but the ball was recovered by guard O'Cyrus Torrence. Sam Martin booted a 53-yard punt that was downed at the Patriots' 3. Martin has three punts inside the Patriots' 5.

Bills 27, Patriots 21: Ezekiel Elliott touchdown cuts New England deficit to one possession

New England drove 84 yards and Ezekiel Elliott scored on a 6-yard touchdown run. The Patriots were at their 31-yard line with Bailey Zappe completed to Jalen Reagor for 39 yards. Then Demario Douglas took a short completion and an unnecessary roughness penalty on Jordan Poyer gave the Patriots another 15 yards to the Bills' 6.

Bills punt - 14:10 4th quarter

Buffalo picked up one first down and couldn't run for a first down on third-and-1. Sam partin punted 47 tards to the Patriots' 16.

Patriots' 11-play drive ends with punt - 3:01 3rd quarter

New England drove to the Bills' 34 but had a delay of game on a field goal attempt and punted 27 yards to the Bills' 12.

Bills 27, Patriots 14: Josh Allen punches in touchdown run to start second half

Buffalo's offense has started to come alive. Josh Allen completed to Gave Davis for 15 yards and then connected with Dalton Kincaid for 51 yards to the Patriots' 13. James Cook took carries for 5 yards and 4 yards and Allen took a quarterback sneak 2 yards to set up first-and-goal from the Patriots' 2. On second down, Allen punched in the touchdown. It's Allen's 15th rushing touchdown of the season, which ties the NFL record for a quarterback.

Halftime score: Buffalo Bills 20, New England Patriots 14

Buffalo went three-and-out and New England took a knee to end a bizarre first half.

Josh Allen completed 7 of 20 passes for 46 yards and an interception. Dalton Kincaid's 18 receiving yards lead the Bills. Buffalo cornerback Rasul Douglas has two interceptions, including a pick six. New England has turned the ball over four times with three interceptions and a fumble.

Patriots kicker Chad Ryland misses field goal - 1:49 2nd quarter

New England moved the ball 60 yards but came up empty. Chad Ryland missed a 47-yard field goal.

Josh Allen intercepted by cornerback Alex Austin - 5:43 2nd quarter

Josh Allen's passing struggles continue. Allen went deep for Dalton Kincaid near left sideline and it was picked off by cornerback Alex Austin at the Patriots' 11.

Bills 20, Patriots 14: Bailey Zappe scrambles for 17-yard touchdown

It feels like the Bills should be ahead 35-0 in this game. Instead, it’s now just a 20-14 lead because New England just made two huge plays that resulted in a touchdown.

First, Bailey Zappe threw a short pass to Kevin Harris who turned it into a 48-yard gain to the Buffalo 17. And on the next snap, the Bills sent an all-out blitz, every guy ran past Zappe, and he had nothing but wide open field to scamper into the end zone.

At this point, the Bills have done a fantastic job of keeping the Patriots in the game. And the offense, absolutely horrible, needs to start getting it together or this could get dangerous for the Bills.

Bills 20, Patriots 7: Rasul Douglas returned Bailey Zappe's third interception of game for touchdown

The meltdown of Bailey Zappe continued less than three minutes into the second quarter when he threw a pass right to Rasul Douglas who not only made his second interception of the game, but then returned this one 40 yards for a touchdown.

And it’s a good thing he scored because right now, the Bills’ offense doesn’t look capable of scoring a touchdown as Josh Allen is off to one of the worst starts he’s ever had.

Bills pin punt to Patriots' 5-yad line - :04 1st quarter

Buffalo picked up a first down on an unnecessary roughness penalty against cornerback Jalen Mills. Josh Allen completed to Dalton Kincaid for 44 yards and Allen threw two incompletions. Sam Martin hit a beautiful punt that was downed at the Patriots' 5.

Patriots offense goes backward - :54 seconds

What a disastrous quarter for New England's offense. On third-and-9, Ed Oliver sacked Bailey Zappe for an 8-yard loss to force a three-and-out. Bryce Baringer punted 47 yards to the Patriots' 35.

Bills 13, Patriots 7: Tyler Bass makes 24-yard field goal

Incredibly, the Patriots have run seven offensive plays on their first three possessions, and three of them have resulted in turnovers.

