ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Receiver Stefon Diggs is quite comfortable putting on a show in Buffalo. The big difference on Sunday night was doing so for the Billsā division rival New England Patriots.
Diggs had 10 catches for 146 yards, with 119 coming in the second half, in a 23-20 win over the Bills sealed by Andres Borregales hitting a 52-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining.
In teaming up with quarterback Drake Maye and Rhamondre Stevenson, who scored two touchdowns rushing, the Patriots left the NFL without an undefeated team five weeks into the season.
Diggs followed up his six-catch, 101-yard outing in in last week's 43-13 win over Carolina by topping it in the 31-year-oldās first return to Orchard Park, New York, since his four-year stint in Buffalo ended with him being traded to Houston in April 2024.
āIt was lit, prime time," said Diggs, who set nearly every single-season franchise receiving record in Buffalo during his four-year tenure. āIt was electrifying. I knew it was going to be a test for us.ā
Itās a test the up-and-coming Patriots passed under Maye, the blossoming second-year starter, first-year coach Mike Vrabel and Stevenson, who scored on 4- and 7-yard runs.
The Patriots won back-to-back games for the first time since winning three in a row midway through the 2022 season. New England has a winning record through five games for the first time since opening the 2019 season 8-0.
And the Patriots tightened the AFC East race by moving within one game of the five-time defending division champion Bills (4-1).
Maye finished 22 of 30 for 273 yards, and was near-perfect in the second half by going 13 of 14 for 184 yards. No throw was more impressive than when he began the final drive by eluding the grasp of Bills defensive tackle DaQuan Jones and getting off a 12-yard completion to Diggs.
āYou know this was his storybook,ā Maye said of the receiver who signed with New England in March, and after his time in Houston was cut short by a torn knee ligament last season.
āComing back here first game, prime time, you could see it all week. He just loves football,ā Maye said. āHeās got a lot in the tank left, so itās good heās a Patriot.ā
The Bills essentially beat themselves in snapping a 14-game home winning streak that was one short of the franchise record and dated to a 24-22 loss to Denver on Nov. 13, 2023.
The Bills had three turnovers, two by Josh Allen. He muffed a handoff to tight end Dawson Knox to end Buffaloās opening drive. Allen was also picked off by Marcus Jones at New Englandās 10, with the Bills trailing 13-10.
Receiver Keon Coleman lost a fumble at his own 11.
āWe just played sloppy. Not going to win a football game turning the ball over three times,ā Allen said. āThatās just bad football. We just did not play good tonight.ā
Allen, last seasonās MVP, finished 22 of 31 for 253 yards and threw touchdown passes to Coleman and Curtis Samuel.
Turnovers werenāt the only issue as Buffalo was limited scoring 20 or fewer points for just the fourth time since the start of 2024.
Before Borregalesā decisive kick, the Billsā drive stalled at New Englandās 28 and Buffalo settled for Matt Praterās 45-yard field goal to tie the game with 2:17 left.
āI thought we beat ourselves,ā coach Sean McDermott said. āJust not enough complementary football. Just didnāt seem like we were into a rhythm offensively enough. And when we did, we had penalties, self-inflicted wounds early on in the game.ā
The Bills had 11 accepted penalties for 90 yards against them.
Buffalo and Philadelphia entered the day as the NFLās last unbeaten teams. The Eagles lost to visiting Denver. Itās the first time since 2014 and seventh time since the 1970 merger that no team has started 5-0.
The Patriotsā defense limited James Cook to 49 yards on 15 carries. Cook was held under 100 yards from scrimmage for the first time this season, and his streak of eight games with a rushing touchdown was snapped.
Copyright 2025 by The Associated Press