However, in what should now be a blowout, the Bills only lead 13-7 because they failed to convert two of those takeaways into touchdowns.

This time they took control at the Patriots 30 after Christian Benford stripped the ball away from Pharoah Brown, but after making one first down, the Bills again stalled and had to settle for Tyler Bass’ second field goal.

Josh Allen is now 1 of 7 for one yard passing and there is no one open when he drops back. That is becoming a concern because at some point, the Patriots are going to stop giving the ball away. Or you would think.

Pharaoh Brown loses fumble, Patriots have turned ball over three times in first quarter - 5:45 1st quarter

The Patriots offense is a mess. Bailey Zappe finally completed a pass and tight end Pharaoh Brown lost it with a fumble. The ball was punched out by cornerback Christian Benford, who recovered it at the Patriots' 30. Buffalo has started at the Patriots' 21, 14 and 30 after three forced turnovers.

Bills 10, Patriots 7: Josh Allen punches in touchdown to capitalize off turnover

The cornerback who was acquired from Green Bay at the trade deadline made his second massive play already. This time, Rasul Douglas stepped in front of a Bailey Zappe pass intended for DeVante Parker and made the interception, giving the Bills a drive start at the New England 14.

Four plays later, Josh Allen snuck into the end zone from the 1 to give the Bills a 10-7 lead.

So, the Buffalo defense has already made a huge plays, and how’s this for weird. Zappe has completed more passes to the Bills (two) than Allen has (zero).

Bailey Zappe throws second interception of quarter - 8:34 1st quarter

Bailey Zappe was picked off again. Cornerback Rasul Douglas stepped in front of a slant pass and picked off the pass. Douglas returned the interception 10 yards to the Patriots' 14.

Bills get one first down and punt - 8:41 1st quarter

Josh Allen has started 0-for-6 passing. James Cook got the first two carries of the possession and totaled 11 yards for a first down and Allen threw three straight incompletions. Sam Martin punted 48 yards and Myles Bryant returned it 7 yards to the Patriots' 16.

New England goes three-and-out - 10:20 1st quarter

The Patriots have the lead but they haven't done anything on offense. Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 1 yard and 4 yards and Bailey Zappe was pressured and threw incomplete for Mike Gesicki on third down. Bryce Baringer punted 57 yards and Deonte Harty returned it 11 yards to the Bills' 27.

Patriots 7, Bills 3: Buffalo turns interception into a field goal

Buffalo’s offense has gone three-and-out on its first two possessions. However, at least after the second dud, they were able to get a Tyler Bass field goal to cut their deficit to 7-3.

That’s because on New England’s first offensive play of the game, cornerback Rasul Douglas deflected a Bailey Zappe pass and Ed Oliver made a tremendous diving interception at the Patriots 21.

Still, coming away with only three there is a letdown for the Bills.

New England goes three-and-out =

Bailey Zappe picked off by Ed Oliver - 13:00 1st quarter

New England's first play was scrimmage was an interception. Bailey Zappe's pass was deflected by Rasul Douglas and defensive tackle Ed Oliver made a diving interception at the Patriots' 21. It is Oliver's first career interception.

Buffalo offense opens with three-and-out - 13:06 1st quarter

The Bills nearly turned the ball over on their first offensive play. Josh Allen fumbled as he was sacked by defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. but guard Connor McGovern pounced on it at the Buffalo 10-yard line. Allen scrambled for 19 yards on second down, threw incomplete on third down and Sam Martin punted 53 yards to the Patriots' 18.

Patriots 7, Bills 0: Jalen Reagor returns opening kickoff for 98-yard touchdown

Well, there was a pretty good chance that the Patriots were going to give the Bills a fight today, and that was confirmed on the first play of the game.

Jalen Reagor fielded Tyler Bass’ kickoff at the two-yard-line, blew through an initial gap in the Bills coverage unit, then ran right over Bass on the way to the end zone for a 98-yard touchdown.

If you remember last year when the Patriots were here, Nyheim Hines returned the opening kickoff for the Bills on the way to a 35-23 victory.

Von Miller inactive for the Bills

Finally, coach Sean McDermott had the nerve to do something that should have been done many weeks ago: Edge rusher Von Miller is inactive and will not play Sunday against the Patriots.

Miller has been a complete non-factor ever since he made his season debut Oct. 8 in London against the Jaguars, yet week after week the Bills were sending him on the field thinking things would turn around. They didn’t, and now that they’re in a position where they’re playing must-win games, they realized they can’t afford to activate a player who has given them nothing.

The defensive line is undergoing a big change Sunday because the Bills are getting DT DaQuan Jones back for the first time since tearing his pectoral muscle in London. He will replace Linval Joseph who is inactive. Also, with Miller out, that opened the door for the return of edge rusher A.J. Epenesa who had missed the last two games with a rib injury.

Further, safety Micah Hyde is back after missing two games.

Besides Miller and Joseph, the other inactives are safety Damar Hamlin, cornerback Kaiir Elam, and offensive lineman Alec Anderson.

The Patriots were already missing several key players who we knew weren’t playing, but they will also be without LT Trent Brown, S Jabril Peppers and TE Hunter Henry. Those are significant losses for a roster that can’t really afford to many hits.

What time is the Bills vs Patriots game?

● Date: Sunday, Dec. 31

●Time: 1 p.m.

● Place: Highmark Stadium

Who is favored to win Bills vs. Patriots game

  • Tipico betting line: Bills -14

  • Over-under: 40

  • Money line: Bills minus-950 (bet $950 to win $100) and Patriots plus-625 (bet $100 to win $625).

Who is announcing the Bills vs. Patriots game

  • Play-by-play: Kevin Harlan

  • Analyst: Trent Green

  • Sideline reporter: Melanie Collins

How to watch Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots game on TV, streaming

∎ Cable/Network TV: CBS. The game will be available locally via the following stations: WROC (Channel 8, Rochester), WIVB (Buffalo area), WTVH (Syracuse area), WKTV (Utica area), WENY (Elmira area), WRGB (Albany area), and WBNG (Binghamton area).

∎ Online streaming services: You can watch games on NFL.com and the NFL mobile app, and you can subscribe to NFL+, the league’s own streaming service, though you can’t cast the games to your TV - you must watch on your phone or tablet.

∎ TV streaming: You can also stream games if you have subscriptions to Spectrum, DirecTV, fuboTV, Sling, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and Paramount+.

On the radio: How to listen to the Bills vs Patriots game

You can listen on SiriusXM satellite radio on Sirius channel 139 and XM channel 383 (Bills feed) and Sirius channel 82 and XM channel 228 (Patriots feed), and on traditional radio, the Bills Radio Network has stations all across the state. Chris Brown has the play-by-play, Eric Wood is the analyst, and Sal Capaccio is the sideline reporter. The network includes:

Rochester (WCMF 96.5 and WROC 950 AM)Buffalo (WGR550, 550 AM)Syracuse (WTKW 99.5/WTKV 105.5)Binghamton (WDRE 100.5FM)Ithaca (WIII 99.9/100.3 FM)Bath (WVIN 98.3 FM)Newark (WACK 1420 AM)Dansville (WDNY 93.9 FM)Elmira (WNGZ 1490 AM)Auburn (WAUB 98.1 FM/1590 AM)Geneva (WGVA 95.9 FM, 1240 AM)

Bills vs Patriots prediction

Sal Maiorana: Bills 23, Patriots 10

Yes, if my prediction winds up being close, that would indicate the Bills didn’t sweat too much. But I don’t believe that will be the case because if the Bills do eventually win by 10 or 13 points, I think it’s going to be hard-earned and will cause some angst during the day among the fan base both in the stadium and watching at home.

The Patriots were 2-10 and looking like a threat to come away with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft, but they have been much more competitive lately, especially since Zappe took over at QB. Their defense was always good, and despite some key injuries it remains so. They have allowed just 94 points in the last six games and are only 2-4 because the offense was utterly horrible for one three-game stretch when it scored a total - a total! - of 13 points.

This might be a better Patriots team now than the one that beat Buffalo two months ago, so I’m expecting a tight game where New England is annoying all day before falling in the end.

Buffalo Bills 2023 schedule

Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana and on Threads @salmaiorana1. To subscribe to Sal's newsletter, Bills Blast, which comes out twice a week during the season, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills 27, New England Patriots 21: Final score, stats, highlights